Mark Johnson | Daily Press Escanaba defensive back Nicolas Ramos (7) with his game-saving interception in the end zone to preserve the Eskymos’ 27-20 playoff win over Ludington.

ESCANABA — Nicolas Ramos picked off a pass in the end zone with six seconds left and Escanaba hung on to knock off Ludington 27-20 in a Division 4 pre-district football thriller here Saturday.

The Eskymos (8-2) scored with 50 seconds left in the game on a hook-and-ladder when quarterback Craig Kamin completed an eight-yard pass to Benjamin Willis, who pitched it backwards to Josh Bruntjens, who then streaked down the sideline for a 33-yard touchdown run to go ahead 27-20.

“We had probably ran that play five to six times before,” Esky coach Dave Howes said. “We saw that the safeties were creeping up so we decided to take a shot.”

The Orioles (7-3) had previously scored on a 13-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Garrett Meeker to Drew Arce, then tied the game at 20 on a two-point conversion when Meeker’s pass went through the hands of Escanaba’s Tyler Lawson and into the hands of Arce.

The game was wild, featuring four lead changes and one tie before going back-and-forth multiple times in the fourth quarter.

“This game was wild,” Howes said. “The fans got their money’s worth. It had a little bit of everything. Give their quarterback (Meeker) a ton of credit, that kid’s a heck of a player. He wouldn’t quit.”

The Eskymos held a 13-12 lead after a one-yard touchdown run by Kamin late in the third quarter. The fourth quarter is when the craziness began.

Ludington faced a fourth-and-four on their own 41-yard line with six minutes remaining, and decided to go for it. The Eskymos sacked Meeker to get the stop, and two plays later Kamin found Christer Carne on a swing pass that went for 41 yards and a touchdown that put them up 20-12.

When asked about the decision to go for it, Orioles’ coach Charlie Gunsell said he didn’t regret it.

“I just felt like we needed a spark,” Gunsell said. “I actually asked our defensive coordinator if it was okay for us to go for it before I made my decision, and he was fine with it. Our defense was playing great but we still probably put too much pressure on them.”

On the ensuing Orioles’ possession, Meeker rolled to his left and found Jake Plamondon down the field for a 55-yard completion to the Eskymos’ 10-yard line. Two plays later, Meeker found Arce for the touchdown and two-point conversion to knot the game at 20.

Escanaba got the ball back with two minutes left and followed that up with a score on the hook-and-ladder, but then on the Orioles’ next drive Meeker went deep again to Arce for a 35-yard pass to put the ball on the Eskymos’ 10-yard line. On second-and-goal, Meeker’s pass was picked off in the end zone by Ramos, who decided to run the ball out and fumbled on the four-yard line before the Eskymos recovered to seal the win.

“This is a tough one to swallow,” Gunsell said. “I really thought we were going to win there at the end.

“We were going to score and then I was going to go for two. Our kids played so hard but that’s the way sports go. Give them (the Eskymos) a lot of credit.”

The Orioles struck first in the game after the the Eskymos had a muffed snap on the punt after their first possession. Ludington took over at the 31-yard line, and two plays later Shemar Jennings ran it in from 15 yards out to put the Orioles ahead 6-0.

“I thought scoring early was big for us,” Gunsell said. “It gave us an early boost of confidence that we can play with these guys.”

Escanaba got on the board early in the second quarter on a nine-yard touchdown run by Noah Tourangeau to put the Eskymos ahead 7-6.

The Orioles scored with 10 seconds remaining in the half on a one-yard touchdown pass from Meeker to Arce, set up by a 38-yard pass from Meeker to Trevor Latimer to put the ball on the Eskymos one-yard line.

Howes knew the Eskymos had to make some changes at halftime.

“We made some adjustments at the half,” he said. “I was being stubborn, I just wanted to run the ball because that’s what we do. But we needed to open it up a little bit in the passing game and get a little more creative. They (the Orioles) really surprised me with their physicality. That was the best defense we’ve seen all year.”

On the flip side, Gunsell was very proud of his players’ efforts despite the loss.

“Our kids came out ready to play,” Gunsell said. “We could see it in practice, the players were coaching themselves. They prepared really hard, and showed such maturity. Defensively, Luke (Fountain) could tell you what they (the Eskymos) were going to do before each play just based on formation. I’m extremely proud of the effort today, especially by our skill players. This group of seniors made us relevant. It (the season) was fun.”

Kamin led the charge for the Eskymos, going 11-of-21 passing for 129 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He also ran 14 times for 108 yards and a score. Bruntjens had eight carries for 68 yards and a touchdown, while Carne caught three passes for 43 yards and a touchdown and also rushed eight times for 41 yards.

“We’re very happy to get out of here with a win,” Howes said. “We live to see another day, and hopefully this makes us better.”

Meeker finished 14-23 passing for 222 yards, two touchdowns and an interception to lead the Orioles. He also ran 12 times for 95 yards. Arce caught seven passes for 68 yards and two scores, while Latimer had three receptions for 70 yards and Plamondon caught four passes for 67 yards.

Escanaba will play at Alma at noon Saturday for the district title.