Correspondent photo / Michael Taylor South Range running back Jason Vorshak (15) stiff-arms Berkshire’s Oliver Miller on a first-down run during the first quarter of Friday’s Division V playoff game in Beaver Township.

BEAVER TOWNSHIP — South Range began what it hopes will be another long playoff run with an emphatic first-round win Friday.

The eighth-seeded Raiders steamrolled No. 9 Burton Berkshire 46-7 at Raiders Stadium to advance to the Division V, Region 17, quarterfinals.

“I think our guys just wanna go compete,” South Range head coach Dave Rach said. “We talk a lot about ignoring the circumstances and trying to play our brand of football and play the game the right way. And I was proud our guys did that tonight. Regardless of the scoreboard, we’re trying to get better every rep.”

It quickly became clear Friday evening that the Badgers would have a tough time slowing down the South Range offense.

On their first drive, the Raiders covered nearly 50 yards in four plays, as quarterback Nick Toy connected with James Dysert through the air, and Toy and feature back Jason Vorshak picked up 16 and 19 yards on the ground, respectively.

However, Tommy Valentine committed the first mistake of the game on the drive’s fifth play; during a run, he fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Badgers.

Fortunately for the Raiders, they got the ball back in similar fashion not too long afterward, when a promising Berkshire offensive possession was derailed by a lost fumble inside South Range’s red zone.

The turnover spelled the beginning of the end for Berkshire.

On the following drive, Toy took the snap, found a hole in the heart of the Badgers’ defense and raced 78 yards for the game’s first touchdown.

After a short punt, which allowed South Range to take over in Berkshire territory, Vorshak rushed three times for 32 yards and caught an 18-yard pass before Toy ran for a 3-yard touchdown.

On the first play of his team’s next possession, Toy found Guido Miller over the middle for a 50-yard touchdown pass to put South Range ahead 21-0 with 19 seconds remaining in the opening quarter.

The Raiders defense, despite surrendering a first-down pass and being called for pass interference on a deep throw, soon stiffened and forced a Berkshire turnover on downs at the South Range 33-yard line.

Much like the previous time he had the ball, Toy immediately went long, completing a 41-yard pass to Gavin Hiscox. Two plays later, he and Tommy Titus connected for a 15-yard completion. Drew Starkey then rushed for an 8-yard score.

On defense minutes later, Titus came up with a sack of Badgers quarterback Sam Barcikoski on third-and-1, which only further benefited the Raiders when a high snap to Berkshire punter Roman Percic was recovered by Valentine at the Badgers’ 18.

Vorshak made quick work of the short field, running for 12 yards and then a 6-yard touchdown.

To close the first half, Toy led the Raiders on another scoring drive; he completed a 33-yard pass to Hiscox to get inside the red zone before running for a 12-yard touchdown, his third rushing and fourth total touchdown of the half.

“He was really good again,” Rach said of Toy. “We’ve been seeing him get better and better every week. You can see the strides he’s making. He was terrific last week. He’s been terrific the whole back half of the year for us, and he’s been doing an amazing job for us.”

As a result of the Raiders’ 39-0 halftime lead, the second half began with a running clock, and it remained over the final 24 minutes.

Titus halted Berkshire’s first drive of the third quarter with an interception, and Daniel Landis starred in South Range’s subsequent possession, as his 50-plus-yard run set up a short rushing touchdown for Jimmy Hagan.

The Badgers responded with their only score of the game, an 82-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Beam, in the final minute of the third quarter.

With the win, South Range (7-4) secured a rematch with Cardinal Mooney, the region’s top seed. In their first meeting on Oct. 17, the Cardinals won 38-30 in Beaver Township. Next Friday’s game will be played at Youngstown State’s Stambaugh Stadium.

If the Raiders are victorious, their streak of regional semifinal appearances and seasons with eight or more wins would be extended to seven.

“We looked at ourselves afterward, and I’m sure they did too, and thought we left some plays out there. We also thought they did,” Rach said of Mooney. “It’s a whole new game. … I expect it to be a great atmosphere, two tradition-rich, local programs. I’m sure there will be a lot of people up there. We’re excited for the challenge against a really great program.”