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The Ely Timberwolves put up a game fight for a half.
But host Braham caught fire in the third quarter and put Tuesday’s Section 7A high school football playoff game away.
Leading 14-0 at the break, the Bombers racked up 24 third-quarter points on the way to a 46-8 win over the Wolves.
Ely, which was seeded sixth in the section, was looking to knock off the third-seeded Bombers and the visitors had their moments early on. Running back Alex Merriman, who had 82 yards in his final game as a Timberwolf, helped his team pick up a couple of first downs but the Bomber defense stiffened and kept Ely off the board.
Ely turnovers also proved fatal.
An interception in the first quarter led to a short Braham drive of 15 yards and a rushing touchdown.
In the second quarter, Braham forced a turnover, got on track with a 53-yard pass play on third-and-12 and capped things off when Dulton Bengtson plowed in to the end zone.
Braham got everything going in the third quarter, with quarterback Garett Lidke hooking up with Tyler Eklund on a 50-yard passing play on the second play from scrimmage.
That set up another Bengtson touchdown and the hosts led 22-0.
The rout was on and Lidke completed a 55-yard touchdown on a screen pass and the Bombers chewed up yards on the ground.
Ely got on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, when the game was in running time.
Senior Brady Eaton completed a pass to Merriman in the final minute as Ely reached the end zone, and lineman Kohner Baltich completed the two-point conversion pass, also to Merriman.
Junior linebacker Jesse Oelke finished as the leading tackler for the Wolves, who wound up 1-8 and lost seven straight contests after a week two home triumph against East Central.
Braham advanced to meet Mille Lacs in Saturday’s 7A semifinals.
