Menominee started off the game with possession, but quickly gave it away to Marquette. A favorable bounce off the punt put the Redmen in a great position for their first possession of the game.
It didn’t take long for Brendan Kaski to find Ethan Martysz with a 24-yard touchdown. It was Kaski’s 14th touchdown pass of the season, and Martysz’s 12th touchdown catch. The Drew Wyble kick was good, and the score came to 7-0 early in the first quarter.
The Marquette football defensive line stopped Menominee handily on their next few possessions. Neither team scored over the rest of the first quarter
At the top of the second quarter Menominee came out guns blazing. A huge gain of 37 yards by Menominee’s Caden Bigger sparked a chance at tying up the game. The Maroons found the end zone, but the kick was no good. Marquette barely held on to their lead at 7-6.
The Redmen could not pull off a touchdown in spite of promising drives down the field. Menominee took over with just a few minutes left on the clock heading into halftime. The action wasn’t winding down yet, however. Tanner Judd snagged a huge interception to give the Redmen another chance to widen their lead before the half.
Wyble trotted out to attempt a 42-yard field goal. The kick was blocked, and Menominee took over with less than one second on the clock. With hardly any time left in the half, the score stayed at 7-6 and Marquette stayed in the lead.
The Marquette Redmen started the third quarter of the football game struggling to get their footing. Menominee nabbed possession from Marquette off of a fumble to shift the momentum in their direction.
The Maroons wasted no time reaching the end zone, but could not complete a successful two-point conversion. Menominee pulled ahead of the Redmen with a score of 12-7.
Another shaky start on their second possession of the half rattled Redmen fans. Brady Wright put Marquette back on even footing, however, with a massive 44-yard run. Kaski again found Martysz, this time with a 27-yard touchdown. With a successful kick, Marquette pulled ahead of Menominee at 14-12.
The fourth quarter of the football game began with an early Menominee touchdown. Another unsuccessful two-point conversion settled the score at 18-14, the Maroons over the Redmen.
Marquette continued to struggle on their next possession. Menominee cashed in on a fumble to take over the ball and, again, redirect momentum in their favor. The Maroons took their chance and cruised into the end zone. After a missed kick, the score was 24-14.
Marquette could not find it in them to answer Menominee’s commanding lead. It didn’t take long for Maroons’ number 45 William Burnette to find the end zone on their next possession. A successful two-point conversion brought the score to 32-14.
The Maroons put a stop to ensuing Redmen drives and clinched the victory on their homecoming night. The score stayed at 32-14.
The Marquette Redmen will share the GNC Title with the Escanaba Eskymos. It’s a heartbreaking loss for the Redmen tonight, but the 2018 Marquette football season was nothing short of thrilling.
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