The Escanaba football teams huddles on offense during a Big North Conference football game on Oct. 4, 2024 at William R. Hart Stadium in Marquette. ("The Big Dog" Mitch Vosburg/Daily Press)

MARQUETTE — Coming off back-to-back wins for the first time in half a decade, Escanaba football started a stretch of three road trips in its final four games.

Up first was Friday’s Big North collision against No. 3 Marquette for its homecoming tilt. The Eskymos found ways to move the ball up and down the field, but a stout red zone defense and a 178 yard, three touchdown night from Drew Bradley aided the No. 3 Sentinels to a 28-7 win over the Eskymos at William R. Hart Stadium.

“Anytime you get a win in high school it’s great,” Marquette coach Eric Mason said. “The homecoming week obviously culminates through the game. It’s a little extra icing on the top to win.”

Staring down a 14-0 deficit after the first quarter with Bradley racking up 106 yards rushing and two touchdowns, including a 58-yard score on the fourth play of the game, the Eskymos began to find momentum late in the second quarter.

Esky (3-3, 2-2 Big North) got a fumble recovery from Keagan Braun on 4th and 4 from the Eskymos’ 15-yard line. It was the spark the orange and black needed, ultimately moving the ball down the field to set up a 1st-and-10 from the Marquette (5-1, 4-0) 19-yard line.

But a wild snap drove the Eskymos back to the 35-yard line. On 4th-and-24 junior quarterback Nolan Bink fired a deep shot to Ashton Rymkos, who caught the ball downfield. The pass was good for 23 yards, good for a first down in most scenarios. Except this scenario resulted in the Eskymos being a yard short of the first down.

Bradley scored from three yards out on the ensuing possession to cap off an 8 play, 90-yard drive for a 21-0 Sentinels lead.

“We ran the ball well tonight, and everybody just played a heck of a game,” Mason said. “I mean, we didn’t get over our skis and get crazy with anything. We just played hard.”

Esky didn’t back down. Bink connected with junior Graham Johnson on the ensuing drive, including an 18-yard completion on 4th-and-12 to set up shop at the Marquette 15-yard line with under 45 second until halftime.

Bink was sacked on 4th-and-5 after two incomplete passes and a five-yard scramble, falling short once again.

“We got a lot of athleticism across the board,” Marquette senior Jacob MacPhee said. “When you get in that red zone, the field shrinks a little bit. It gives everyone a chance to make a play.”

The Eskymos got deep into Sentinels territory midway through the third quarter thanks to multiple big runs from junior Brody Ison, including a 25-yard bust to set up 1st-and-10 from the Marquette 14-yard line. Bink looked to connect with Rymkos on 4th-and-11, but MacPhee got his hands on the ball, forcing Bink to toss his second interception of the game.

With the deficit up to 28-0 midway through the fourth quarter the Eskymos climbed back into Marquette territory, setting up shop at the Sentinels’ 11-yard line. Esky was flagged for a hold on 2nd-and-10. The next play saw Bink attempt to connect through the air on a screen pass, but the pass was tipped and landed in the hands of MacPhee.

Esky avoided being shutout for the second time in 2024 when Ison ripped an 83-yards touchdown run with under three minutes remaining.

In a game where every possession had a purpose the Eskymos earned zero points in four trips into the redzone.

“We were able to drive down and move the ball all night. We just couldn’t punch it in,” Esky coach Bailey Lamb said. “It was the little mistakes. Stuff that we got to really clean up and learn from.”

For Marquette, the win not only caps off a successful homecoming week, but continues the process of washing the taste of Week 4’s 61-14 road loss to Lowell out of its mouth.

“We just responded and played well,” Mason said. “They gave me their (best) effort. A lot of times during homecoming week focus is an issue with all the things going on, but they didn’t (lose focus). They concentrated on the game and played well.”

The Sentinels also remain undefeated in Big North Conference action and are tied with Petoskey, who is also undefeated in Big North Conference action after a 42-18 road win over Cadillac on Friday.

Petoskey and Marquette play at 7 p.m. Friday in Petoskey.

While the Eskymos fell to 3-3 on the season, they did discover something crucial about their character in the loss.

“When something bad happens the goal is to not point fingers. It’s to pick each other up instead and be a leader,” Lamb said. “It’s a lot easier to point fingers when something bad happens. It takes a real leader to pick each other up instead and say ‘hey, let’s get the next one.’ That was tested tonight, and I think they did a really really good job putting that to work.”

Esky stays on the road next week for a 6 p.m. Saturday clash on Oct. 12.

“I’m just really proud of how the kids battled,” Lamb said. “We didn’t quit at the half. We learned a lot about our character tonight.”