Bad Axe Sharp Again in Building on 2020 Success with 5-0 Start
By
Paul Costanzo
Special for MHSAA.com
September 30, 2021
When it comes to dishing out praise for the newfound success of the Bad Axe football program, those involved are doing plenty of finger pointing.
The good kind.
“I think it’s all the responsibility of our head coach, coach (Kal) Pokley,” Bad Axe senior offensive and defensive lineman Sam Hass said. “He was essential to our team – just his coaching skills and bringing us all together and getting us focused for our games.”
Pokley pointed right back.
“It really comes down to the kids and the parents,” he said. “The kids have really bought into the program. They’ve bought into our offense and our defense. They trust it, and they know it works. Because of that, we’ve been able to be more successful. They’re very hard workers, and they’ve been willing to put in the work in the offseason.”
They’re both right, and now the Hatchets are reaping the benefits. After a 2020 season that saw it win a share of the Greater Thumb Conference West title and earn its first playoff victory since 1978, Bad Axe is now off to a 5-0 start, its best since 2001.
“It’s a blast to see all of our hard work pay off – all the hard work we put in through the offseason,” junior quarterback and defensive back Keaton Braun said. “I think last year, winning our first league title in who knows how long, and our first playoff win and everything, it kind of puts in perspective how hard work can lead you in the right direction.”
Pokley took over the Bad Axe program as head coach prior to the 2020 season, after serving as a junior high and junior varsity coach the previous four seasons. He inherited a program that had a single playoff appearance (2014) since 2001, and just nine winning seasons during the playoff era (since 1975). The 1978 team lost in the Class C Final, but the three playoff wins that season represented the only three in program history prior to 2020.
But Pokley had coached the JV team to a perfect record in 2019, and saw the potential in the players within the program. While they opened the 2020 season with a 36-6 loss to Sandusky, Pokley’s optimism for the program didn’t waver, and his players backed that up, showing up early for a Sunday film session following that game. The Hatchets would win their next four, not allowing a “here we go again” attitude to creep in.
“As a coaching staff, that wasn’t going to be an option, so it wasn’t talked about,” Pokley said. “We had done some preseason polls, some meetings with the kids, and a bunch of the seniors from last year, they were very vocal early on that they weren’t OK with that, and they weren’t going to let that happen.”
The Hatchets finished the regular season 4-2, their other loss coming against Division 8 finalist Ubly, and defeated rival Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker in the opening round of the playoffs before losing 20-17 to Hemlock in the second round.
“It felt pretty good knowing that we had changed the culture,” Hass said. “For years, Bad Axe had kind of been on the (back) end of the league. Being part of a team that kind of flipped that around felt pretty good.”
That has continued into this season, as Bad Axe is perfect heading into Week 6 when it will take on another undefeated GTC West team, Reese. To get to this point, the Hatchets have ridden a balanced offensive attack and a dominant defense. After winning 42-33 in Week 1 against perennial Greater Thumb Conference contender Harbor Beach, the Hatchets have allowed just 14 points total over their past four games.
That defensive effort has been led by junior linebacker Jake MacPhee, who has 41 tackles on the season.
Offensively, the Hatchets have had multiple players stand out on different nights. Braun was the star against Harbor Beach, running for 165 yards and throwing for 146 more, along with two touchdowns. Griffin Meinhold (135 yards, two touchdowns) and Devyn Howard (116 yards, one touchdown) led the attack against Cass City, and Blake Talaski (82 yards, two touchdowns) handled things against Caro.
Braun is averaging an impressive 8.7 yards per carry through five weeks, and he’s well behind Meinhold (16.8) and Howard (17.2), who are spitting out big plays nearly every time they touch the ball.
“They’re focused, and they know they’re capable as long as they’re continuing to put in the hard work,” Pokley said. “Up to this point, they’ve really been focused on doing the right things – staying after practice, watching film, staying healthy and getting good grades. It’s really a blessing – I can’t say enough about this group of kids.”
The players said they’ve noticed a different energy around town and in their school, which has turned into big, excited crowds on Friday nights.
“There are a lot more people showing up to our games,” senior offensive and defensive lineman Austin Volmering said. “There’s a lot more cheering, and that helps us get more momentum.”
The Hatchets are hoping that momentum turns into another GTC West title, and then a longer playoff run. They aren’t shying away from the biggest of goals, either, as they feel they can play with anyone lined up in front of them. After seeing some of their league mates make deep runs, there’s a bit of a “why not us?” vibe in a program where that once seemed unthinkable.
“It motivates us a lot to see (Ubly, Harbor Beach and other GTC teams) getting to that stage in the playoffs, and know that a small-town team can play football with the bigger towns and bigger teams,” Meinhold said. “It means a lot knowing that they can do that, and we believe that we can, too.”
