Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes Bryce Barringer of Poland fights his way into the end zone in the Bulldogs’ 34-9 regional quarterfinal win on Saturday against Chagrin Falls.

POLAND — The last two weeks of the playoffs have been polar opposite experiences for the Poland Bulldogs.

Following a first-round bye week in the Division IV, Region 13 tournament, the Bulldogs found themselves clawing back and avoiding a near upset at home against 15th-seed Salem.

Fast forward to Saturday night, and Poland came out re-energized and laid the hammer throughout the ground game to rout 10th seed Chagrin Falls, 34-9, at Dave Pavlansky Field.

“They’re all a little bit different. I mean, obviously, being up most of the game was a lot easier than coming from behind,” Bulldogs coach Ryan William said. “I liked that, still sloppy, too many mistakes.

“Behind in the sticks at times, got behind schedule, we have a lot we have to clean up if we’re going to achieve all this team wants to achieve.”

Junior quarterback Jack Fulton drew first blood with a 16-yard touchdown on the ground with 32 seconds left in the first quarter for Poland.

“Last week we started off slow, we started off a little bit slow this week, but the energy was bumped up,” Fulton said. “We know what’s at stake.”

The 6-foot-1 quarterback attacked the Tigers all evening with 69 yards rushing on eight attempts to go along with 86 yards through the air, including a 5-yard touchdown to junior Christian Colosimo in the third quarter.

“Offensive line felt confident, the whole defense knew our offense had our backs, we were doing well,” Fulton said.

Another star of the evening was a sophmore in the form of Byrce Barringer, who found paydirt twice on 1-yard and 3-yard touchdown runs in the second half. He gained 72 yards on 11 rushes during the winning effort.

“It feels great honestly, I wasn’t expecting coming in this season and getting much playing time,” Barringer said. “But, I’ve played my role and made things happen.

“My knowledge and my vision of the field, knowing where to go, when to cut, when to not cut, and holding onto the ball tight, that’s a big thing.”

The theme of knowledge is something that Williams sees in his sophmore running back.

“He’s really become a student of the game, really studies what he’s supposed to do and takes pride in it.

“He asks the right questions and watches some film and really is making the most of his sophomore season.”

A fumble on the goal line and a few potentially dropped touchdowns marked some miscues on the Poland offense, but defensively, the Bulldogs found themselves in the face of Chagrin Falls quarterback Pierce Dawson.

“Coach (Rick) Dinunzio does a tremendous job of getting those guys prepared,” Williams said about the Bulldogs’ defense. “A ton of time spent on his part and the kids really respond to his style of coaching. The defense is playing great because of the job that Dinunzio and his staff does on the defensive side of the ball.”

The Tigers (6-3) scored on a safety and a late touchdown in the fourth quarter, but were held in check for the better part of the evening.

Leading big late in the contest, Poland senior Jacob Caudle bounced off Tigers defenders on a 26-yard score to cap off the 34-9 win.

Bulldogs senior Peyton Mrakovich led his team on the ground with 93 yards rushing on 16 carries. Fellow senior Andrew Centofanti hauled in three passes for a total of 79 yards.

Overall, 354 of Poland’s 440 yards came rushing the ball, and they held Chagrin Falls to a total of 282 yards.

Second-seeded Poland (7-1) finds itself playing host next Saturday at home against the sixth-seeded Ursuline Fighting Irish (6-2), who are coming off a 38-31 road win over third-seeded West Branch.

Williams doesn’t want to say farewell to his seniors, and is ecstatic for what lies ahead next Saturday.

“We’re excited to still be playing, I love these seniors, I’m not ready to let them go,” he said. “So, I’m thankful to have at least one more game with these seniors, I love them, and I love what they mean to this program.”