Kingsford at Escanaba – – Football – – The Bleacher Denizen – – September 24, 2021 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, you Bleacher Denizens travels bring him to the Upper Peninsula where he will see the Escanaba Eskymos host the Kingsford Flivvers in tonight’s game. It’s always fun to come to the Upper Peninsula and he has had a great time blogging Escanaba softball and basketball in the past. Tonight is the time for his first Eskymo football game. Escanaba enters the game with a 1-3 record; Kingsford is 3-1.

This was the first time I’ve ever seen Escanaba’s football stadium. It was built in the 1950s. The Bleachers are a series of concrete steps stacked on each other. (Please remember that your Bleacher Denizen is not a professional building engineer if that description is a bit off.) I will say that this is one set of bleachers that will never collapse in any sort of storm or for any other reason.

I learned that this will be Escanaba’s homecoming night.

Escanaba’s band did a fine job playing the National Anthem and the school fight song before the game.

Escanaba’s Karson Krutina’s opening kickoff was returned out to the 20 yard line where the Flivvers started their opening series.

One the first Flivver play of the game, Michael Meneguzzo flipped a pass to Zach Person, who got the ball out to the Kingsford 44 yard line for a first down.

Nic Nora went to the left on the next play and cut back to the middle for an eleven yard gain before Adam Reimer tackled him. Kingsford had another first down at the Escanaba 45 yard line.

Kingsford’s first down run up the middle gained four yards before he was tackled by Terrell Rowley and Anthony J. Hart. Diego Przeslakowski ran to the left for a thirty-one yard gain before Kaiden Brown took him down. Kingsford had a first down at the Eskymo 20 yard line.

Nathan Howes got into the Flivver backfield to cause a seven yard first down loss. Michael Meneguzzo threw to Brody Kopp for a seven yard second down gain. Jacob Lippens sacked the Flivver quarterback to create a six yard third down loss. On fourth down, Sawyer Pugh held the ball and Diego Przeslakowski booted a forty-two yard field goal that hit the crossbar, but ended up good to give Kingsford a 3-0 lead with 8:13 remaining in the first quarter.

An illegal procedure penalty on the kickoff forced Kingsford to kick off again – – this time from the 35 yard line. Diego Prezeslakowski booted the ball to about the eighteen yard line where Trent Lawson fielded the ball and returned it about sixteen yards before he was stopped. Escanaba started its series on its own 34 yard line.

Escanaba gained only two yards on its first two plays as Brody Kopp and Diego Przeslakowski made the first down tackle and Gabe LaFreniere and Gabe LaFreniere teamed up for the second down tackle. Casey Bray’s third down pass to Connor Smale gained the eight yards Escanaba needed to earn a first down.

Escanaba went up the middle for five yards on first down. Kingsford’s defense stopped Escanaba’s second down run for a three yard loss. Casey Bray kept the ball for a six yard third down gain. Escanaba gained five yards on fourth down to earn another first down; Cole Myllyla made the Flivver tackle. Escanaba had a first down in Kingsford territory at the 42 yard line.

Ben Johnson’s first down run gained three yards before Gabe LaFreniere halted him. Ben Johnson went to the right for a four yard second down gain before he ran into Diego Przeslakowski. Karson Krutina went to the left for a twele yard third down gain. Brody Kopp made the tackle for Kingsford. Escanaba was now on the Flivver 23 yard line.

Gabe LaFreniere stopped Escanaba’s first down run for a one yard gain. Casey Bray passed to Connor Smale on the right side for a two yard second down gain. Ben Johnson went up the left tackle for a five yard third down gain. Brody Kopp stopped the Escanaba fourth down run for no gain. The Flivvers took over the ball on downs on their own 16 yard line.

On the final play of the first quarter, Kingsford’s first down run gained two yards before Terrell Rowley halted the runner’s progress.

Kingsford had a 3-0 lead in the first quarter; they also had the ball and a second and eight situation on their own 18 yard line.

