Maroons Overwhelm Braves In Final Football Match

MENOMINEE----The Gladstone Braves hung in there for a while, but the Menominee Maroons got their offense rolling and posted a 35-6 win Friday night in Menominee.

It was the final football game between the two teams, as the Braves leave the Great Northern Conference next season to join the Mid Peninsula Conference.

Gladstone served notice that it was ready to play Friday night when the defense stiffened on a fourth-and-four play on Menominee's first possession.

The Braves, however, went three-and-out, and the Maroons took over at midfield after a short punt. Seven plays later, Ethan Mileski strolled into the end zone from 15 yards out to put Menominee on the board.

The Braves went on a long drive of their own, helped along by a pair of Menominee personal foul penalties. Gladstone faced 4th-and-19 at the Menominee 32 when quarterback Darin Johnson found Jared Demeuse for a diving catch at the six yard line.

The Braves couldn't punch it in, however, with three running plays coming up with no yardage. Gladstone's Dalton Lauerman tried a 24-yard field goal, but Sam Larson blocked the kick.

Menominee took over at the 20, but the Gladstone defense made another play as a Mileski pass bounced off a receiver's hands and into the arms of Alex Bowman. Bowman returned it to the Menominee 45-yard-line, but the Maroons stiffened on defense again. Johnson threw a bomb to Noah Olsen in the end zone, but Marcus McKinney intercepted it for Menominee.

Still, halfway through the second quarter, the underdog Gladstone Braves trailed just 7-0.

Menominee quickly changed that as Keifer Rasner broke free for a 75-yard touchdown run, and then just before halftime, Rasner scored from five yards out, making it a 21-0 game.

Early in the third quarter, Rasner got loose again, this time along the sidelines, for a 43-yard touchdown. And then Rasner scored his final TD of the game, this time from 40 yards out, late in the third quarter.

Rasner ended up with 229 yards on 14 carries and four touchdowns.

Gladstone scored its only points of the game when Casey Wolf broke a tackle and raced 48 yards along the sidelines. He scored just inside the pilon to break the shutout. The Menominee defense made life tough on Johnson, sacking him six times.

The Braves' quarterback also had to deal with numerous bad snaps...most of them low, plus one over his head that led to a 23-yard loss. Johnson had 47 yards rushing and 65 yards passing.

Menominee (4-0) travels to Kingsford for another GNC game next Friday. Gladstone (1-3) hosts Marquette for Braves Homecoming. Game time is 7:00. It will be broadcast live on WGKL-FM (105.5), WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos and videos, and to hear interviews with Austin Demeuse and Daniel Berg.