Click the AUDIO button to hear Jerry Root's call of Gionni McDonough's long run and the disputed fumble at the goal line.
ALPENA---The best football season for the Bark River-Harris Broncos in more than two decades came crashing down on Saturday, as the Harbor Beach Pirates rolled to a 40-0 win in the MHSAA Division Eight state semifinal at Alpena High School.
The game started on a sour note for the Broncos as they tried an onside kick on the opening kickoff, but the ball went out of bounds. The Pirates took advantage of that field position with a 38-yard touchdown pass from Caden Bucholtz to Benson Harper.
The Broncos were able to get two first downs on their possession, but on fourth-and-long at the 48-yard line, they couldn't convert. That gave the Pirates the ball in great field position again, and they took advantage with a 39-yard touchdown pass from Bucholtz to Skiler Kruse.
All of a sudden, the Broncos were in a 13-0 hole, and they just couldn't move the ball effectively on offense to mount a challenge. They tried a little trickery on special teams, though, as Kaleb Desilets executed a fake punt to get the Broncos a first down. But the Broncos went four-and-out, again turning the ball over to the Pirates.
And the Harbor Beach passing game kept clicking, with Buchkoltz hooking up with Harper for another long touchdown pass, this time, a 46-yarder. That made it a 19-0 game, and it still was only the early part of the second quarter.
The Broncos tried to get something going on their next possession.
After junior Andy Johnson converted a short third down into a first down, junior Gionni McDonough broke off the biggest play of the game for the Broncos.
The 52-yard run off of a quick Ben Knauf pass set BR-H up in the Pirates red zone at the 14-yard line with 5:35 left in the first half.
The Broncos got the ball to Gabe Spear, and it appeared that Spear had scored a touchdown before fumbling. The officials, however, ruled that his knee was not down, and the ball went into the end zone for a touchback, giving Harbor Beach the ball at the 20-yard line.
Once again, the Pirates took advantage on a one-yard quarterback run by Bucholtz, and it was 23-0 at halftime. Bucholtz would throw another touchdown pass to Kruse in the second half, and Keagan Potestivo scored on a 50-yard run to cap the scoring.
Harbor Beach (13-0) will play in the state championship game on Friday morning against Hudson, a school that has been a powerhouse in both football and wrestling for years.
BR-H, meanwhile, ends its season with a 10-2 record, with its only other loss coming to Division Seven semifinalist Pewamo-Westphalia. The Broncos will return the core of their team to the field in 2026, as the majority of their key players this year were juniors.
