Beating up on B league opponents won’t get the Friday Harbor football team where it would like to be by the end of the regular season.

But the Wolverines have made the most out of the opportunity just the same.

For the second time this season, Friday Harbor (2-1) stepped beyond the magic .500 mark by dealing the B Division La Conner Braves a humbling 43-6 defeat Friday under the lights in La Conner.

After the first period, this one was in the bag.

Head Coach Darrin Scheffer pondered the performance, paused and, with a sideways grin, said, “We’re winning the games we should.”

The Wolverines drew first blood in the opening period after quarterback Michael Ausilio connected on a 25-yard pass with wide receiver Jordyn Taylor, and then scooted into the end zone several plays later with a 15-yard touchdown run.

Before the break, tailback Austin Scheffer, a senior, tallied touchdowns No. 5 and 6 of the season, on a 2-yard dive and a 45-yard romp, and the Wolverines went into the locker room leading 21-6 at intermission.

The rout was 15 minutes later.

Senior Cody Price booted a 25-yard field goal early in the third quarter and the Wolverines had a 20-plus-point advantage after Ausilio tossed a 25-yard TD pass to tight-end Jordan Nash. It was Nash’s second touchdown reception of the year.

Friday Harbor’s second string added a pair of touchdowns in the final period, highlighted by quarterback Tanner Buck’s 8-yard TD toss to fellow sophomore Preston Ukra.

Coach Scheffer said it’s the way the team played, not the final score, that the coaching staff is pleased about. The Wolverines had fewer penalties, only one turnover, and, Scheffer said, “did a better job overall.”

The Wolverines have outscored their B Division foes, Orcas and La Conner, by a combined score of 85-13, while yet another, Seattle Lutheran, waits in the wings. But Scheffer points out that the fate of the team and its goals for the post-season depend largely on its performances against its 1A rivals in Whatcom County.

Scheffer expects the Wolverines will have all they can handle or more in Saturday’s showdown on the road at Nooksack Valley. The poundage of the Pioneer front line and its passing attack are equally impressive, he said.

“They’ve got a big team up front and a big strong running back,” Scheffer said. “They’ve got a good passing game and we’ll probably see them in the shotgun pretty much the whole way.”

Still, Scheffer hopes to build on the performance against the Braves. The offense amassed 387 yards of total offense — 273 rushing and 114 passing — while the defense, which gave up only one play over 10 yards, allowed just 156 yards in return.

Junior Michael Knowles led the ground attack with 62 yards and Ausilio, who ran for 49 yards, tallied 88 through the air despite connecting on only 3-of-10 attempts

Next: Friday Harbor (2-1) will be on the road Saturday at Nooksack Valley for its second match up of the season against one of three 1A Northwest Conference rivals.

The Wolverines will be at home Oct. 4 to host Seattle Lutheran, which, like La Conner and Orcas, competes in the state 2B Division.