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HARRIS -- The fourth-ranked Bark River-Harris Broncos left nothing to chance here Friday night as they rolled to a 59-30 football triumph over the L'Anse Purple Hornets in a Division 8 district playoff opener.
BR-H, which improved to 8-2, hosts Maple City Glen Lake (8-2) in a district final Saturday noon. L'Anse finished 4-6.
"We always tell the kids anything can happen in the playoffs," BR-H coach Caleb Lippens said. "They hung with us the first time. They're an athletic team. Our experience from last year
helped. The kids are used to the intensity."
The Broncos, who fell to Harbor Beach 40-0 in last year's state semifinals, led 38-6 at halftime in Friday's game.
"We had guys in position," L'Anse coach Mike Griffin said. "We just didn't execute. We're moving juniors and sophomores around. Physically, we've got to get stronger. We need to hit the weight room. Although, I think we're in a good spot. Going forward we have a lot of athletes. There's no quit in these guys."
Senior running back Gionni McDonough dashed 73 yards along the left sideline for touchdown, extending BR-H's lead to 46-6 less than three minutes into the third quarter.
Classmate Gabe Spear added another score on a five-yard run up the middle, giving the Broncos a 53-6 advantage with 75 seconds left in the third.
L'Anse answered on its next possession, cutting its deficit to 53-14 on a 45-yard run around left end by senior wide receiver Ryan Turpeinen with 22 seconds remaining in the third.
The Purple Hornets scored again on an 18-yard run around left end by junior running back Vinny Seratti, shaving their deficit to 53-22 midway through the fourth frame.
Junior Abram Varoni scored the Broncos's last TD on a 20-yard run around right end with 1:18 left to play.
Seratti concluded the scoring on a 61-yard dash in the final 21 seconds.
The Broncos opened the scoring on a 30-yard burst through the middle by senior running back Andy Johnson just 66 seconds into the contest and Spear raised the count to 16-0 on a one-yard run up the middle less than 2½ minutes later.
L'Anse junior quarterback Kale Cichoz found junior wide receiver Reese Laitila open on the left sideline, resulting in a 55-yard TD and trimming its deficit to 16-6 with 7:42 left in the opening frame.
The Purple Hornets then recovered an onside kick, giving them the ball on their 49-yard line.
That possession was short-lived, however, as Johnson intercepted a pass at the L'Anse 36.
BR-H gained a 24-6 cushion on a one-yard run up the middle by Johnson and Spear broke away for a 44-yard TD run through the middle for a 30-6 advantage with 30 seconds remaining in the opening frame.
Senior Ben Knauf on a 70-yard kickoff return, giving the Broncos a 38-6 advantage just 24 seconds into the second stanza.
The Broncos finished with 456 yards in total offense, all but 30 on the ground. McDonough gained 121 on just seven carries. Johnson added 115 in 10 attempts. Spear finished with 88 on five carries and sophomore Carter Scheuren had 47 in five attempts in a reserve role.
"It feels good to keep it going," McDonough said. "We turned it up a notch from the first time we played them (in a 46-18 victory Oct. 2). We just kept doing what needed to be done. We have pretty good depth at running back. We just have to come ready to play."
The Purple Hornets ended with 251 yards. Cichosz was 9-of-21 passing for 129 and Seratti carried four times for 89.
"Gionni is running well," Adams said. "We have a lot of kids who can carry the football. Carter is going to be good. The guys are hitting the weight room."