Austin Hemmingson | Daily Press Escanaba’s Josh Bruntjens (3) mishandles a handoff as Dayton Miron (26) tries to stay on his feet and Traverse City Central’s Jordan Liggett (5) approaches during Friday’s game at Escanaba.

ESCANABA — It was one of those nights the Escanaba Eskymos would rather forget as they fell to the Traverse City Central Trojans 62-7 in a non-conference football game here Friday.

This marked the most lopsided loss since 2002 for Esky when it dropped a 63-0 decision at Muskegon.

“We just ran into a buzzsaw,” said Esky coach Dave Howes. “They’re very fast, physical and athletic. They’re good at every position. You can’t turn the ball over against a team of this caliber.”

The Trojans (7-1), operating out of the no-huddle offense, averaged 9.6 yards a play.

“We like to play fast and uptempo,” said TCC coach Eric Schugars. “Our goal is to wear teams down in the second half. Our guys thrive off that and they enjoy it. We knew they were a good team. We came out a little slow tonight, which is a credit to them.”

The Trojans led 21-0 at halftime of the Parents’ Night contest, then made it 28-0 on a double reverse that ended in a 40-yard pass from senior Trey Searles to sophomore Dante Williams less than two minutes into the third quarter.

Esky got on the board just 27 seconds later on senior Ethan Silverstone’s 70-yard aerial to junior Bryant Maki.

TCC, however, scored twice in the next 2:12, gaining an insurmountable 42-7 cushion on a nine-yard run by junior Austin Bills.

“The kids never quit, the coaches never quit,” said Howes. “We just ran into a better team. We need to stay together as a unit. We have to respond. We’re in the playoffs. We still have a lot to play for.”

The Trojans opened the scoring on sophomore Josh Burnham’s 18-yard run with 5:05 left in the opening frame, set up on his 48-yard return on a fumble recovery on the previous play.

Bills then gave the Trojans a 14-0 lead with 4:04 left in the second when he broke several tackles on an eight-yard run.

With 72 seconds left in the second stanza, senior quarterback Peyton Smith tossed a 16-yard TD pass to junior Tyler McCoy, who also broke multiple tackles for a 21-0 advantage.

TCC amassed 574 yards in total offense, including 307 on the ground. Junior Luke Linda became their leading rusher with a 60-yard dash around left end early in the fourth quarter.

The deep and speedy Trojans, who used 10 running backs, got 51 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries by Bills. Burnham finished with 48 in seven attempts.

“We thought we could utilize our speed,” said Schugars. “Our execution was very good. The kids played well.”

Junior Carson Hall led the Trojans in receiving with three receptions for 97 yards and Seamless snagged four passes for 68. Smith was 12-of-20 passing for 227 yards, two TDs and two interceptions.

The Eskymos (6-2) were limited to five first downs and 125 yards of offense. Silverstone was 6-of-15 passing for 95 yards and an interception. All of Esky’s running backs were held under 10 yards.

Esky finishes its regular season at Swartz Creek Friday. TCC will try to clinch the Big North Conference title outright Saturday when it hosts Cadillac.

“They’re a big Class A school,” said Howes. “That will be a new experience for us. We got banged up a little, but I think we’ll be okay. It was just one of those nights.”