ESCANABA---The Escanaba High School football team opened state playoff action on Saturday with a 17-13 win over the Freeland Falcons before a large crowd at the Escanaba Athletic Field.
The Eskymos advance to the second round next Saturday against the Big Rapids Cardinals, after Big Rapids pulled out a thrilling 32-31 win over Ludington
For the longest time, the only score on the board was a school record 42-yard field goal off the foot of senior kicker Graham Johnson. That beat his own record of 41 (and a few inches) yard kick earlier this season in an Eskymo win at Petoskey.
In the third quarter, quarterback Nolan Bink found Alex Stalboerger for a 10-0 lead (after Johnson's PAT kick). The Falcons came back on a short touchdown run by Max Heyn, and the extra point kick made it a 10-7 game.
It stayed that way until late in the fourth quarter, when the Eskymos were facing a 3rd-and-8 just inside the 50-yard-line. Bink fired a home run ball down the right sideline for Johnson, and he corralled it, taking it to the house for a 48-yard TD score with 2:40 left.
Freeland was able to score again with 1:06 left on the clock, but could not get the on-side kick, and the Eskymos celebrated a huge playoff win that left them with a 10-1 record and their first playoff win since the 2018 season.
This after the program went 5-4 and narrowly missed the playoffs in 2024, and suffered through 2-7 seasons in both 2022 and 2023, and a rough 1-8 season in 202
Freeland finished its season with a 7-3 record.
Thr Escanaba-Big Rapids game will be played on Saturday, Nov. 8, at 1:00, in Escanaba. Big Rapids will come to town with a 9-1 record as well.
