Marquette, MI – September 14, 2018 – The Marquette Redmen hosted the Escanaba Eskymos at home this week. Marquette entered the fourth game of their 2018 season 1-2 while Escanaba is 2-1. The Redmen looked to keep their momentum going after a blistering victory against the Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils last week.
Escanaba began the game with possession of the ball but Marquette was able to keep the Eskymos from getting out in front. The Redmen started their fist possession of the game with a great position on the field. Robert Apple had a 14-yard rush to start off strong. Brady Wright had his own gain of 12 yards and shortly after found the end zone on a 2-yard run bringing the score to 7-0 with the kick. Escanaba got right back to work trying to find their way onto the board. The Eskymos’ quarterback Craig Kamin found Garrett LaMarche for a gain of 15 yards for a great start to their second possession of the game. Despite a valiant effort, however, the Eskymos could not budge the scoreboard.
The second quarter started with a bang for the Redmen. Adam Jenshak had a huge interception to snatch possession from the Eskymos. Then Kaski found Ethan Martysz with an amazing 59-yard pass for a touchdown right out of the gate for a score of 14-0. Escanaba’s Isaac Cooper answered Marquette’s touchdown with a 25-yard run to put the Eskymos on the board. The kick was good for a score of 14-7 with Marquette still in the lead. Several huge gains kept the Redmen charging down the field on the Eskymos. Kaski was in trouble at one point but found Jenshak for a huge gain of 14 yards. Robert Apple gave Marquette their third touchdown of the game from 10 yards out, bringing the score to 21-7. Escanaba couldn’t make it happen on their next possession and Marquette entered the half with the lead.
Adam Jenshak shut Escanaba down on their first possession of the third quarter to take over early coming out of the half. The ensuing drive consisted of five plays and 49 yards resulting in a Redmen touchdown for a score of 28-7. Escanaba had a few stumbles on their next possession but Benjamin Willis received a 23-yard pass from Kamin for an Escanaba touchdown bringing the score to 28-13.
In the fourth quarter Escanaba’s Kamin scored from 22 yards out to make this a one-possession game at 28-20. Marquette looked to protect their lead as the game clock ticked town. A sack from Escanaba gave possession back to the Eskymos and a glimmer of hope for a huge comeback. The Redmen defense tried to stop Escanaba but after an unfortunate pass interference penalty on Jenshak, the Eskymos kept their hopes alive. Kamin made those hopes reality scoring from 40 yards up the right side of the field. A successful two-point conversion tied the game at 28-28. Marquette made a valiant effort on their next possession but could not budge the scoreboard during regulation. The Redmen ventured into overtime to try and take back the lead and seal their victory.
Escanaba started with possession of the ball in overtime. Axel Sites made a huge sack but Kamin found the end zone and the kick was good for a score of 35-28. Marquette turned right around and scored to bring it up to 35-34. A successful two-point conversion by Robert Apple ended the ballgame with a Redmen victory. The fans rushed the field for a much-deserved celebration as their team saved a late-in-the game upset to improve their 2018 record to 2-2. A final score of 36-35 shows just how much of a nail-biter this one turned out to be.
The Marquette Redmen will host the Petosky Northmen on Friday, September 21. The pregame starts at 6:30PM and kick-off is at 7:00PM. Catch the game on Fox Sports Marquette 105.1-99.9 and 103 FXD.
Listen to the game audio here.
