Titans struggle against strong Brunswick defense in loss

It was a season-opener to forget for the Lorain Titans as their offense was neutralized by a strong Brunswick defense.

The Titans fell to the Brunswick Blue Devils, 31-7, on Aug. 30 at Brunswick Auto Mart Stadium.

Both team’s defenses were on display early as each squad forced multiple three-and-outs. The Blue Devils were able to break through and convert on a field goal to take a 3-0 lead with seven minutes left in the first quarter.

It was a struggle in the first half offensively for Lorain as it turned the ball over three times.

The Titans fumbled once and quarterback Jordan Jackson threw two first half interceptions, and one was returned 52 yards for a touchdown by a Blue Devils linebacker Kyle Scherette just before the end of the first half.

“I love our kids and I obviously didn’t have them ready to play football tonight and that’s on me,” Lorain head coach Dave McFarland said.

Brunswick took a 17-0 lead into halftime and Lorain’s outlook appeared to be bleak, but the Titans weren’t done yet.

The Titans showed signs of life right out of the gate to begin the second half.

Jackson led the Titans on an 80-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a Savon Chavis two-yard touchdown run, to cut Brunswick’s lead to 17-7.

Despite the early second half touchdown, Lorain wasn’t able to catch up to Brunswick.

The Blue Devils pulled away in the second half, scoring two more times. One of their touchdowns was set up by Jackson’s third interception of the night.

“Our kids made plays and we talked about the fantastic athletes that Lorain has, we knew they were going to make some plays and they had some big gains and nice runs,” Brunswick head coach Mark Pinzone said. “However, our kids didn’t let that get them down and

they came back and made plays.”

Brunswick’s defense succeeded at bottling up Lorain’s playmakers. Wide receiver Tyshawn Lighty, running back Daylin Dower and wide receiver De’Vante Jackson were unable to get any separation and the Blue Devils forced Jackson into three interceptions.

“They brought everybody up and wanted to stop our run game,” McFarland said. “We just weren’t clicking and I need to do a better job of getting these kids ready to play.”

Brunswick quarterback Jacob Scherette led the way for the Blue Devils as he scored three rushing touchdowns on the night.

“A lot of people were doubting us in this game and we just put our heads

down,” Scherette said. “We were grinding all week, we stayed focused, we knew the game wasn’t over when the first points were scored and we kept pushing. I’m so proud of this team because we worked very hard for this and it feels so good to come out here and get a win.”

Scherette liked what he saw out of his team’s defense tonight.

“(I saw) effort, toughness and next man up mentality,” Scherette said. “We had a lot of guys out this game and we stuck our heads down and fought hard all game and I’m so proud of our guys.”

Up next, Lorain hosts Avon on while Brunswick travels to North Royalton on Sept. 6.