'10 Escanaba HS Football Schedule

Date	Result	Opponent	Record
Aug 27 Sept 2 Sep 11 Sept 17 Sept 24 Oct 1 Oct 8 Oct 15 Oct 22	W, 27-24 W, 52-12 W, 45-28 L, 7-24 L, 14-20 L, 14-28 L, 22-26 W, 24-19 L, 34-49	GAYLORD at Alpena DETROIT WESTSIDE CHR at Marquette at Minocqua Lakeland, Wis. MENOMINEE at Gladstone at Ashland, Wis. KINGSFORD	1-0 2-0 3-0 3-1 3-2 3-3 3-4 4-4 4-5

Young Has Big Night But Kingsford Gets Win                       Escanaba Eskymo quarterback Austin Young (7) is tackled as he gets a first down during Friday night's 49-34 loss to the Kingsford Flivvers. (Lisa Dagenais photo) ESCANABA---The 2010 high school football season came to an end Friday night for the Escanaba Eskymos, but not before quarterback Austin Young reached a couple of milestones in this, his junior season. Young passed the 1,000 yard mark in both rushing and passing, and scored five touchdowns, but it wasn't enough as the Eskymos lost to the playoff-bound Kingsford Flivvers, 49-34, at the Escanaba Athletic Field. Escanaba finished its season with a 4-5 record. Young had touchdown runs of 8, 9, 32, 11, and 7 yards. He also threw a pair of two-point conversion passes to Andrew Kausak. Young ended up with 226 yards rushing on 32 carries, and he had 96 yards passing. Escanaba played shorthanded as injured seniors Mitch Dagenais and Justyn Doucette watched from the sidelines on crutches. (pictured at left) Kingsford's Eric Kleisner had two long touchdown runs of 69 and 71 yards, and quarterback Kyle Sexton had 120 yards rushing, including a 25-yard touchdown after Escanaba had closed to within 35-26 in the fourth quarter. Sexton had two touchdown runs in the game. Andy Ross also had a pair of TD runs in the game, and Paul Deyaert had one. The Flivvers (8-1) wait for Sunday night's announcement from Lansing to see who they will play in the post-season. For the Eskymos, it was a tough way to end the season. After a 3-0 start, the team lost five of six.                       Eskymo seniors pose after playing their final high school football game. From left: Jared Dagenais, Steve Meitz, Shawn Corbett, Andrew Kausak, and Brandon Dieter. Below left: Jared Dagenais poses with Eskymo Assistant Coach Ralph Sarnowski. Dagenais collided with Sarnowksi during practice this week, breaking the coach's collarbone. Below right: Esky's Jacob Drage (26) pumps his fist as Young scores one of his five touchdowns. (Lisa Dagenais photos)

Eskymos Make Long Road Trip Worth It, 24-19                   Top Photo: Austin Neveau kicks a 40-yard field goal, out of the hold of Alex DeHaan. Left photo: Dan Larson (8) makes a tackle during Friday's victory.  ASHLAND, Wis.---The Escanaba Eskymos broke their four-game losing streak by posting a 24-19 win over the Ashland, Wis., Oredockers Friday night in northern Wisconsin. The team drove four hours to get there, and then held off the Oredockers on the final play of the game. Eskymo quarterback Austin Young scored two touchdowns, on runs of 68 and 35 yards. Young also threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to David Falish, and placekicker Austin Neveau broke a school record by kicking a 40-yard field goal. Escanaba improved to 4-4, while Ashland fell to 1-7. The TD pass to Falish gave Escanaba the early lead, and Neveau's kick made it 7-0. Ashland closed to within one, but Young's 68-yard scamper and Neveau's kick made it 14-6. The Oredockers scored again just before halftime, but did not get the conversion, so Esky led, 14-12. A key play in the third quarter happened after Young threw an interception. On the next play, Ashland coughed up the football, with Garrett Johnson recovering the fumble. Moments later Young scored on a 35-yard run, and Neveau's kick made it 21-12. After having a hard time converting on kicks for most of the year, the Eskymos got good work from Neveau in this game. His 40-yard field goal with 2:38 left made it 24-12, and it broke a school record for length of field goal previously held by Travis Villeneuve. The field goal was huge because Ashland scored a touchdown moments later, cutting the gap to five points. Then there was drama at the end when the Eskymos tried to run out the clock, but punted the ball out of bounds with two seconds to play. Fortunately, the Oredockers could not pull a miracle play, and the Eskymo losing streak came to an end. Escanaba (4-4) returns home to close out the regular season with a game against the Kingsford Flivvers. The 7-1 Flivvers beat Gladstone, 31-0, Friday night. If the Eskymos upset Kingsford, they'd have a slight chance of making the state playoffs with a 5-4 record. Game time is 7:30 E.T.                   The Eskymo players celebrate their 24-19 victory in Ashland. Below left: the Ashland High School band plays Escanaba's fight song. Below right: Some Eskymo students made the long trip to cheer on their classmates. (Lisa Dagenais photos)

