Gladstone junior Cooper sanville runs the ball against Kingsford on Sept. 12, 2025 at Marble Athletic Field. (Sophie Vogelman/Daily Press)

GLADSTONE — A lot of guys got a piece of the action here Friday night as the Gladstone Braves celebrated homecoming with a 57-8 football triumph over the Hancock Bulldogs.

The Braves, who broke into the win column for the first time this season, improved to 1-3 overall and 1-2 in the WestPAC Conference’s Copper Division. The Bulldogs are 0-4 overall and 0-3 in the league.

“We had a lot of contributions top to bottom,” Braves’ coach Craig Ness said. “This is what you call a total team victory. We had heck of a game up there last year (in a 36-20 victory). We’ve talked to the kids about how close we are to being a very good team. The effort has been there all season. This shows what can happen when you execute.”

Gladstone led 43-0 at halftime.

Junior quarterback Cooper Sanville raised the count to 50-0 on a 60-yard keeper around left end on the opening play of the second half.

Late in the third quarter, senior Drew Sturos scampered 44 yards to the left side for Hancock’s lone touchdown.

The Braves concluded the scoring early in the fourth quarter on a two-yard run up the middle by senior lineman Jack Savard.

“We feel better this week,” Hancock coach Jeff Hauswirth said. “We saw some positive momentum in the second half. I didn’t see any quit in any of the kids. This is a very young team. We suited up 19 players and 11 of them are basically jayvee kids.”

In their opening drive, the Bulldogs ran 14 plays and held on to the ball for nearly 6½ minutes before junior linebacker Ryder Forvilly intercepted a pass, giving the Braves possession on their own 35-yard line.

On the next play, senior running back Owen Gereau dashed 68 yards for a TD, giving Gladstone a 7-0 lead.

Sanville tossed a 29-yard TD pass to junior running back Trevor Thorbahn for a 14-0 cushion at 2:11.

The Braves then recovered a fumble at the Hancock 19 and Gereau ran to the right side for another score and a 20-0 advantage on the next play.

In the second stanza, Thorbahn broke off right tackle for a 30-yard TD run and a 27-0 lead.

Gereau added a 16-yard TD run to the left side to make the score 34-0 before Savard recovered a fumble in the end zone for a 36-0 advantage at 1:48.

The score reached 43-0 just 14 seconds later when Gereau scored from 50 yards out.

Gladstone ran for 399 yards, led by Gereau who finished with 194 on eight carries. Junior Tre Brunette added 103 on just five attempts in a reserve role.

“It felt great to get into the game,” Brunette said. “I played running back throughout junior high and on jayvees. I’m right behind Owen on the depth chart. I’ve also played safety and cornerback on defense. It feels amazing to get our first win. This is definitely something we needed. It’s going to be a good game at Westwood (on Friday).”

Beside scoring a safety, Savard recorded a pair of QB sacks.

Hancock, which hosts Negaunee Friday, finished with 128 yards in total offense.

Junior QB Ben Keranen was 5-of-15 passing for 58 yards. Sturos caught four for 60 and carried the ball seven times for 69.

“Our quarterback (junior Ben Keranen) has a good arm,” Hauswirth said. “Only, I wish we could protect him more. If we stick together, I think the guys have a very good future. It’s just a matter of hitting the weight room and doing the little things.”