Eskymos shutout by Northmen
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ESCANABA -- The Escanaba Eskymos met up with a stingy defense here Friday night as they dropped a 34-0 football decision to the Petoskey Northmen.
Esky experienced some difficulty moving the ball on the ground, rushing for just 48 yards against Petoskey's stout defensive line in this Big North Conference match-up.
"They have some really good players up front and they're physical," Esky coach Bailey Lamb said. "They make it tough for you to move the ball. I thought we had guys in the right spots, but we just couldn't put it all together. We had a lot of good opportunities to make plays. We just didn't execute well enough."
The Eskymos managed just 33 yards in total offense in the first half and trailed 14-0 at the intermission.
"We have a darn good defensive line," Petoskey Jared Webb. "We challenge the guys to be tough at the line of scrimmage. We had a lot of young kids last year (on offense). Our offensive coordinator did heck of a job. We came out a little flat tonight. We can't afford to do that too often."
After a scoreless first quarter, the Northmen got on the board on an 11-yard pass from junior quarterback Lukas Nemec to junior running back Luke Pike midway through the second.
The Northmen scored again just 21 seconds before halftime on a five-yard run by Pike for a 14-0 cushion.
A one-yard touchdown run by senior right end Jack Shaw gave the Northmen a 21-0 advantage with four minutes remaining in the third frame.
Petoskey gained a 28-0 advantage on a six-yard keeper by Nemec with 4:18 left in the game.
The Northmen concluded the scoring on a 42-yard dash around left end by reserve junior running back James Holt with 1:37 remaining.
"We were a little banged up," Lamb said. "Our quarterback is a little hurt. We'll get some guys back next week. We'll be closer to full strength."
The Eskymos reached Petoskey's 20-yard line midway through the fourth frame. Senior QB Alex Ison threw a 46-yard pass to senior tight end Mikaiden Hughes at the 22 prior to turning the ball over on downs.
Esky was driving late in the game and was on the Northmen six when time expired.
The Eskymos finished with 177 yards in total offense. Senior QB Alex Ison completed 8-of-23 passes for 129. Six of his aerials went to junior wide receiver Eli Englund for 76 yards.
Junior running back Bryce Bichler led Esky in rushing with 68 yards on 12 carries.
Petoskey finished with 358 yards in total offense, including 215 on the ground.
Nemec was 13-of-22 passing for 143 yards and ran 19 times for 75.
"It's always interesting to come up here," Webb said. "We appreciate their hospitality. The atmosphere is always good here."
Both teams are on the road Friday. The Eskymos (1-3 overall, 1-1 in the BNC) visit Marquette and the Northmen (3-1 overall, 2-0 league) visits Cadillac.