Justin St. Ours | Daily Press Carney-Nadeau’s Mike Flanagan (20) pitches the ball to Juan Maier (1) for a touchdown before he’s tackled by Ontonagon defenders Steven Graff (bottom left tackler) and Rowen Potter (right) Saturday at Powers.

It may have gotten a little scary for a while here Saturday, but the Carney-Nadeau Wolves hung on for a 58-38 eight-player football victory over the Ontonagon Gladiators.

The Wolves took a seemingly comfortable 46-8 advantage on a 30-yard touchdown pass from senior Michael Flanagan to junior Peyton Imhoff nine seconds before halftime of this Great Lakes Eight West Division match-up.

Ontonagon, which trimmed its deficit to 46-16 on junior Jaden Borseth’s 46-yard pass to an unlisted player (on the roster) at the half, came within 46-24 on a four-yard run up the middle by junior Steven Graff with 4:49 remaining in the third quarter.

The Gladiators then climbed within 46-32 on Borseth’s 25-yard aerial to junior Eric Abramson with 53 seconds left in the third.

“Right before halftime, we gave them that touchdown, and they fed off that,” said Wolves’ coach Jim Belec. “When your opponent makes a run like that, things tend to get tough for a while. It’s sometimes hard to get the momentum back when things tighten up.”

The Wolves slowly regained their momentum in the fourth, extending their lead to 52-32 on Flanagan’s quarterback sneak at 8:17 before Kakuk added his fourth TD run with 1:26 remaining.

Ontonagon turned the ball over on its first three possessions, and the Wolves capitalized each time.

Imhoff’s interception set up an 84-yard dash up the middle by sophomore Brayden Kakuk for C-N first score.

Kakuk then added TD runs of 19 and 47 yards, set up on an interception by junior Jerry Lee LaFord and fumble recovery by Flanagan for a 24-0 cushion late in the opening frame.

“We played 24 minutes,” said Ontonagon coach Tyler Thomas. “I think the guys learned a lesson today. I thought our offense played well in the second half, but you can’t start with three turnovers in a row. We didn’t play well enough to win.”

The Gladiators got on the board at the end of the first quarter on an 18-yard keeper to the left by Borseth.

C-N, aided by another interception by LaFord, scored three more times in the second stanza.

The teams combined for 873 yards in total offense and eight unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

C-N (2-2 overall, 2-1 West) finished with 524 yards. Kakuk ran for 209 on 20 carries. Flanagan hit 6-of-17 passes for 187 yards, two TDs and two interceptions and rushed for 84 on 12 carries. The Wolves finished with 337 on the ground.

“It’s nice to finally get one (on the field) under our belts, but we want to get better,” said Belec. “Everybody’s in the playoffs.”

The Gladiators (0-3 overall and West), who played all three of their games in Menominee County, had 349 yards in offense.

They ran for 205 with Graff leading the way with 100 on 11 carries. Borseth added 80 in 14 attempts and completed 5-of-19 aerials for 145 yards, three TDs and five interceptions.

“We’ve got to find a way to motivate and have confidence in ourselves,” said Thomas. “We have stuff to work on, but we also have a lot to build on.”

The Wolves return to Powers to host Newberry Friday. The Gladiators host North Dickinson for homecoming Friday.

Ontonagon 8 8 16 6 — 38

Carney-Nadeau 24 22 0 12 — 58