BRUNSWICK — Will Bessey ran like a guy who was running from the past, and he was. The last two times Bessey and the Brunswick High School football team played Messalonskee, the Dragons lost.
This time, when it counted most, Bessey didn’t want that to happen again.
“I didn’t want to lose to Messo again. None of us did,” Bessey said. “We prepped for them these two weeks. We were ready for them.”
Bessey ran for 363 yards on just 16 carries, and scored four touchdowns, leading the top-seeded Dragons to a 27-20 win over the Eagles in the Pine Tree Conference Class B semifinals.
Brunswick, now 8-1, will play the winner of Saturday’s game between No. 3 Lawrence and No. 2 Cony in the conference championship game next weekend. No. 4 Messalonskee ends the season at 5-5.
Bessey scored on runs of 92, 78, 44 and 91 yards, but this one wasn’t over until Brunswick’s Tristan Graves intercepted a pass at the Dragons 18-yard line with just under a minute to play.
“Our kids didn’t quit. That’s what I’m proud of,” Messalonskee coach Brad Bishop said.
Trailing 21-7 at the half, Messaonskee cut into Brunswick’s lead when Jack Bernatchez scored on a 5-yard run with 4:15 left in the third quarter, making it 21-14. The Eagles got the ball back to start the fourth quarter, and went on a 17-play, 90-yard drive, scoring on Jake Dexter’s 1-yard plunge with 4:31 left to cut Brunswick’s lead to 21-20.
A fake kick try on the extra point failed, and Brunswick maintained the lead.
“We came down here to win the game. You look like a hero if you get it and you look like a goat if you don’t,” Bishop said.
Still, Messalonskee was in good shape when Brunswick faced third down and 4 from its own 9. But Bessey broke free for a 91-yard touchdown run, and the Dragons had a 27-20 lead with 2:54 to play.
All four of Bessey’s runs came on the same play, 21 Down or 29 Down, depending on which side of the line the play was run, Brunswick coach Dan Cooper said.
“(Bessey) was fantastic. It was impressive. That was one play that seemed to work all night long,” Cooper said.
Added Bessey: “My blockers, my linemen, they got it done tonight.”
While Messalonskee grinded out long drives, Brunswick scored quickly. Brunswick’s longest scoring drive took 1 minute, 45 seconds.
“It seemed like our defense was out there all night,” Cooper said.
Messalonskee had a chance to take an early lead, but Colby Dexter dropped a Jake Dexter pass in the end zone on fourth and goal from the 6 on the game’s first drive. Two plays later, Bessey broke a 92 yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead.
Bessey added a 78-yard touchdown run on Brunswick’s next possession, on his second carry, and the Dragons led 14-0 late in the first quarter.
Bernatchez (175 yards on 24 carries) scored on a 7-yard run with 9:33 left in the second quarter to get Messalonskee on the board, but Bessey’s 44 yard touchdown run with 1:00 to go gave Brunswick a 21-7 halftime lead.
“We had our chances,” Bishop said. “We moved the ball. We did some good things. We just came up short.”
Colby Dexter ran for 104 yards for the Eagles, and caught three passes for 33 yards. Caleb Chavarie ran for 90 yards for Messalonskee.
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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