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READY TO ROLL: Eskymos, BR-H Hold Scrimmage
 Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos, and to hear post-game comments from Javon Stevenson, Hunter Portillo, Cristian Spear, and Dom Lantagne. ESCANABA---The start of the 2024 high school football season is one week away, and there were multiple scrimmages held across the Upper Peninsula on Thursday. One of them saw the Bark River-Harris Broncos make their annual trip to Escanaba to face the Eskymos. The game saw each team get ten straight offensive plays, working on a 50-yard field (the junior varsity teams had the other 50 yards). Both teams worked in as many players as possible, in a game-like situation that included fans in the stands and two referees on the field.  "It felt great to get back out there with the guys," Escanaba wide receiver Javon Stevenson said. "Playing hard against another team instead of just scrimmaging against each other. It's really not just going out there and catching passes. It's being on the same page in our routes, and knowing when to be ready for the ball. Because I know I can trust Nolan (quarterback, Bink) to get me the ball when and where I need it to be." "It felt great to hit somebody other than our jerseys," Eskymo lineman Hunter Portillo agreed. "Our run looks a lot better, our pass definitely looks a lot better. We've been working all summer. I'm just going to do what I do, I guess. Do what Lamb (Coach Bailey) tells me, and just get it done." The game was a good tune-up for the Eskymos, who will go up against the Kingsford Flivvers on the road next Thursday night. The Broncos players also felt that this game was helpful, as they will will play bigger schools than BR-H, including two match-ups with Iron Mountain. "It (playing Escanaba) gives us a look at how bigger schools are going to play against us," BR-H receiver/running back Cristian Spear said. "I mean Westwood, they're bigger than us and we have them for the first week. It's a good prepration. I feel we'll do good. We've got to keep the intensity up, and we've got to remain confident, practice hard, play hard." "I think it went pretty good," BR-H quarterback Dom Lantagne said. "We got a lot of different people in there, and to see what everybody can do. It gave us a better look (than a normal practice) because we can only have so many starters on one side, and you think everybody's going to be at the same skill level, but you've got eleven starters out there on BOTH sides."  |
