The Brunswick Railroaders opened their football season Friday night, September 5, with a 27-10 loss to the Williamsport Wildcats.

Williamsport got on the scoreboard first, scoring on a touchdown pass and then capitalizing on a blocked punt to build a 14-0 lead after a quarter. A touchdown run late in the half just before the break provided the Wildcats with a 21-0 lead.

Brunswick took off in the second half with senior quarterback Brady Renn, who returned to play football for his senior year. Down 27-0, the Railroaders scored at last in the fourth quarter. Lane Riggleman, senior, recovered a fumble in the end zone for a safety, and shortly thereafter, Renn connected with Carter Metz, a junior, for a touchdown. Shayne Weingard, another senior, added a two-point conversion for 27-10.

Head coach Rhodes pointed to “mental mistakes” as the biggest hurdle. “Adversity is always a difficult thing,” Rhodes said. “That’s the big thing we’re going to focus on — overcoming those mental mistakes.”

Renn, and his numerous clutch runs and throws, said he was happy to be playing quarterback again. “I figured senior year, why not come back? We just came up short tonight. I’ll watch a film, see what I can do better, and just get better as a team.”

Riggleman, who also blocked an extra point kick and recovered a safety, said the defense can get better. “We’ll be really good. We just need to work on the little things, and that’s what comes with practice. If we practice hard, we’ll be all right.”

Brunswick (0-1) will look to avoid penalties and missed opportunities next week as they continue their season under first-year coach Rhodes.