Paul Costanzo served as a sportswriter at The Port Huron Times Herald from 2006-15, including three years as lead sportswriter, and prior to that as sports editor at the Hillsdale Daily News from 2005-06. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair, Sanilac, Huron, Tuscola, Saginaw, Bay, Arenac, Midland and Gladwin counties.
PHOTOS (Top) The Bad Axe offense, including Noah Braun (53) and Draiden Romas (24), lines up against Caro during their Week 5 matchup. (Middle) Blake Talaski (20) pulls in a touchdown grab against the Tigers. (Below) The Hatchets are off to their best season start since 2001. (Photos courtesy of the Bad Axe football program.)
Bark River-Harris Making Good on Preseason Possibilities, Showing Postseason Potential
By
John Vrancic
Special for MHSAA.com
October 24, 2025
HARRIS – The Bark River-Harris Broncos have certainly made some noise throughout this football season.
BR-H, which improved to 6-1 with a convincing 44-7 victory over West Iron County last Friday, hopes to make a deep run in the Division 8 playoffs.
“So far, so good,” coach Caleb Adams said. “At the beginning of this season we thought we had a special team, and everything has gone according to plan.”
The Broncos are 6-1 and last week clinched the outright championship in the Western Peninsula Athletic Conference Iron.
Among this year’s highlights are a pair of victories over Iron Mountain, something no other BR-H team had been able to accomplish.
The Broncos earned a 30-22 overtime win inside the yellow walls at Mountaineer Stadium on Sept. 5, then beat Iron Mountain 38-14 at home Oct. 10.
“We were 0-17 against them until that point,” Adams said. “It was like getting a monkey off our back. We had an opportunity to beat them and thought we could do it. There’s something about those yellow walls.”
Junior running back Gionni McDonough had similar thoughts.
“After our win up there, it was pretty crazy,” he said. “It was a great feeling to win up there. Although, we had beaten them in jayvee ball. We felt we had a shot at them.”
The Broncos next must turn their attention to tonight’s regular-season finale against Houghton. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
The Gremlins (2-6) are led by speedy senior running back/nickel back Brayden Goudge, who shows a quick first step, and junior quarterback Alex Hebert. Two weeks ago, Goudge scored on a 37-yard interception return and ran for two touchdowns in a 34-22 loss at Gladstone.
“(Goudge) is very fast,” Adams said. “He’s one guy we have to pay attention to. If we win Friday, we’ll probably be able to host two (playoff) games.”
Junior QB Dane Schmitt believes the Broncos have to attack the middle in tonight’s game.
“That’s the type of team they are,” he said. “We're a pretty deep team. We have more jayvee kids coming up, and they’re getting better.”
The Broncos were 3-0 following a 42-14 triumph at West Iron Sept. 12.
They made the long trip to Auburndale, Wis., the following week. That contest, however, was cancelled by lightning.
BR-H then traveled to Gaylord to face undefeated Division 7 contender Pewamo-Westphalia, where it dropped a 49-0 decision Sept. 26.
That game was scoreless after the first quarter before two Broncos’ offensive linemen were injured.
“We wanted to see how we ranked with one of the best teams in the state,” Adams said. “After the injuries, everything kind of got away from us. The way they performed and their communication on the field kind of showed our kids what it takes to perform at that level.”
The Broncos responded the following weekend with a 44-16 victory at L’Anse.
“They’re a physical team,” McDonough said. “If we see them in the playoffs, we would have to be able to match their intensity.
A rematch with L’Anse in the postseason opener is possible, based on the current playoff rankings.
“If we play our game, we should beat them,” Schmitt said. “Although, they have some fast kids. We just have to play our style of defense and do our job.”
Junior lineman Sean Burton is among the Broncos’ leaders in the trenches.
“I honestly love it,” he said. “I like to be physical. The game with Pewamo-Westphalia was a big learning experience. Defensively, they play at a much faster pace than we’re used to. They’re very physical. It's a big difference from playing in the U.P. They’re a bigger school, and all their players are fast. We were pretty fired up after the first quarter, but it was hard to adapt after that.”
John Vrancic has covered high school sports in the Upper Peninsula since joining the Escanaba Daily Press staff in 1985. He is known most prominently across the peninsula for his extensive coverage of cross country and track & field that frequently appears in newspapers from the Wisconsin border to Lake Huron. He received the James Trethewey Award for Distinguished Service in 2015 from the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association.
PHOTOS (Top) Gionni McDonough (9) breaks outside trying to elude the tackle of Ethan Davis (22) during Bark River-Harris' win over Iron Mountain on Oct. 10. (Middle) BR-H's Gabe Spear (4) hauls in pass as Brayden Kassin (2) tries to break it up. (Photos by Terry Raiche.)