Football: Oceanside welcomes Brunswick back to 11-man game

BRUNSWICK — Oceanside’s Zeb Foster is getting recruited to play wide receiver at the collegiate level, yet he probably won’t catch a single pass this year. The senior played his first game ever at quarterback Saturday, leading Oceanside to a 30-14 win over Brunswick and spoiling the home team’s return to 11-man football. Foster finished the Class C matchup with 287 yards of total offense (69 passing, 218 rushing) and three touchdowns on the ground, including a 50-yard keeper in the fourth quarter that stamped Oceanside (1-0) as the victor.

Flanked by senior running back Robert Blair (18 rushes, 141 yards, TD), the Mariner duo juked their way through the Brunswick (0-1) defense, wearing down their younger opponents behind bruising blocking up front, before breaking free for large chunks of yardage. Throughout the game, Oceanside players struggled with leg cramps. Foster, who also started at free safety, dealt with a different kind of in-game issue.



“I just kept puking the whole game,” Foster said, “and then finally at the end I was like ‘OK, I can’t keep puking. I’ve got to seal this up. Let’s get a touchdown here.

Let’s get a big gain here.’ And that’s what happened.” Oceanside head coach Sam Weiss was impressed but not surprised with Foster’s debut.

“As the play caller, I’m nervous to give him too much too early,” Weiss said. “We could have done what we did today with Cohen (Galley, last year’s QB and a 2023 Fitzpatrick Trophy finalist), but what we designed our offense for was a guy like Zeb. He’s a converted receiver, so we don’t want to throw too much at him.

But as the year goes on, you’ll see the deep balls and the old Oceanside, where we’re getting on the edge.” Foster, who completed 7 of his 13 passes, felt confident in his throwing, even as penalties negated many positive plays, such as a goal line jump ball brought down by Oceanside in the final seconds of the first half. Mistakes were made early and often by both teams (nine penalties for Oceanside, five for Brunswick).

Brunswick opened their first drive with two penalties and a bad snap. On their second series, the Dragons marched to the red zone before turning the ball over on downs. But as the game progressed, jitters went away.

On the next drive, Brunswick senior quarterback Cam Beal found Trevor Gerrish open on a short route, which the senior wideout caught and took 64 yards to the house. The duo connected once more before the break on a short screen, which Gerrish once again converted into a 38-yard score. Coming out of halftime tied 14-14, the Dragons, three years removed from their last win in 11-man football, were no match for the experienced Mariners.

The home team converted just one second half first down, and it was via penalty. Brunswick head coach Mark Renna mentioned the team’s youth as a factor for the second-half slowdown, but he didn’t think his team’s lack of 11-man experience was to blame. “It’s on me,” Renna said.

“My players played well. They played to win. I didn’t put them in enough positions to win tonight, that’s on me.

Tonight’s all me. I could do a little time management better, be more prepared, cut the playbook in half, a little more easy signals, play calls ..

. but tonight’s all me, and I’ll get better for next week for my kids.” Beal finished the night 6 of 7 for 131 yards and two touchdowns.

Gerrish caught both scores and five of those passes for 128 yards. Beal was able to use his legs as well, picking up yards on scrambles, but the quarterback was also sacked three times for large losses, including once by Foster. Senior Jimmy Cook led the Dragons’ rushing effort with 37 yards.

“Going from eight-man to 11 and then pounding the ball like that,” Weiss said, “Their line was a little undersized but our guys felt it there in the first half. Props to them. I hope they come out of the (Class C) South (division), and it’s not because we beat them, but because I want other eight-man teams to see it, coming back to 11 and have the confidence to do so.

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