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GLADSTONE -- The Escanaba Eskymos rode the arm of senior quarterback Alex Ison when needed here Friday night in a season-ending 29-20 football triumph over the Gladstone Braves.
Ison completed 11-of-15 passes for 138 yards in this non-conference contest for the Eskymos, who finished with 227 yards in total offense.
"They did a good job," Esky coach Bailey Lamb said. "We knew we had to adjust. We wanted our athletes to fly around and Alex felt real confident back there. We love running the ball, but sometimes you have to go to the air."
Gladstone took a 14-3 lead on a one-yard run up the middle by senior running back Wyatt Forvilly early in the second quarter.
"Wyatt is a great running back," Ison said. "We knew they were going to be going to him. Our interior line helped us take some of that away. They played well in the first half."
Esky answered on its next possession with Ison hitting his receivers four times during that drive.
Ison then scored the team's first touchdown on a two-yard run up the middle. The Eskymos, however, still trailed 14-9.
The Eskymos then scored twice in the final 44 seconds of the second frame.
Ison found the end zone on a QB sneak to send Esky ahead 15-14 and junior Andrew Hamlin added another score on a 26-yard interception return six seconds before the intermission for a 22-14 cushion.
"The interception gave us a lot of momentum," Ison said. "This is all we could ask for. In your senior year, you always want to go out with a win. I'm thankful for all the coaches and players showing up. It's such a privilege to play for them. I'm also thankful for my teammates and our play a big role."
The Eskymos extended the lead to 29-14 on a 17-yard burst through the middle by junior running back Bryce Bichler late in the third quarter.
Gladstone scored its last TD on a seven-yard pass from junior QB Landon Pepin to senior Cooper Sanville 15 seconds into the fourth.
The Braves' final possession resulted in an interception by junior defensive back Gunnar LaMarche at their 30, enabling the Eskymos to run out the clock.
Junior kicker Isaac Lambert opened the scoring on a 37-yard field goal, giving Esky an early 3-0 lead.
The Braves took an 8-3 lead on a four-yard run up the middle by junior halfback Nick Proehl midway through the opening frame.
Bichler led Esky on the ground with 70 yards on 18 carries.
The Braves, who finished 1-8, accumulated 234 yards in total offense, including 199 on the ground. Forvilly carried the ball 30 times for 163.
"I'm just proud of the boys," Braves' coach Dennis Cannoot said. "They continued to work hard. This is a tough one to swallow. Penalties have hurt us all year which is something we have to work on. We've got to keep moving on into our off-season and we need more guys to show up in the off-season."