MARQUETTE---The Escanaba Eskymos were bruised and battered in their last two football games. The boys lost to Traverse City Central and Cedar Grove, Wis., by a combined score of 99-16. Both of those games were at home, too.
But the Eskymos put together four good quarters of football Friday night, and the defense pitched a shutout in the second half as the Eskymos topped the Marquette Redmen, 31-22, in the Great Northern Conference opener for both teams in Marquette.
Marquette had entered the game with a 3-0 record, but the Eskymos topped the Redmen as underdogs for the second straight year. The Eskymos are now 2-2, and back in the hunt for a state playoff spot, along with a shot at winning the GNC championship.
Escanaba quarterback David Falish scored touchdowns on one and 75 yards in the first half, and he tossed a 16-yard TD pass to Cam Beversluis late in the second quarter.
That gave Escanaba a 22-19 lead. But Marquette's Alex Sherbinow kicked a long field goal at the halftime buzzer to tie the game. Sherbinow also had two TD runs for the Redmen.
In the third quarter, Falish scored on a six-yard touchdown run and the Eskymos added two more points on a safety when Marquette quarterback Brett Place was called for intentional grounding in the end zone. That made it a "two-possession" game.
The defense did the rest of the work from there, and it was a big win for the Eskymos.
Falish had 155 yards rushing, and he had 88 yards passing for the Eskymos.
Escanaba (2-2) is on the road again next Friday night in Medford, Wis.
But the Eskymos put together four good quarters of football Friday night, and the defense pitched a shutout in the second half as the Eskymos topped the Marquette Redmen, 31-22, in the Great Northern Conference opener for both teams in Marquette.
Marquette had entered the game with a 3-0 record, but the Eskymos topped the Redmen as underdogs for the second straight year. The Eskymos are now 2-2, and back in the hunt for a state playoff spot, along with a shot at winning the GNC championship.
Escanaba quarterback David Falish scored touchdowns on one and 75 yards in the first half, and he tossed a 16-yard TD pass to Cam Beversluis late in the second quarter.
That gave Escanaba a 22-19 lead. But Marquette's Alex Sherbinow kicked a long field goal at the halftime buzzer to tie the game. Sherbinow also had two TD runs for the Redmen.
In the third quarter, Falish scored on a six-yard touchdown run and the Eskymos added two more points on a safety when Marquette quarterback Brett Place was called for intentional grounding in the end zone. That made it a "two-possession" game.
The defense did the rest of the work from there, and it was a big win for the Eskymos.
Falish had 155 yards rushing, and he had 88 yards passing for the Eskymos.
Escanaba (2-2) is on the road again next Friday night in Medford, Wis.
