ELY— The Bombers came to take names here on Friday night, and they left the Timberwolves bloody as they romped to a 55-8 win to spoil homecoming at the end of the road.
It was always going to be a tough outing for the Timberwolves against Braham, which made the trip to Ely sporting a 3-1 record in a competitive part of the state. “Braham is competing at the top of their section,” said Ely Head Coach Louie Gerzin. “They’re good athletes and are well-coached.”
Ely was also playing without two of its starters, both out with injuries.
Despite that, the Timberwolves mostly kept Braham in check in the first quarter, limiting them to a single touchdown and two-point conversion. But the Bombers blew it wide open in the second quarter as they brought it home three more times before the half to take a 32-0 lead to the break. “At that point, they just kind of took over the ballgame,” said Gerzin.
Braham just kept putting points on the board in the second half, as the Ely defense, which spent most of the game on the field, seemed to run out of gas. The Wolves did make the board late in the fourth quarter when senior Chase Anderson plowed through 60 yards in eight straight carries for the touchdown and conversion. “He’s a strong guy and hard to tackle,” said Gerzin, who noted the unusual play calling seemed to work, at least on this occasion.
Turnovers proved costly for Ely, as the Wolves lost two to interceptions and lost a fumble late in the third quarter, but by then it was probably too late to matter. Freshman Alex Merriman and junior Garrett Rohr each notched a fumble recovery for the Wolves.
Despite being behind, the Wolves never got their passing game in gear against the Bombers. Freshman quarterback Max Brandriet passed for ten yards on the game, with a single completion to senior Matt Bock.
Anderson led the rushing attack with 45 yards, out of a total of 89 yards of total rushing.
Braydon Eaton and Jayden Zemke notched five tackles apiece while Merriman, Kohner Baltich, and Anderson tallied four apiece, while Anderson also forced a fumble.
The Wolves will head into the tail end of the season on Friday when they head to Deer River. They’ll travel to Barnum on Oct. 13 and finish up the regular season at home against Mille Lacs on Wednesday, Oct. 18.
With a generally reliable defense, Gerzin said the team needs to focus and taking advantage of its offensive chances. “When we have a scoring opportunity, we have to be really efficient with those. Our defense has been our backbone all season. We just need to get the offense clicking.”