The Bradford football team had as many as a dozen players battling the flu, including its star quarterback Gino DeBartolo, heading into its postseason opener.

Given the final outcome, that is a scary thought.

The state-ranked Red Devils (10-0) forced five turnovers and had eight touchdowns scored from eight different players in blasting Milwaukee Bay View, 58-0, in the first round of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division-1 playoffs Tuesday at Indian Trail Stadium.

The victory created a much-anticipated, second-round game against crosstown rival Tremper Saturday at Ameche Field. The Trojans (6-4) advanced with a 14-6 upset victory over host Milwaukee Riverside on Tuesday.

“I have a hunch it’s going to be a great, great football game,” said Bradford coach Jed Kennedy, whose team captured the first 10-win season in school history. “The atmosphere when we played them (last week) was unbelievable. The atmosphere when we played them two years ago (in the postseason) was unbelievable. I’m sure it will be the same Saturday.”

The Red Devils’ 58-point shellacking was every bit as lopsided as the score indicated. Bradford, ranked third in the latest WisSports.net Division-1 poll, jumped to a 44-0 lead at halftime with mostly its second-stringers on the field and continued to dominate in the second half with its third-stringers.

Bradford, best known for its punishing running attack, surprisingly threw for three touchdowns. DeBartolo connected with Torrie Tyson for a 30-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter before backup quarterback Zach Swisher completed a pair of touchdown strikes to Ryan Furtney and Justin Armstrong in the second quarter.

DeBartolo played just three series in the first quarter before leaving with a 24-0 lead. Fisher, the quarterback of the sophomore team, played the rest of the first half and was 2-for-2 for 30 yards and two touchdowns. Third-stringer Matt Mleczko played the second half and rushed for a touchdown.

“A lot of kids got a lot of snaps,” Kennedy said. “This was great for every kid in the program. We were obviously going to be disappointed if we didn’t come here and really jump on them. (Bay View) played hard. Fortunately, we are a little deeper and a little more talented.”

Bay View’s Dominique Robinson, who entered the contest averaging 10.4 yards per carry, was held to 16 yards on 12 carries (1.3 yards per).

The Red Devils scored three touchdowns in the first quarter, including one on a 12-yard interception return from linebacker Brad Slomkowski. Bradford added three more touchdowns in the second quarter and played the entire second half with the running clock in effect.

Bradford should be well-rested heading into Saturday’s showdown against the Trojans.

“We have to have a great, couple days of practice,” Kennedy said. “It worries me because it’s a tough second-round game and also a rivalry game. Tremper is going to be ready to go. They’d like nothing better than to knock us off.”