Big Second Half Leads Eskymos Past Braves, 41-14

GLADSTONE---The Battle of Delta County was just that for the first half of Friday night's football game in Gladstone. But the Escanaba Eskymos rolled over the Gladstone Braves in the second half, posting a 41-14 win to snap a five-game losing streak.

Gladstone, meanwhile, fell to 3-4, with four losses after a surprising 3-0 start.

Early on, it looked like the Braves might have the upper hand, as they pulled off a little trickery on the first play from scrimmage.

Quarterback Tyler Wells gave the ball to running back Justin Jurek, who gave it to the motion man Owen Carlson, who gave it back to Wells.

Wells stepped back and threw the ball to a wide-open Jurek, and Jurek scampered 44 yards deep into Escanaba territory.

But the Braves could not take advantage in the red zone, as Eskymo rookie C.J. Barron dove for an interception at the three yard-line.

Gladstone was able to force a three-and-out, and after a short punt, the Braves were again in Eskymo territory. But after getting one first down to the Escanaba 25 yard-line, a negative running play and two incomplete passes gave it back to the Eskymos.

Escanaba moved the ball well for a few plays, but then fumbled the ball away.

Braves Get 44 yards on Trick Play to Jurek

The Braves took over at their own 29 yard-line, and Jurek broke off runs of 14 and 42 yards on consecutive plays.

The Braves had a 3rd-and-2 at the Escanaba 7 yard line when a high snap to Jurek resulted in a two yard loss. Wells was then stuffed on the next play. Escanaba put on a nice drive all the way to the Gladstone 30 yard-line as Corey McInerney broke off a 20-yard run.

But the Eskymos fumbled again. The Braves took over at their own 26, and a snap over Wells' head cost them eleven yards.

Gladstone managed to overcome that, with help from an Eskymo holding penalty, but on 4th-and-1 from the Escanaba 46, Jurek was stuffed at the line of scrimmage.

This time, with the first half clock ticking down, the Eskymos finally stopped tripping over themselves. They combined tough runs by quarterback Logan Lamb and Sean Bissell with an effective sweep run by McInerney.

In fact, McInerney had a key seven-yard run on 4th-and-2 that kept the Escanaba drive alive at Gladstone's 30.

Bissell pounded it in from ten yards out with 51 seconds to go in the half, giving the Eskymos a 7-0 lead, and lots of momentum, heading into the halftime break.

In the third quarter, the Eskymos showed who was boss. They stepped up their play in the trenches, dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

Sean Bissell TD #2

On their first posession of the third quarter, Escanaba needed only four plays to drive 79 yards to go ahead 13-0. Bissell had a 36-yard run that was followed by Lamb's 30-yard run into the end zone. The extra point kick was no good.

Gladstone again looked to be moving the ball, as Jurek had runs of ten, 16, and eight yards on consecutive plays. But the Eskymo defense stiffened at the 33 yard-line, with an incomplete pass marking the Braves' latest empty trip into EHS territory.

When Escanaba got the ball back, Lamb broke free for a 42-yard run on the first play. After Bissell rushed for nine yards on 3rd-and-8, Lamb went ten yards, unouched, into the end zone. The two-point conversion missed, but it was a 19-0 Eskymo lead.

Still in the third quarter, Gladstone faced a 4th-and-2 at the 46 yard-line.

The Braves tried a reverse to Matt Chenier, but he was ripped down for a loss of two yards by his cousin, Escanaba senior captain Nick Chenier.

Bissell was unstoppable on the next possession. He broke off runs of 14, 12, and 18 yards, with the final run going into the end zone.

That made it a 26-0 game.

Gladstone got a little bit of life on the next play as Wells broke free for a 50-yard touchdown run to put the Braves on the board. But that touchdown only slowed the Eskymo momentum a bit. The Braves, with injuries to Jake Peterson, Luke Leuneburg, Nate Keefer, Jake Bilkey, and Dallas Potvin, just couldn't keep up.

Sean Bissell touchdown for Eskymos

The Eskymos went on a 79-yard touchdown drive to start the fourth quarter, with Lamb scoring from two yards out.

A two-point conversion pass from Barron to Chris LeMire made it a 34-6 Eskymo lead with 10:07 left in the game.

Gladstone went three-and-out, and then Escanaba put the mercy rule in effect when McInerney scored from two yards out and Corey Dahn kicked the extra point.

With two minutes left in the game, Wells scored on a 13-yard run and Jurek scored the two-point conversion for the Braves to make it a 41-14 final score.

The Eskymos had 486 yards of total offense, including 464 on the ground.

Lamb had 188 yards on 30 carries and three touchdowns. Bissell had 155 yards on 19 carries and two scores. And McInerney had 98 yards on nine carries and a touchdown.

The Braves had 278 yards of total offense. Jurek had 143 yards on 19 carries while Wells ended up with 83 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns. His rushing totals were reduced by several bad snaps that he had to fall on for negative yardage.

In the air, the loss of wide receiver Peterson to a broken ankle continued to be a glaring problem for Gladstone. Without him as their top weapon, the passing game has floundered. The Eskymos clearly did not respect the Braves passing game, often putting as many as nine men "in the box" to stop the running game of Wells and Jurek.

Escanaba's C.J. Barron interception.

On Friday, Wells completed just four of 14 passes for 54 yards and an interception.

Gladstone (3-4) has lost three straight games snce Peterson was injured early in the Homecoming game against Marquette.

Peterson is scheduled to undergo surgery in Green Bay, Wis., on Tuesday. He hopes to play basketball by January.

Tyler Wells touchdown run for Braves

Escanaba (2-5) broke a five-game losing streak with the win. The Eskymos also played a bit shorthanded, with five players on the sidelines due to academic troubles.

But even with that problem, Escanaba had far more healthy bodies than Gladstone did.

Escanaba travels to Sault Ste. Marie for a non-conference game next Friday night. The Gladstone Braves will also be on the road, for a GNC game at Kingsford. The Gladstone vs Kingsford game will be broadcast on WGKL-FM (105.5) and at www.rrnsports.com.

Click the thumbnails in the ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS box above to see photos taken by Ron Jurek, videos taken by Nate Bellville, and to hear radio highlights and interviews.

Date	Time	Opponent	Score	Record

8/28	7:00 PM	Gwinn Model Towners	34 - 8 (W)	1-0

9/6	6:00 PM	Roscommon Bucks	41 - 12 (W)	2-0

9/12	7:00 PM	at Negaunee Miners	24 - 19 (W)	3-0

9/19	8:00 PM	at Menominee Maroons	6 - 49 (L)	3-1

9/26	7:00 PM	Marquette Redmen	13 - 21 (L)	3-2

10/3	7:00 PM	at Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils	22 - 28 (L)	3-3

10/10	7:00 PM	Escanaba Eskymos	14 - 41 (L)	3-4

10/17	7:30 PM	at Kingsford Flivvers	20 - 41 (L)	3-5

10/24	7:00 PM	Calumet Copper Kings	38 - 47 (L)	3-6