Nearly a month ago, Braham went into a home game against a formidable opponent, Deer River, very confident. 5-1 with the lone loss to a very good Barnum team that was top 10 in the class above the Braham version of the Bombers. The result wasn’t one that Braham was hoping for, falling to the Warriors 28-0.
Fast forward to last Friday in Proctor in the Section 7A Championship, Coach Kuhnke preached to his players to play within themselves and to have fun. It’s was all about making the most of this opportunity.
From the opening kickoff, it looked like the Bombers heeded their coach’s wishes. Braham
started the game on defense and forcing a third down interception and returning it inside the Warriors 5-yard line.
It was much of the same the rest of the first half. The Bomber defense was the story. They
forced Deer River into very tough holes, to which the Warriors were unable to dig themselves out of. Match that with the opportunistic showing from the offensive side, it was a recipe for domination in the first half, going into the break leading 28-0.
Being a strong running team, Deer River had their work cut out for them being down four
scores. While the top seeded Warriors were able to get their running game going, it bled the clock and it played right into Braham’s hands. That, along with Braham’s game plan of, not so much bleeding clock, but not being shy running the ball and taking as much time as possible, it was tough sledding for a team trying to get back into the game. When that happens, the clock becomes your biggest opponent.
While Braham was unable add to their 28 points in the second half, the defense played well
enough to hold Deer River to just 8 second half points. It was a real all-around effort for a Braham squad who will make their first trip to the state tournament since 2017.
Braham will play the undefeated Minneota Vikings from Section 5A on Friday at St. Cloud Tech.
Article by: Adam Hefty