Kaiden Brown covered on Kingsford’s incomplete second down pass. The Eskymo defense forced Michael Megeguzzo out of the pocket on third down; he managed to salvage a two yard gain before Terrell Rowler tackled him. Diego Przeslakowski punted on fourth down; his punt was caught by Adam Reimer on the Escanaba 49 yard line; the Eskymos started their next series there.

Karson Krutina’s first down run to the left gained four yards before Josh Peterson took him down. Jack Bartolac and Gabe LeFreniere teamed up to stop the Eskymo second down run for a one yard loss. The Flivver defense chased Casey Bray out of the passing pocket on third down; he manage to gain three yards before Diego Przeslakowski put a stop to the play. Casey Bray’s fourth down pass to Scott Hiller earned sixteen yards and an Eskymo first down on the Flivver 45 yard line.

Karson Krutina plowed through the Flivver line for a ten yard gain to earn another first down for the Eskymos.

Nathan Howes gained two yards on a first down run to the left. The Escanaba second down pass fell incomplete. Casey Bray passed to Ben Johnson for a five yard third down gain; Diego Przeslakowski tackled him immediately as he caught the ball. Escanaba’s fourth down pass was intercepted by Kingsford’s Diego Przeslakowski at the one yard line; he returned the ball to the Kingsford 15 yard line where the Flivvers started their next series.

Michael Meneguzzo passed to Nic Nora but he was stopped before he gained any yars. Nick Rousseau covered for Escanaba on Kingsford’s incomplete second down pass. Michael Megeguzzo threw to Josh Peterson on the left for a fifteen yard third down gain that earned a first down.

Diego Przeslakowski gained five yards on first down before he stepped out of bounds. Zachary Morehouse knocked down the Flivver pass on the next play. An illegal procedure penalty set Kingsford back five yards. Connor Smale and Kaiden Brown covered on Kingsford’s incomplete third down pass. Kingsford was forced to punt on fourth down. A bad snap coupled with a timely tackle by Trevor Brown gave Escanaba a first down at the Kingsford 8 yard line.

Karson Krutina gained about four yards on a first down run up the middle. On the next play Casey Bray pounded his way into the end zone for an Eskymo touchdown. Casey Bray held the ball and Karson Krutina booted the ball through the uprights for a successful extra point to give Escanaba a 7-3 lead with 4:35 to play in the first half.

Karson Krutina kicked the ball off to the 8 yard line where it was fielded by Nic Nora, who broke a few tackles and gained about 20 yards before he was tackled. After a penalty was assessed to Escanaba, Kingsford started its next series at its own 43 yard line.

Toby Wilcox took the ball to the left for a nine yard first down gain before Casey Bray tackled him. Michael Megeguzzo pounded his way up the middle to earn two yards and a first down before he was halted by Terrell Rowley.

Michael Meneguzzo passed to Brody Kopp, who gained five yards before Jacob Polishak knocked him out of bounds. On second down, Michael Meneguzzo passed to Nic Nora, for a twenty-nine yard gain that gave the Flivvers a first down on the Escanaba 12 yard line.

Diego Przeslakowski went up the left tackle for a touchdown on the next play. The extra point kick was no good. With 1:58 remaining in the first half, Kingsford had a 9-7 lead.

Kingsford’s Diego Przeslakowski had plans to boot his kickoff, but the wind had other ideas and blew the ball off the tee. Diego Przeslakowski persevered and when the wind chose not to interfere, booted his kickoff into the end zone. Escanaba started its next series on its own 20 yard line.

Zach Person and Brody Kopp teamed up to stop the Escanaba first down run for a one yard loss. Casey Bray passed to Scott Hiller on second down, but Trestan Larson was there to stop the play for a one yard loss. Gabe LaFreniere and Diego Przeslakowski teamed up to stop Escanaba’s third down play for an eleven yard loss. Karson Krutina’s fourth down punt was returned about ten yards to the Escanaba 31 yard line where Kingsford started its next series. (Your Bleacher Denizen somehow managed to not record either the punt returner nor the tackler on this play. Alas, your Bleacher Denizen hopes to avoid being demoted to covering JV games for the rest of the season!)