IT JUST WASN'T OUR NIGHT                     The dejected Escanaba Eskymos walk off the Marble Athletic Field after a tough 26-22 loss to the Gladstone Braves Friday night. (Lisa Dagenais photos) Eskymos Fall In Gladstone For 4th Straight Loss GLADSTONE---The season that started with so many high hopes for the Escanaba Eskymos is falling apart, and their biggest rivals are enjoying their role in causing that demise. The Eskymos lost their fourth straight game Friday night, but nine more numbing than this one, a 26-22 loss to the Gladstone Braves that virtually kills any playoff hopes EHS carried. It's a tough way to go for a team that got off to a 3-0 start behind a talented quarterback and a team that seemed to be coming together at many positions on both sides of the ball. But the last month has seen the wheels come off at the worst possible times, and Friday night, an emotional Gladstone team was more than happy to put what looks to be the final nail in the Eskymos' coffin. Gladstone was left for dead two weeks ago, on its own four-game losing streak after a win over woeful Sault Ste. Marie. <<<EHS Athletic Director Dave Wilson grabs a pom-pom and plays a cheer leader as part of a Breast Cancer challenge between the two schools. But the Braves gutted out a 48-44 win over Alpena last week, and entered this cross-bay battle with not much to lose. Despite a three-game skid, Escanaba was still the favorite to beat the Braves, a team destined to finish last in the Great Northern Conference. But Gladstone thrilled the Marble Athletic Field crowd by jumping to a 13-0 lead, even though the Eskymos had enjoyed the first laugh by recovering an on-side kick on the opening kickoff. Braves quarterback Sam Ballard hooked up with Paul Tomaszewski for a 25-yard touchdown pass midway through the first quarter, then junior Jared Stenson scored on a one-yard plunge a few minutes later, putting the Eskymos in a two-touchdown hole. But EHS quarterback Austin Young rallied his team in the second quarter, scoring on runs of 12 and two yards to put the visitors into a 14-13 lead midway through the second quarter. But Ballard put together a nice drive in the final minutes of the half, and scored on a one-yard run to give Gladstone a 19-14 lead at the break. In the third quarter, Young was facing 3rd-and-28 when he found one of favorite targets, Dan Larson, open for what turned out to be a 42-yard touchdown pass. Then, on the two-point play, Young passed to Andrew Kausak, and the Eskymos had a 22-19 lead. But late in the quarter, Tomaszewski made a huge play on special teams as he returned a punt 40 yards. Moments later, Stenson scored from 15 yards out, and with 29 seconds left in the third quarter, the Braves had the lead again. Tom Cseter kicked the extra point to give Gladstone a 26-22 lead. It was a battle of field possession in the final quarter, and the Eskymos looked to be on the march for a winning drive in the final two minutes. Young's bomb with 1:18 left was intercepted by Cseter in Braves territory, and Escanaba, powerless to stop the clock, lost for the fourth time. Both teams are now 3-4, and are unable to qualify for the 256-team state playoffs even if they win their final two games. However, some 5-4 teams do get added to the field it 256 don't qualify with six wins or more, so both the Braves and Eskymos still have something to play for. Escanaba travels to Ashland (Wis.) next Friday, while Gladstone visits Kingsford, also next Friday night.

