NH Rebellion blown out 50-8 in road game against Maine Mayhem
The June 1 football game between the Maine Mayhem and New Hampshire Rebellion started with an unusual twist: a Rebellion interception led to points by Mayhem. An interception at 12:15 in the first quarter by Cassie Healy led to Rebellion having the ball backed up close to their own end zone. A runni
PORTLAND, MAINE – The June 1 football game between the Maine Mayhem and New Hampshire Rebellion started with an unusual twist: a Rebellion interception led to points by Mayhem. An interception at 12:15 in the first quarter by Cassie Healy led to Rebellion having the ball backed up close to their own end zone. A running play went nowhere, leading to a Maine safety.
From there, Maine went on a scoring spree against the Rebellion, putting up a 44-0 score by the end of the first half and closing out the match with a 50-8 victory.
Emily Brzycki had two rushing touchdowns for Maine, while Chloe Brzycki added a receiving touchdown. Melissa Ludis for the Mayhem had several long punt returns, in addition to several long runs in the second half.
Despite being gashed repeatedly by Maine’s running game, Rebellion’s defense nevertheless came up with big plays during the game. Kristen Albert, who was given player of the game honors, recorded a sack in the second quarter and a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach.
“It started off pretty fierce out there,” Albert said. “I started off on the O-line, which I haven’t played in quite a while. Then they moved me into center. Then the rest of the game was defense for me. They moved me into nose- that’s when I really started to get some tackles.”
In addition to being a hard-fought game, this was also the Mayhem women’s football team annual Pride game – players from both teams wore rainbow socks and rainbow armbands. A drag queen performed the national anthem, in addition to giving a performance at halftime. The game took place at a new location for the Mayhem-Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland, which featured fans parking long distances away from the stadium and walking across a busy road to get in. Many fans showed up wearing Mayhem jerseys supporting the team as the game’s announcer called out the team’s sponsors during pregame warmups.
While the Rebellion lost the game in the first half by a score of 44-0, they won the second half by a score of 8-6. Maine scored only once in the third quarter and not at all in the fourth quarter as Rebellion’s defense improved. Maine turned the ball over on downs at the end of the third quarter where they would have converted earlier in the game. Rebellion players didn’t put their heads down and didn’t quit playing hard regardless of the score.
Rebellion’s passing game showed life in the fourth quarter as QB Kim Bourque, who usually doesn’t throw the ball, ripped off a series of complete passes, including a receiving touchdown to RB Selina Collins, whose arm draped over the goal line for the score. Bourque then ran the ball in for a two point conversion.
“We kind of figured out their defense,” Bourque said, fighting back tears after an emotional post-game conference. “We figured out the line assignments, and we all came together. I love each and every one of these girls. I’m so proud of them. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
“I never give up,” Albert said.
The final score of the game: Maine Mayhem 50, Rebellion 8.
Mayhem players gathered on the sidelines happy about the win, looking forward to this year’s playoffs. They looked every bit of a successful, thriving football program with a large number of fans in attendance, a group of talented players on both sides of the ball, and a winning, successful head coach.
“First quarter looked good. We prepared hard for this team,” Mayhem head coach Bryant Oja said. When discussing Emily Bryzcki, he said, “She’s a classic A-back, one of the best running backs on our team. [Rebellion] is up and coming. It’s tough to be a second year team. [Mayhem] has been around. I’ve been here seven years. At the end of the day, they made some plays.”
“I don’t care what the scoreboard says,” Selina Collins said. “We showed that we have a passing game is the biggest thing, and I’m so proud. I love this team, and it’s just a reason to keep coming back. [Catching passes] was so awesome. It was less brutal. I don’t feel like I’m gonna die right now. It was great. I loved it.”
On June 8, the Rebellion has another road game in Rochester, New York against the Upstate Lady Predators before wrapping up the season on June 15th in a home game in Manchester against the New York Knockout. The game will take place at West High School Field, and will start at 6 PM.