Michael Megeguzzo tossed a thirty-one yard touchdown pass to Nic Nora on the next play. Sawyer Pugh held the ball and Diego Przeslakowski kicked a successful extra point to give Kingsford a 17-7 lead with 44 seconds left on the first half clock.

Diego Przeslakowski kicked the ball into the end zone to make Escanaba start its next series on its own 20 yard line.

On the final play of the half, Karson Krutina took the ball to the left for about a two yard gain.

At halftime, Kingsford held a 17-7 lead. If the game plays out like most football games, Kingsford will start the third quarter with a 17-7 lead.

Escanaba’s band did a fine job at halftime. They played Elton John’s “Saturday Night’s All Right for Fighting”, Lizzo’s “Good as Hell” and “Hakuna Matata” from the Lion King; the music sounded good and the marching was pretty precise. Finally, a group of alumni joined the color guard as the band played the Eskymo Fight Song!

Kudos to Robbie Miller, the band leader and Tyler Kangas, the drum major for leading this fine group in a good performance.

Your Bleacher Denizen is a musician who sang and played keyboards at many gigs before he became the Bleacher Denizen about eleven years ago. (In fact, I have to leave the Upper Peninsula early Saturday to get to a Sunday gig at a brewery in Lansing, where I live. Those who want to hear some original music and other performances can check out my “Chuck Krafft” You Tube channel!) Thus, I always love to salute a musical job well done!! SALUTE to the Eskymo band!!!

As it was homecoming night for Escanaba, the Eskymo homecoming court was introduced and winners of homecoming week competitions were announced. Griffin Erickson was named homecoming king and Erica Moore (who plays softball and has been featured in Bleacher Denizen articles about Eskymo softball) was named homecoming queen.

Diego Przeslakowski kicked off to open the second half. His kickoff was fielded by Escanaba at around the 18 yard line and returned 6 yards.

Escanaba’s first down run was shut down for no gain by a carload of Flivvers and the second down run was shut down for a one yard gain by the Kingsford line. Nic Nora covered on Escanaba’s incomplete third down pass. Nic Nora fielded Karson Krutina’s fourth down punt near the Kingsford 45 yard line and returned it about twenty yards. Kingsford began its series at the Escanaba 35 yard line.

Toby Wilcox’ first down run to the right earned three yards for the Flivvers. Terrell Rowley stopped the Flivver second down run for a one yard loss. Terrell Rowley and Tristen McGuire pressured Kingsford’s quarterback into throwing an incomplete third down pass. An offside penalty gained five yards for Kingsford. Michael Meneguzzo’s fourth down pass was completed to Nic Nora for a five yard gain and a first down.

Diego Przeslakowski took the ball to the left for a seventeen yard gain to earn the Flivvers a first down at the Eskymo 6 yard line before Trevor Brown made a tackle to prevent a touchdown.

After a fumble on the first down snap, Nathan Howes was able to sack the Flivver quarterback for a ten yard loss. Joesph Kositzky covered on the incomplete second down pass; the third down pass also fell incomplete. Michael Meneguzzo passed to Nic Nora for a sixteen yard fourth down touchdown. After Diego Przeslakowski split the uprights with his extra point kick, Kingsford had a 23-7 lead with 6:19 to play in the third quarter.

Diego Przeslakowski boomed his kickoff into the end zone again and Escanaba started its series on its own 20 yard line again.

Casey Bray’s first down pass was tipped, but Karson Krutina made a fine play to catch the ball for a thirteen yard gain.

Ben Johnson’s first down run gained three yards before Ayden Geronimi tackled him. Escanaba’s second down pass fell incomplete. Kingsford’s Zach Person intercepted the Escanaba third down pass and returned the ball to Escanaba’s 40 yard line.

Toby Wilcox took the ball through the middle for a ten yard Flivver gain.