Escanaba JV's Beat Gladstone With Defense  ESCANABA---The start of Thursday night's Escanaba-Gladstone junior varsity game couldn't possibly have gone any better for the Eskymos, or any worse for the Braves. Escanaba scored two defensive touchdowns in the first three minutes of the game and then cruised to a 36-8 win over the Braves in the Great Northern Conference rivalry game. The Braves botched the return on the opening kickoff and had to start at the nine yard line. Quarterback Sam Pouliot was intercepted on the first play of the game, as Andrew Miller grabbed the ball and went in, untouched, from 11 yards out. Nick Vandermissen ran in the two-pointer. After the kickoff, the Braves lined up in the spread again. And this time, Pouliot was picked off by John Brant. The Eskymos would eventually fumble the ball back to the Braves, but Gladstone's bad luck didn't end there. Pouliot rolled out on the option, and near the sidelines, pitched the ball, hitting his teammate's hands. The ball popped up into the air, and Eskymo linebacker Austen Provo grabbed it and ran it in for six. The Eskymos had a 16-0 lead before they even ran an offensive play. Gladstone's troubles continued to mount. After a short run by Jalen Stenson, Pouliot was picked off for a third time....Brant jumped up and smacked the ball to Miller, who gobbled it up for his second interception. For the Braves, it was five offensive plays, four turnovers. The Gladstone defense was able to keep the Eskymos off the board, and it stayed 16-0 until almost halftime. But after a short punt, the Eskymos took over at the Gladstone 34, and after Vandermissen found John Rapette for a key fourth down pass, Frank Kolich broke two tackles and scored on a seven yard run to make ot 22-0. Rapette then scored the two-point conversion.' Down 24-0, the Braves offense finally showed signs of life, as Pouliot completed three straight passes to Mike Cretens (33 yards) and to David Dykowski (19 and 18 yards). Jake Wyrdra scored on a five-yard touchdown run to bring the Braves to within two scores. Gladstone had a couple of chances in the third quarter to get even closer, but lost the ball on downs twice. Then the Braves gave up another interception....on a trick-play-pass by Jared Hunter....and it was Miller's third interception of the game for the Eskymos. A moment later, Vandermissen scored from 19 yards out to make it 30-8. LISTEN TO RADIO HIGHLIGHTS: You can hear our replays of interceptions by Miller and Brant, and touchdown runs by Kolich and Vandermissen, by clicking the ESKY JV 36 GLADSTONE JV 8 button on the left side of this page! Escanaba's final touchdown came in the fourth quarter when Brant sprinted in from 35 yards out (helped by a monster block by David Fix). Vandermissen carried the ball 27 times for 101 yards, while Kolich had 35 yards on ten carries. Lawrence Caron came off the bench to rush for 37 yards on seven touches. In the air, Kyle Johnson and Vandermissen combined to complete four passes for 48 yards. For Gladstone, Pouliot completed 9-of-19 passes for 107 yards and three interceptions (the fourth pick was thrown by Hunter). Wydra had 21 yards on eight carries, and Dale Nickell had eight yards on six carries. The Eskymos outgained the Braves in total yards, 265-163. Unfortunately, all of our pictures for this game came out very blurry due to a settings problem on our digital camera. Our appologies! But this photo of the Escanaba and Gladstone JV cheerleaders came out just fine!

UNHAPPY HOMECOMING                   The Escanaba Eskymos try a running play during Friday night's 28-14 loss to the Menominee Maroons, ruining Homecoming for the Eskymos. (Lisa Dagenais photo) Eskymos Fall To Menominee For 12th Straight Time ESCANABA---Things got off to a good start for the Escanaba Eskymos Friday night, when Jake Drage scored on a nine-yard touchdown run in the first quarter of their game against the Menominee Maroons. But the visitors scored the next 21 points, and then cruised to a 28-14 victory, giving Menominee its 12th straight win over the Eskymos in the state's oldest high school football rivalry. The 7-0 lead had the Eskymo Homecoming crowd in a frenzy, but Menominee quarterback Keefer Conery answered with a 65-yard touchdown pass less than a minute later. Then, Eskymo quarterback Austin Young was intercepted by Eric Hines, who returned it 55 yards for a touchdown. All of a sudden, less than three minutes after the Eskymos had taken the lead, the Orange and Black were down, 13-7. Conery scored on a short touchdown run before the quarter ended, and even though Young flound Willie Meek for a 25-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, the Maroons were still in control. Tanner Maccoux scored on a long run with five minutes left in the second quarter to give Menominee a 28-14 lead, and there was no further scoring in the game. Young has been great at times for the Eskymos this season, but on this night, he was intercepted four times. Young did have 133 yards in passing and another 77 rushing for a total of 210 yards in offense. Not enough. Escanaba fell to 3-3 while Menominee improved to 4-2. The Eskymos will be in a must-win sitiuation next Friday night when they take the short trip to Gladstone. Despite the loss, it is still Homecoming for the Eskymos! Check out the pictures below for some of the festivities.                   The Escanaba High School marching band marches down Ludington Street Friday.             These are two of the floats put together by the EHS students for Homecoming '10!             Coach Dan Flynn and the Eskymo players cheer the fight song during pre-game.               At left: Homecoming King Kyle Berres and Homecoming Queen Brianna Waldsmith. At right: Eskymo captains Andrew Kausak (1), Kyle Lajoie (75), Jared Dagenais (22) and Steve Meitz (56) meet with Menominee's captains. (Lisa Dagenais photos)

