Falish rushed for 181 yards and scored two touchdowns, threw for 95 yards and another score, and returned an interception 95 yards and another touchdown to lead the Escanaba Eskymos to a 37-25 win over the Gladstone Braves Friday night.

"You never like to lose, but I am extremely proud of our kids," Gladstone Head Coach Josh Mileski said. "It's the first time this year...maybe in two years...that we've put together a 'heart and soul effort' for four quarters.

"The kids are down right now, but there is no reason to hang their heads."

"I'm very proud of all of our seniors," Escanaba Head Coach Jim Hansen said. "They do a great job with our younger kids. Showing them how practices are supposed to be conducted. For Dave, part of it is his being a competitior. But he also feels the responsibility to take this team and the community on his shoulders."
 

This game was a back-and-forth affair, typcial of many of the Escanaba vs Gladstone matchups over the past decade.

But the Braves made a few too many mistakes to be able to pull this game out, including four interceptions of quarterback Sam Pouliot.

The game started well for the Braves, as they took the opening kickoff and drove 69 yards in nine plays for a touchdown.

Justin Jurek scored the touchdown from one yard out, after quarterback Sam Pouliot completed passes of 27 yards to Pete Weyers and 19 yards to Justin Pederson.

The Eskymos drove deep into Braves territory on their first possession, but T.J. Myrick missed a 32-yard field goal.
 

Sam Pouliot leaping touchdown

So Gladstone still led, 6-0, but the Braves turned the ball over moments later on an interception.

Escanaba needed just 14 yards and Falish scored on a one-yard run to tie the game. A pass to John Rapette was good for a two-point conversion.

The Braves battled back again, as Jurek busted off a 47-yard run to put his team into the red zone. On fourth-and-goal from the one yard-line, Pouliot lept into the air on a quarterback sweep. That gave Gladstone the lead, 12-8, early in the second quarter.

Escanaba came back with a long drive of its own, but it was one that schould have ended in an interception, or at least, an incomplete pass. Facing 4th-and-9 at the 29 yard-line, Falish lofted one in the direction of Rapette. The Braves defender also jumped, and somehow, missed the ball. Rapette caught it for a huge Eskymo first down.
 

Moments later, Falish ran it in for a three-yard touchdown, and after the two-point conversion run, Escanaba had a 16-12 lead.

And after the Braves went three-and-out, Falish led his team on another 65-yard drive.

That one featured two passes to Ben Kleiman...a tough 19-yard catch along the sidelines, and a touchdown catch that happened after Falish twice avoided being sacked.

That touchdown gave Escanaba a 22-12 lead with 29 seconds left in the half.

"Falish is a great athlete, there's no doubt about that," Mileski said. "It's pretty hard to defend speed like that. I mean, 95-percent of the plays on defense, we executed well. The effort was there. But he (Falish) made some great plays."
 

Cam Beversluis INT and return.

In the third quarter, it was a battle of turnovers. Jurek recovered a fumble as the Eskymos turned it over on their first possession, but Beversluis got his second pick of the game a few moments later. Then, as Escanaba marched down field, Falish had a pass sail on him and Justin Pederson intercepted it.

And the Braves took advantage this time as Jurek broke off runs of 16 and 37 yards to score a big touchdown. Luke LaCosse's extra point kick made it a 22-19 game.

Hansen changed offensive tactics on the next posession. He started handing the ball to Trevan Wendrick on the dive play. Six straight times. Wendrick did well, but the Braves defense stiffened. And so on fourth down, Falish kept it himself for another touchdown.
 

Trailing 30-19, the Braves did not give up. They marched down field again, but at the Eskymo 19 yard-line, Pouliot's fourth down pass went off target. Falish was there, and he stepped into the path of the pass. He intercepted it, and started running up-field.

Falish started on one side of the field, and then reversed his field toward the Eskymo sideline. Using several blocks and a couple of missed tackles, Falish wiggled his way up-field, and then turned on the speed once he crossed mid-field.

Falish made his way toward the Braves end zone, and after one last juke of a Gladstone defender, scored the 95-yard "Pick Six".

Escanaba led, 37-19, and it was all over.

"Our secondary had a nice week," Hansen said. "We made some adjustments. And offensively, Dave has the ability to extend plays. He extends plays and other guys start running around, and those things (big plays) start to happen out there."
 

David Falish 95-yard Pick Six

But, was it really over? Well, not as far as the Braves were concerned. They put on a nice drive against Escanaba's "prevent" defense.

Jurek scored his third touchdown of the game, this time from four yards out, to make it 37-25.

"Justin is a true football player," Mileski said. "We knew that when we brought him up (to varsity as a sophomore). He just has a very high football-IQ."

And then, the Gladstone defense stepped up, forcing a Beversluis fumble at mid-field. Pouliot completed three straight passes to Blake Ballard and Weyers. But on first down at the Eskymo 16-yard-line, Pouliot was rushed (as he was all night long) and he threw one right to John Brant. Brant plays for the Escanaba Eskymos.
 

The interception was the fourth of the night charged to Pouliot, and it pretty much ended the game, as the Eskymos ran out the clock from there.

"We made too many mistakes," Mileski said. "But this is the first weekend where I can tell the kids that there is nothing for them to hang their heads about. We played four quarters of intense, hard-nosed football. I am proud of the kids, I really am."

Hansen was also proud of his guys, in particular: Brant. Brant had an interception in the fourth quarter, but his biggest accomplishment was recovering a key on-side kick as he was crushed on a Pouliot tackle. Brant held onto the ball.

"He sacraficed himself for the betterment of the team," Hansen said. "The guys respond to that type of effort."
 

Justin Jurek touchdown run.

Escanaba had 413 yards of total offense. Falish has 181 yards on 25 carries rushing, and he completed 6 of 9 passes for 95 yards.

Beversluis had 38 yards on ten carries, and Wendrick added 67 yards on ten touches. Jake Walker had 18 yards on five carries.

Gladstone had 373 yards of total offense. Jurek had 149 yards on 17 carries rushing, with three touchdowns. Riley Ballard chipped in 61 yards on 12 carries. Pouliot completed 11 of 21 passes for 155 yards, with no touchodowns and four picks.

Escanaba (3-4) hosts Iron Mountain for Eskymo Homecoming next Friday night.

Gladstone (2-5) travels to Kingsford next Friday. The Braves-Flivvers game will be broadcast live on WGKL-FM (105.5) and WCHT-AM (600), starting at 7:45 Eastern time. The game will also be streamed live on www.rrnsports.com.
 

KIDS RAISE MONEY FOR GOOD CAUSE----The Escanaba and Gladstone High School Key Clubs had one of the quickest fundraisers on record Friday night at the game.

In the one minute between the first and second quarters, the kids raised money for UNICEF.

And in those 60 seconds, around $800 was raised to help the fight against Tetanus in Third World countries, where 160 babies die every day due to Tetanus. As part of the deal, Escanaba kids raised a bit more than Gladstone kids did.

So, Gladstone Athletic Director willo have to wear Orange and Black for a day, and work in the Escanaba High School Athletic office.