Zach Person took the ball to the right side for a nine yard first down gain. Kingsford gained five yards on its second down run before Justin Williams made the Escanaba stop. The Flivvers had a fist down on the Eskymo 3 yard line.

On the next play, Michael Bird took the ball into the end zone for a three yard touchdown. Diego Przeslakowski kicked the extra point to give his Flivvers a 30-3 lead with 3:10 remaining in the third quarter.

Diego Przeslakowski kicked his next kickoff into the end zone. (Your Bleacher Denizen has typed this sentence so often he is thinking of creating a macro to do it for the rest of the article.) Escanaba started its next series on its own 20 yard line.

Karson Krutina went to the left for an eleven yard Eskymo gain.

Kingsford stopped Escanaba’s first down run for no gain. Toby Wilcox knocked Escanaba’s second down pass out of the air. Alaster Johnson sacked Escanaba’s quarterback on third down. On fourth down, Karson Krutina made an excellent play to field a bad snap and quickly punt the ball just before Kingsford would have blocked it. The punt went out of bounds at the Flivver 44 yard line and Kingsford started its next series there.

Kingsford’s next series lasted one play as Cole Myllyla took the ball to the left side for a fifty-six yard touchdown run. Diego Przeslakowski kicked the extra point and Kingsford had a 37-7 lead with 1:08 to play in the third quarter.

Diego Przeslakowski (no surprise here) kicked the ball into the end zone to make Escanaba start its next series on its own 20 yard line.

Karson Krutina took the ball to the right for a five yard first down Eskymo gain. Ben Johnson gained four yards on second down before he was forced out of bounds.

The third quarter ended with Kingsford holding a 37-7 lead. Escanaba had the ball; it was third down with one yard to go on the Eskymo 28 yard line.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Karson Krutina went to the middle to gain four yards and earn a first down for the Eskymos.

Brody Kopp’s timely hit caused a first down incomplete pass for Escanaba. Casey Bray’s second down pass to Connor Smale was stopped for no gain when Alaster Johnson and Nic Nora tackled him. Ben Pickett intercepted the Eskymo pass on the next play and returned it to the Escanaba 24 yard line where Kingsford started its next series.

Cole Myllyla went to the right for a four yard gain before Joseph Kositzky stopped him. Ben Pickett’s second down run to the right gained another four yards. Lucca Rizzo went up the middle to gain seven yards and earn a first down for Kingsford. Nick Rousseau made the tackle for Escanaba.

On the next play, Ayden Geronimi pounded his way into the end zone for a nine yard touchdown. After Diego Przeslakowski’s extra point kick, Kingsford had a 44-7 lead with 8:22 left on the clock.

Diego Przeslakowski’s kickoff was fielded by Karson Krutina near the 5 yard line; he returned it about 27 yards out to the 32 yard line before he went out of bounds.

Escanaba gained two yards on its first down run. Adam Reimer earned six yards on his second down run up the middle. On third down, Ben Johnson went to the right side for a thirty-six yard gain before he was stopped by Michael Bird. Escanaba had a first down on the Kingsford 25 yard line.

Adam Reimer gained four yards on a first down run. Nick Rousseau earned six yards and a first down on a second down run into the middle.

Escanaba gained three yards on a first down run before Aidan Richtig made the tackle. Escanaba’s second down run was good for two yards. Gavin Flynn stopped the Eskymo third down run for a one yard loss. Aidan Richtig covered on the Eskymo incomplete fourth down pass.

Kingsford took over the ball on downs on their own 11 yard line.

Trent Maki gained two yards on a first down run up the middle. Regan Johnson went into the middle for a seven yard second down gain. Trent Maki went to the right to gain six yards and earn a first down for the Flivvers with just 40 seconds left.

On the final play of the game, Aidan Richtig took the ball to the left for about six yards before Zachary Morehouse tackled him.

Kingsford won this game by a 44-7 score.

Thanks to everyone from Escanaba for their hospitality and for making me feel welcome at the game!! I really enjoyed my visit to the Upper Peninsula!