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Eskymos win playoff thriller

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

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

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.

The game featured four lead changes and a tie.

“This game was wild,” Esky coach Dave 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.”

Kamin finished the game 11-21 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 Christer Carne caught three passes for 43 yards and a touchdown.

“We’re very happy to get out of here with a win,” Howes said. “They (the Orioles) really surprised me with their physicality. That was the best defense we’ve seen all year.”

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.

“This is a tough one to swallow,” Orioles coach Charlie 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.”

Escanaba will play at Alma next weekend in district play.

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