Seasons
Announcement
BRUNSWICK — Sam Bubonics made the Brunswick football team feel ill Friday. The senior wide receiver scored four touchdowns — three of them in a 4:06 span of the second quarter — as undefeated Solon pulled away for a 44-17 Greater Cleveland Conference victory over the Blue Devils.
Bubonics found the end zone on a 49-yard interception return, then had TD receptions of 10, 8 and 13 yards from Pat McQuaide as the Comets (6-0, 3-0) kept pace with Mentor atop the league standings. The 5-foot-10, 160-pound senior also set up Solon’s first score with a 61-yard kickoff return immediately after Brunswick tied the score at 3-3 early in the second.
Less than eight minutes later, he ran back a punt 37 yards, which led to his first offensive TD. The Comets’ 28 unanswered points in the final 8:34 of the first half sent them to the locker room ahead 31-3 and ended the upset hopes of the Blue Devils (0-6, 0-3).
“He’s an athletic kid with a lot of God-given talent,” Brunswick linebacker Curtis Helman said. “When players like that get the ball, sometimes you try your best but you just can’t stop them.” Blue Devils defensive end Spencer Hrabak also tipped his hat to Bubonics, saying, “He’s a fast kid, and when someone with his speed gets into the open field, it’s really tough to contain him.”
Bubonics’ epic evening spoiled the first varsity start of Brunswick quarterback Jonah Clement, who set team season highs across the board at the position. The sophomore completed 12-of-24 passes for 158 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Clement’s 26-yard TD to Sam Raiff in the fourth was the Blue Devils’ first via the air in 2018. Outside of the pick-six he threw to Bubonics, he showed impressive poise and instinct in the pocket
“Jonah came in and threw the ball very nicely all night,” Brunswick coach Mark Pinzone said. “He also avoided some contact and even threw a nice block on one play. You saw moments of brilliance from our offense, but you just can’t turn it over the way we have this season.”
Clement used his size (6-2) and strength on a gutsy 18-yard carry by Dakota Lavinder, who went from sideline to sideline looking for running room. When he turned the corner and headed west, Clement flattened a Solon linebacker in pursuit.
“When you see your quarterback light someone up like that, it definitely ups your intensity on defense,” Hrabak said. “Football is a very physical game, so you have to love it.” Senior running back Robert Woznicki also brought the home crowd to life by making consecutive blitz pickups in the third, one of which led to a 26-yard Clement-to-Raiff delivery.
Woznicki completed the drive by powering the ball in on fourth-and-goal from the 1. He required postgame X-rays after his bruising performance. “Rob is a tough kid and a rugby player who was hurt for a couple of weeks,” Pinzone said. “When he told me he felt good enough to play tonight, I knew he would give it his all. “When you watch guys like him, Dakota Lavinder, Curtis Helman, Spencer Hrabak and Bobby Lindsey, to name a few, you can see how much heart our players have.”
That heart was evident in the final stats as Brunswick outgained Solon 226-215 and scored a season high in points — tripling its average of 5.4 — against a team headed for the playoffs. The Blue Devils hope that is a good omen as they prepare to play Elyria in a battle of winless squads.
“When the offense is all fired up, that makes the defense fired up and brings the team to a different level,” Helman said. “We had a lot of stupid penalties and unnecessary personal fouls tonight, but we can correct that. We’ll be ready for them.”
Brunswick kicker Justin Hagler made a 31-yard field goal and two extra points, keeping him perfect on eight total tries. Hrabek notched a sack and Andrew Tielke had three receptions for 33 yards.
Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com. Follow him @BrianDulik on Twitter.
