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U.P. POWER!!! Negaunee Advances To State Finals
 GAYLORD---The Negaunee High School football team pulled out a gutsy 13-12 victory over Reed City in the MHSAA Division Six state semifinals Saturday afternoon in Gaylord. The Miners advance to the state championship game at Detroit's Ford Field. The game was played during a heavy snowstorm in the Alpine City, with the artificial turf at Gaylord High School covered by several inches of snow. The Miners had trouble with the slippery conditions, fumbling the ball three times. The Coyotes took advantage of the first one, and Noah Morgan pounded in a two-yard run to put the Miners behind, 6-0. But Negaunee came back, with big fullback Nico Lukkarinen leaping into the end zone from one yard out. Phillip Nelson's extra point kick put Negaunee ahead, 7-6. It stayed that way until the third quarter, when Morgan scored on another one-yard touchdown run. But the Coyotes missed the two-point conversion, so it was a 12-7 game. In the fourth quarter, the Miners got going on offense. And it was junior Kai Lacar getting the handoff up the middle. He broke a tackle, cut to the outside, and scored a huge touchdown with 2:36 left in the game, putting the Miners ahead, 13-12. The Coyotes had one last chance, but a fourth-and-long pass bounced off the Reed City player's hands and into the arms of Lukkarinen for the clinching interception. The Miners improved to 13-0 on the season, and have one game left: the Big One, at the Home of the Detroit Lions, Ford Field. It is scheduled for 4:30 on Friday, against powerhouse Grand Rapids West Catholic, which Menominee had rough experiences with back in the day. |
