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HARRIS - The Stephenson Eagles will pose a serious defensive obstacle to Bark River-Harris Friday, but that is not why the Broncos are adjusting their offense.

"We're going to go back to our basics, what we were successful with at the beginning of the year," BR-H coach Joe Derouin said Wednesday as he looked ahead to the Division 8 district title game at 7 p.m. at Harris.

"We tried changing things up but it was not working," he said of using more running plays and using the I formation as weather conditions made passing difficult in recent games.

"We're going back to what worked well. Our offense has sputtered the last three weeks. We couldn't get things going because of the changes we made," he said.

That means Air Bronco will again take flight.

"We'll come out throwing the football and run the football once in a while to keep their defense honest," said Derouin. "The kids are more comfortable throwing the football.

"They (Stephenson) know we're throwing the football. We'll leave it up to them to defend it. Our strong point is not the running game. We'll play ball control with the pass. We're not looking for a touchdown every time we throw the football."

Senior Bryce Derouin earned All-U.P. Class D honors by flinging the ball out of a spread offense that tries to run a play every 10-12 seconds for the Broncos (9-1).

He passed for 1,734 yards and 19 TDs during the season, and last week hit 8-of-14 passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns in a gritty 25-20 victory over Pickford in the district opener.

Stephenson coach Chad Brandt said Derouin is a concern.

"They are big up front so they usually give him time," said Brandt. "We have to find a way to use our speed to get some pressure, but Derouin is good on his feet and can extend the play. He is pretty accurate and his receivers come back to him."

Senior Lucas Kleiman, who caught a TD pass, ran for a TD and returned a kickoff for a TD last week, is also a key weapon. "The speed of Kleiman stands out right away, his ability to make plays," said Brandt.

"They will run, but out of the (shot) gun. They won't ram it at you. You have to stay aggressive up front. The defensive line has to have a good get-off whether they play run or pass.

"One of the most tiring things in football is rushing the passer. If they throw a lot and stay on the field and get first downs, we have to have some rotations ready."

Brandt is a former Gladstone High School football and basketball standout in his 13th year at the Eagles' helm. He was one of the first Upper Peninsula coaches to implement the spread when he had Brent Parrett at quarterback in 2005.

Derouin said Stephenson's defense is solid, from the primary 4-4 to have six players stretched behind the line and one safety back.

"Their linebackers play wide and don't allow any outside," he said. "They have some horses in the middle to protect the middle. You can't get wide."

He said that style favored the Eagles Saturday as they blitzed Cedarville 24-0, holding the Trojans to one first down and minus 10 yards rushing in lousy field conditions.

"It wasn't as bad as the score showed," he said, noting the Eagles (6-3) capitalized on turnovers.

BR-H edged Cedarville 6-0 a week earlier on a 46-yard run by Kleiman as both teams struggled in wet, muddy conditions.