Harrisburg rallied from a five-game skid rife with compiling injuries to finish off the regular season with back-to-back wins, culminating with a 50-14 rout of Central State 8 opponent Linn on the road Friday.

The Bulldogs, 5-4 overall, now head into a bye week as Class 1 District 7 action begins. Linn ends the regular season 1-8 overall and 0-5 in the CS8, in only the second year of a varsity program. Although their record doesn’t reflect it, the Wildcats are significantly improved from a year ago and show the promise of a strong program in the years ahead.

Harrisburg scored early and often in the first two quarters, creating a 44-point lead at halftime. But early in the game, Linn looked poised to make a statement. The Wildcats marched down the field on their opening drive, gaining ground to around the 5-yard line. But a strange and lewd display resulted in a 15-yard penalty and a player ejection. On the next play, Linn turned over the ball on a fumble.

“They went from probably feeling really good to all of a sudden the wheels just falling off,” said Harrisburg coach Brennan Claas about the bizarre ejection.

Following the turnover, it was all Harrisburg. The Bulldogs scored three touchdowns in the first quarter, two rushing scores from senior quarterback Rylee Robinson and one from sophomore running back Hunter Winscott, to go up 20-0.

“I thought we did a good job coming out right from the get-go. We played pretty well,” Claas added.

The Bulldogs kept their foot down and scored four more touchdowns and a safety while allowing one score to take a commanding 50-6 lead at halftime.

Robinson found Winscott on a 53-yard pass and run in the first minute of the second quarter. Robinson then picked up a loose ball and scored from 20 yards out with 8:07 left in the half.

Winscott broke loose on a 58-yard run to the endzone a minute and a half later.

“He got hit in the backfield, broke the tackle, then ran 58 yards for the house call,” Claas recalled.

With 2:45 on the clock, sophomore Kadyn Weldon scored from one yard out.

The Harrisburg defense then added a safety with a minute and 40 seconds left before halftime when Robinson tackled the Linn ball carrier in the end zone.

The Wildcats’ lone score of the first half came on a 77-yard pass midway through the second quarter.

“I thought we did a good job of coming out and executing. And we didn’t retaliate to some of the silliness. We just kept playing our game,” Claas said. “We did give up a 77-yard pass. I’m not very happy about that.”

Robinson had an efficient night behind center. He completed six of nine passes for 86 yards and a touchdown, and ran the ball seven times for 79 yards and two scores.

Winscott led the rushing game with 138 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 46 yards and one score.

“Hunter Winscott ran the ball really well. Anytime you run the ball well that’s going to go to the guys up front,” Claas said, crediting his massive offensive line. “Rylee did a good job. He executed well, which is good.”

Harrisburg appears to be clicking after it was forced to make several changes at skill positions in the middle of the season. Robinson started as the Bulldogs’ returning star wide receiver, but moved to quarterback after Weldon sustained an injury to his throwing hand in Week 4. Senior Caleb Nichols returned as the team’s leading rusher, but has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury the last few weeks, allowing Winscott an opportunity at running back.

“Nichols is still dealing with that ankle. He only ran one time. Other than that, everybody was dressed, everybody played, and we had no real limitations,” Claas said.

Harrisburg won its first two games of the season, then lost five straight. But the Bulldogs defeated Fayette in Week 8 to move up to the third seed in district standings just in time to earn a bye week.

Fayette and Westran, seeded fourth and fifth, respectively, will now battle it out on Friday for a chance to advance in the postseason. Salisbury, Marceline, and Harrisburg will get a week’s rest before opening postseason play on November 7. Harrisburg travels to second-seeded Marceline next week for a semifinal game.

“That’s also a little bit of luck being in a five-team district. If we were in a six-team district, we would not have that luxury,” Claas said. “We kept telling them, if you win these last two games, we should have two weeks to prepare for a very good Marceline team. We have to be focused for two weeks. The bye is great, but not having that game on Friday is different.”

Marceline, seeded second in district standings, finished the season 5-4 overall, its four losses all to quality, winning teams. Claas has limited experience against the old Lewis & Clark Conference powerhouse, having faced the Tigers just once in his first season at Harrisburg. It was actually Claas’s first-ever win as a varsity coach as his Bulldogs defeated the Tigers 28-20 at home.

“You can’t ever overlook them because there is so much pride and tradition when it comes to football. Those kids are going to be fired up to play,” he said.

The winner will advance to the district championship on Friday, November 14, likely against unbeaten Salisbury, which at 9-0, is favored to win the district.