GLADSTONE — The Gladstone Braves stole Houghton’s momentum here Friday night as they rallied past the Gremlins 34-22 in a WestPAC Conference Copper Division football match-up.

Gladstone trailed 14-0 after the first quarter, but turned the tide in the second as it surged to a 19-14 lead on a 41-yard Hail Mary pass through the middle from junior quarterback Vinny Rebholz to junior wide receiver Aiden Burie as time expired.

“We didn’t come out firing on all cylinders,” Braves’ coach Craig Ness said. “I think last week’s loss (61-6 at second-ranked Menominee) had a lot to do with the slow start. Once our guys got going, they did well. I think our defense also stepped up. I’m proud of the way the guys responded.”

The Braves (3-4) added to their lead in the third frame, raising the score to 27-14 on a 10-yard run by senior running back Trevor Thorbahn at 6:48.

Gladstone then extended its lead to 34-14 on an eight-yard pass from Rebholz to senior wide receiver Mason Serpien with 60 seconds remaining in the third.

Houghton (2-5) closed out the scoring in the final 64 seconds when speedy senior running back Brayden Goudge burst through the middle on a seven-yard run.

“We were able to do some good things early,” Houghton coach Tim Driscoll said. “Then one little mistake here and there hurt us and the play at the half took the wind out of our sails. When we had the momentum we weren’t making the mistakes. In the second half, they did a nice job coming out of the locker room.”

The Gremlins came out like gangbusters in the beginning, taking an 8-0 lead on Goudge’s 37-yard interception return midway through the opening frame.

With 3:58 left in the first stanza, Goudge burst up the middle for 67-yard touchdown dash and the Gremlins were enjoying a 14-0 lead.

Senior running back Owen Gereau got the Braves on the board with an eight-yard run off left tackle, closing the gap to 14-6 with 21 seconds left in the first quarter, set up on a fumble recovery on the Gremlins’ eight-yard line by senior defensive back Cooper Sanville at 1:55.

“It feels good to have that happen,” Gereau said. “It also feels good getting a win in your last home game. We started out pretty slow and they came out hot. Once we figured out the line situation and got the first touchdown, the momentum swung and our energy skyrocketed. The touchdown right before the half was amazing. I don’t think they expected that to happen. Number 8 (Goudge) is a very good athlete. He’s very fast.”

Thorbahn brought Gladstone within 14-12 on a 40-yard run around left end with 3:39 remaining in the second, setting the stage for the go-ahead TD at the half.

Gladstone finished with 396 yards in total offense, including 300 on the ground. Gereau rushed 30 times for 151 and Thorbahn had 89 on six carries.

Houghton had 211 yards, led by Goudge, who ran 18 times for 120.

The Braves travel to Calumet and the Gremlins host Negaunee Friday.

“They (Calumet) are a tough team in a tough environment, but if we come ready to play it will be a good game,” Ness said.