BELOIT — Two tradition-rich football programs that hadn’t met since 1985 clashed Friday night when unbeaten West Branch hosted Hubbard in an opening-round D4 playoff game before a crowd of 4,000 fans in Clinton Heacock Stadium.

High-powered West Branch, which averages 43.1 points-per-game, raced out to a 24-0 halftime lead and went on to a 31-6 win over the Eagles.

The all-time series between the Warriors and Eagles is now tied at 3-3 and West Branch has won the last three meetings.

With the win, unbeaten West Branch improved to 11-0. The current West Branch seniors have won nine playoff games since their freshmen seasons.

Hubbard, which lost six of its last seven games but battled West Branch tough, bows out with a 5-6 ledger.

“You know what, I’m proud of the way we played,” said Hubbard head coach Brian Hoffman. “31-6, you know they (the Warriors) have been putting a lot of points up. The kids bought in and practiced hard this week. We competed.”

The West Branch win sets the stage for one of the most interesting second-round matchups in Ohio next Friday night in Beloit when defending D4 state champ Cleveland Glenville and West Branch match their prolific offenses at 7 p.m. The two schools have never played before.

West Branch senior running back Boston Mulinix rushed for 200 yards and three touchdowns in leading the Warriors’ win over Hubbard. Mulinix continues to add to a pair of ongoing all-time records he set this season. Mulinix, who is the first Warrior running back to record three straight 1,000-yard rushing campaigns, has rushed for 1,347 yards and 15 touchdowns this season and 4,085 yards in his career.

“I think we relied a little more on our run game than we usually do,” said Mulinix. “Our offensive line, they were bullies tonight and because of that, it’s easy to run behind that.”

“That’s a good night, man,” said West Branch head coach Tim Cooper of the 200-yard performance by Mulinix. “He’s running really hard and doing a lot of good things for us.”

Mulinix rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, including a 43-yarder down the left sideline just three plays into the game, giving the Warriors a 7-0 lead with Anthony Perry’s PAT just one minute into the game.

West Branch, which outgained the Eagles 260-58 in the first half and 405-163 for the game, scored 17 points in the second quarter on a six-yard scoring bolt by Mulinix, an eight-yard pass from backup quarterback Grady Hirst to receiver Joey Jackson and a 36-yard field goal as time expired before half by Perry. Grady Hirst entered the game with 11:08 showing in the second quarter after West Branch’s dual threat quarterback Jeremiah Thomas sustained a leg injury after a 23-yard scamper to the Hubbard 28-yard line.

“We got a pretty good backup quarterback in Grady Hirst and he’s a talented kid and we have all the faith in the world in him,” praised Cooper.

Hubbard’s lone scoring threat in the first half was a missed 46-yard field goal attempt in the first quarter.

West Branch’s defense sacked Hubbard quarterback Alex Hackwelder twice in the first half and four times in the game.

Hubbard got on the board first in the second half when receiver Braydon Songer hauled in a 14-yard pass from Hackwelder on a crossing pattern. The PAT run failed and the Eagles trailed 24-6 at the 5:55 mark of the third quarter.

West Branch answered with a sustained drive, capped by a one-yard plunge up the middle by Mulinix. Eliza Hirst added her second PAT boot of the game and West Branch led 31-6 with 38 seconds left in the quarter.

Neither team scored in the fourth quarter

West Branch was victimized by nine dropped passes in the game.

Hackwelder completed 11-of-26 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown for Hubbard.

Grady Hirst completed 8-of-21 for 85 yards and a touchdown.