CASSOPOLIS — Fullback Hunter Parsons rushed for 113 yards and scored a pair of touchdowns to lead the Cassopolis Rangers to a 50-14 victory over visiting Homer in the opening round of the Division 7 state football playoffs Friday night.

Parsons scored on runs of nine and three yards as the Rangers (9-1) opened up a 35-8 halftime advantage and never looked back to advancing to the district championship game at 7 p.m. Friday at William F. Scott Field.

Parsons also blocked a punt and recovered a fumble for the Rangers.

“We got a big turnover early that we capitalized on,” Cassopolis coach Dan Purlee said. “They (Homer) came out early and gave us all we could handle. I thought  our kids got a ton of fight in them. We tend to wear people down with our tenacity and our ability to make plays. We had some huge plays tonight both on offense and defense.”

Cassopolis will face Reading, which edged Union City 21-20. It will be its fifth consecutive appearance in the district finals.

The Rangers jumped out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead as Dylan Green scored on a two-yard run and Tyrese Hunt-Thompson intercepted a Jordan Sherman pass and returned it 84-yards for a score.

Brandon Anderson kicked both extra points for Cassopolis.

The Trojans attempted to get back into the game by scoring early in the second quarter on a seven-yard Seth Spence run to cut the Rangers’ lead to 14-8 following a 2-point conversion run by Jordan Wilson.

Any thoughts of an upset by Homer were ended quickly by Cassopolis, which scored three times in the second-quarter to take a 28-point lead into halftime.

Hunt-Thompson scored on a 30-yard run before Parson picked up his pair of touchdowns.

Anderson was perfect on his three extra point kicks.

Cassopolis did not waste any time finishing off the Trojans by scoring a pair of third-quarter touchdowns to open up a 50-8 lead.

Anderson scored on a one-yard run, while Xander Smith capped the Rangers’ scoring with a nine-yard run.

Cassopolis went for the 2-point conversion with Anderson to start the running clock.

Wilson got the Trojans on the board in the fourth quarter with a two-yard run.

The Rangers rushed for 308 yards on the night, led by Parsons. Hunt-Thompson finished with 57 yards, Green 49 and Anderson 43.

Cassopolis was 0 for 2 passing.

“We like our diversity as far as being able to spread teams,” Purlee said. “A couple of weeks ago against Mendon we threw the ball a ton. But tonight it was our running attack. We can line up and smash you in the mouth and run the ball, or if we need to we can spread and throw it when necessary.”

Defensively, the Rangers held Homer to 61 yards rushing. Sherman threw for 130 yards and three interceptions.

Anderson ended the night with a pair of picks.