Eskymo Girls Open Homecoming Week Events                   It's Homecoming Week at the Escanaba High School. The football team will renew its rivalry with Menominee this Friday night. But the girls were on the Escanaba Athletic Field Monday evening for the annual Homecoming Powder-Puff football game between the EHS Juniors and Seniors. But don't let the name fool you; the girls were not playing sweet and nice! Pictured above: the ball is up for grabs, literally. Bottom photo: Doug Leisenring and Jim Hansen look good in stripes. (Lisa Dagenais photos)

Bark River-Harris JV's Top Eskymo Freshmen                 The Escanaba Eskymos freshman team played the Bark River-Harris Broncos junior varsity team Wednesday afternoon in Escanaba. Pictured above: Eskymo QB Dane Casperson prepares to hand the ball to running back Jacob Walker (#27). Walker busts a big run in the left photo. In the below picture, BR-H freshman Matt Sundling is on his way to the end zone after catching a long pass from Ben Kleiman. The Broncos scored the game's first two touchdowns, and beat the Eskymos, 26-15.

AN 'UPSETING' NIGHT               The Escanaba Eskymos were beaten at the line of scrimmage by the Marquette Redmen Friday night. The Redmen upset the #3-ranked Eskymos, 24-7, ending Escanaba's thoughts of a perfect season. Marquette won its third straight game after not winning a single game in the 2008 and 2009 seasons. Willie Meek's 59-yard touchdown run was Escanaba's only score, after Esky had fallen behind, 21-0. Marquette quarterback Nick Emmendorfer threw two touchdown passes to Collin Terry, and he ran in another score. (Lisa Dagenais photos)

DOMINATING PERFORMANCE                     Escanaba quarterback Austin Young (7) runs behind the block of Alex Larson (2) during Saturday's 45-28 win over Detroit Westside Christian Academy. See him hide the ball behind his back? Young scored two touchdowns on the ground and threw for two more scores, accounting for more than 200 yards of offense. Eskymos Top Detroit Westside Christian Academy ESCANABA----The Escanaba Eskymos were without several starters as they faced a new opponent Saturday, but luckily for the Orange and Black, Austin Young was at it again. The junior Eskymo quarterback has enjoyed early success this season, and on Saturday, he factored in four more touchdowns as Escanaba turned back Detroit Westside Christian Academy, 45-28, on a dreary, wet afternoon. The final score belies how the game really went. The Eskymos rolled to a 33-0 halftime lead before the Warriors put four touchdowns on the board against the Escanaba second-string defense. <<<Coach Dan Flynn talks to lineman Chris Lynch during Saturday's game. Young did much of the early scoring himself, but was helped by good blocking from his offensive line and the other backs. The first score came on a 4th and 13 play from the 16 yard line, as Young found Dan Larson inside the five yard line. Larson fought his way into the end zone to make it 6-0. After the Warriors faked a punt on fourth down and didn't get the first down, Young went to work again. This time, he scampered 35 yards for a score, making it 12-0. The Eskymos missed the PAT again. CLICK HERE  to watch a video replay of Young's TD pass to Dan Larson. CLICK HERE  to watch a video replay of Young's 35-yard touchdown run. CLICK HERE  to watch the Eskymo defense stop a Detroit fake punt play. Early in the second quarter, Young scored again from one yard out, and this time, Mike Tembreull made the extra point and it was a 19-0 Eskymo lead. The Warrior offense continued to sputter, hampered by numerous illegal procedure penalties and the damp weather. The rain didn't slow down Young, who found Justyn Doucette for a 14-yard touchdown. Tembruell's extra point made it 26-0, and then, just before halftime, Alex Larson scored from 15 yards out. The teams went into the locker rooms with Escanaba ahead, 33-0. Escanaba Head Coach Dan Flynn substituted freely in the second half, and the second-string offense had trouble holding onto the ball, committing three turnovers that led to three Detroit touchdowns. Detroit quarterback Victor Davidson hands to Reggie King. >>> Warrior quarterback Victor Davidson threw three touchdown passes, all of them to Antoine Hawkins. Davidson ended up with 190 yards passing. For Escanaba, Young led the way with 155 yards rushing and another 77 yards passing. He was in on four touchdowns, before sitting out most of the second half. Escanaba improved to 3-0 on the season and will travel to Marquette next Friday night. Detroit Westside Christian Academy is now 2-1. Escanaba vs Det. Westside Christian...In Pictures                       The Escanaba Eskymos and Detroit Westside Christian Warriors sit together inside the Igloo locker room, enjoying a meal of Upper Peninsula pasties.                   Escanaba Coach Dan Flynn talks with the Detroit players as the Eskymos and Warriors snack on a pasty dinner together. (Lisa Dagenais photos)               We're ready for the kickoff, after one of Escanaba's seven touchdowns!               The Eskymo student section gets wet, but has plenty to cheer about.               The Escanaba High School band played the school fight song early and often. CLICK HERE to see a video of the Escanaba High School band in action.                     Three dedicated Westside Christian fans cheered loudly 445 miles from home.

TWO UP, TWO DOWN                     The Escanaba Eskymos celebrate their 52-12 win over the Alpena Wildcats Thursday night in Alpena. The Eskymos are now 2-0. (Lisa Dagenais photo) Eskymos Roll Past Alpena In Second Half, 52-12 ALPENA---The Escanaba Eskymos used the big play to defeat the Alpena Wildcats Thursday night in Lower Michigan. The Eskymos led by a touchdown in the second quarter, but pulled away with 26 unanswered points in the second half to post a 52-12 victory. Willie Meek scored four touchdowns, including three on long runs of 61, 63, and 55 yards. He had 218 yards of rushing. Devin St. Cyr had a 55-yard TD run, Austin Young scored on a 28-yard scamper, Dan Larson sprinted for a 90-yard punt return, and Justyn Doucette had the icing on the cake in the closing minutes with a 64-yard TD run. The Eskymos improved to 2-0 on the season, and will be off until Sept. 17, when they travel to Marquette for their conference opener.                 Alpena's Austin Leeck (22) goes over the 2,000-yard mark in his career on this run captured in the above photo. In the bottom photo, Eskymo fans braved the cold, wet weather to cheer on the Orange and Black. (Lisa Dagenais pictures)

HANGING ON                   No, this picture is not from the 1960's. These are the Escanaba Eskymos after beating the Gaylord Blue Devils, 27-24, Friday night, at the Escanaba Athletic Field. But the black-and-white photo is appropriate on a night where several former Eskymos were honored in pre-game ceremonies. (Lisa Dagenais photo) Eskymos Build 21-0 Lead; Beat Gaylord By Three ESCANABA---The star of the game for most of the night was Austin Young. The Escanaba junior quarterback ran for three touchdowns and threw for another, and the Orange and Black had a big lead. But the Gaylord Blue Devils didn't give up, and came close to pulling a huge upset, before the Eskymos escaped with a 27-24 win at the Escnaba Athletic Field. It was one of just three home games this year for the Eskymos, and it was played after several former Escanaba players were honored in an emotional pre-game ceremony. Young scored on runs of seven and three yards in the first half, and hooked up with Andrew Kausak for a nine-yard TD pass. The Eskymos went into the locker room with a 21-0 lead and it looked like it would be an easy season-opening win for Escanaba. Gaylord scored midway through the third quarter, but Young scored again, on another seven-yard run, just 67 seconds after the Blue Devil score. Escanaba led, 27-6, and this in when the Blue Devils made their comeback. Gaylord scored late in the third quarter to cut the Escanaba lead to 27-12, and it stayed that way until the final minute. Gaylord quarterback Trevor Huff found receiver Troy Gahm for a 70 yard touchdown pass, with 1:20 to go in the game. The Blue Devils missed the two-point conversion, so they still trailed by two scores, 27-18. But Gaylord got the on-side kick, a rarity in football. And the Blue Devils scored again, on a 12-yard pass from Huff to Gahm, to make it 27-24 with 16 seconds left in the game. Gaylord missed the two-pointer again, and the Devils went for another on-side kick. Incredibly, Gaylord got that kick, too. But with only two plays left, the Blue Devils could not score the miracle win, with the game ending on an interception. Sigh of Relief for the Eskymos. Gaylord can kick itself for not winning this game, as the Blue Devils missed three two-point conversions and an extra-point kick. Young was outstanding. In his first varsity QB start (he played briefly in the playoffs as a sophomore), Young threw for 182 yards and rushed for another 81. Kausak caught seven passes. Escanaba travels to Alpena next Friday night.                   The 2010 Escanaba Eskymos shake hands with the former Eskymo players who were being honored in pre-game ceremonies Friday night at the EHS Athletic Field. Left photo: Escanaba Eskymo Super-Fan Frank Barres (left) gives away his well-known cowboy hat to Mike Dagenais (right). Barres is retiring, so it will now be Dagenais' job to lead the EHS crowd on the familiar "Give me an E, Give Me an S, Give me an...." rally. (Lisa Dagenais photos).