Calumet at Escanaba – – Football – – The Bleacher Denizen – – August 25, 2023 – – by Chuck Krafft

Tonight, your Bleacher Denizen is rising from a summer of no games and has gone to Escanaba to watch the Copper Kings from Calumet as they visit the Eskymos from Escanaba for the first game of the football season! As this is the first game of the season, each team brings a 0-0 record into the game. (While this may be obvious to many of you, your Bleacher Denizen is proud to have grasped this important point after just fifteen minutes of reflection!)

While I ordinarily do these games near Lansing, where I live, I love coming to the Upper Peninsula to do a game or two here and there. I have done a number of Escanaba softball and football games over the years as well as one girls basketball game.

What is cool is that I have covered each of these schools winning a state championship in another sport. Here are the two Escanaba State Championship wins!

2019

https://thebleacherdenizen.blogspot.com/2019/06/stevensville-lakeshore-vs-escanaba.html

2018

https://thebleacherdenizen.blogspot.com/2018/06/south-haven-vs-escanaba-division-2.html

Calumet won a state girls basketball championship in 2015!
https://thebleacherdenizen.blogspot.com/2015/03/flint-hamady-vs-calumet-class-c.html

It is really cool to get a chance to see these teams play football!

It is now time to review the events of this game through the eyes of an aging Bleacher Denizen whose football career was severely limited when the powers that be refused to allow him to use pepper spray when he played the offensive line.

It was Veterans’ Night in Escanaba. They had a barbecue for the veterans and Mrs. Bluse gave a short speech honoring the veterans as the band was entertaining at the beginning of the game.

The Escanaba Band is directed by Robert Miller and Laura Robinson; they are led by Drum Major Maddie Hubert. The band opened up with “Back in Black” by AC/DC and did a fantastic job with a song I have not often heard from high school bands. They followed that up with the Escanaba fight song.

The band then did a fine job playing the National Anthem and after one more Escanaba fight song, it was time for the game to begin.

For those of you who were not able to enjoy the performance, here is a recent song I have put on my You Tube Channel. This was a hit back in 1952. I’m hoping that neither the song or your 67 year old Bleacher Denizen are “Too Old to Cut the Mustard!” (Warning – – novelty song coming up!!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6GOgZAHqxI
Zach Wirhanowicz kicked a low kickoff that was fielded at the Calumet 44 yard line; there was no return as Escanaba covered the quick very quickly. Calumet had a first down on their own 44 yard line for the game’s opening series.

Calumet’s first down run resulted in a two yard loss. Garrett Peterson gained six yards on a second down run up the middle. Kaleb Gagne sacked the Copper King quarterback for a nine yard third down loss. Calumet punted; a penalty on the play gave the Eskymos a first down on their own nine yard line.

Escanaba gained one yard on its first down run. Ben Johnson took the ball up the middle for a ten yard second down gain to earn a first down for the Eskymos.

A first down penalty pushed Escanaba back five yards. Ben Johnson gained two yards on the first down replay. Ben Johnson went back up the middle for a twelve yard second down gain. Cam Anderson made the tackle for Calumet. A penalty on the next play gave the Eskymos a first down on its own 33 yard line.

Nolan Bink passed the ball to Alex Stalboerger for a thirteen yard gain and another first down.

Ben Johnson took the ball up the middle for a twelve yard gain to give his Eskymos a first down on the Calumet 44 yard line.

Ben Johnson went up the middle for a five yard first down gain. Alan Bjorn stopped the Eskymo second down run for a two yard loss. Nolan Bink tossed the ball to Javon Stevenson for an eight yard first down gain. After the officials measured Escanaba’s progress, the Eskymos were awarded a first down on the Copper King 33 yard line.

Nolan Bink dived on a bad snap to prevent a turnover, but Escanaba lost ten yards on its first down play. Noah Gagne went up the middle for a five yard second down gain. Escanaba threw an incomplete pass on third down. On fourth down, Nolan Bink completed a pass to Nick Chiu for a thirty-five yard touchdown. Cale Carter snapped the ball, Ben Johnson held the ball and Zach Wirhanowicz kicked it through the uprights.

With 4:52 to play in the first quarter, Escanaba had a 7-0 lead.

Escanaba’s Zach Wirhanowicz kicked the ball off to the Calumet 38 yard line where Alex Tarnowski fielded it and gained a yard before Alex Stalboerger tackled him. Calumet began its series on the Escanaba 39 yard line.

Colten Carter stopped the Calumet first down run for a two yard loss. Noah Gagne stopped the second down run for a two yard loss. Calumet gained four yards on a third down run; Ty Miron made the tackle for Escanaba. Alex Tarnowski punted for Calumet on fourth down. The punt may have been partially blocked (your aging Bleacher Denizen was not quick enough with his notes to note the Eskymo who may have made this play. It went out of bounds on Escanaba’s 45 yard line; the Eskymos began their next series there.

Nolan Bink gained six yards on a first down quarterback keeper before Alan Bjorn tackled him. Ben Johnson’s second down up the middle netted twenty-eight yards before Cam Anderson stopped him. Escanaba had a first down on the Calumet 20 yard line.

Ben Anderson and Kent Koskela helped pressure Escanaba into throwing an incomplete first down pass. Kent Koskela got into the Escanaba backfield on third down and sacked the quarterback for a three yard loss. Escanaba gained about twenty yards on a fourth down scramble, but after Alex Tarnowski hit the runner, Escanaba fumbled the ball and Calumet recovered it on their own eight yard line, where they started their next series.

Garrett Peterson faked to the left and went to the right; Jackson Cousineau forced him out of bounds after a ten yard gain and the Copper Kings had a first down on their own 18 yard line.

On the final play of the quarter, Cam Anderson gained three yards on a run to the right.

After one quarter, Escanaba held a 7-0 lead. Calumet had a second down with seven yards to go on their own 21 yard line.

A penalty on the first play of the second quarter pushed Calumet back five yards. Escanaba’s line stopped the Copper King second down pitch to the left for no gain. Colton Carter defended on Calumet’s third down incompllete pass. Alex Tarnowski punted for Calumet on fourth down. His teammate, Cam Anderson downed the ball on the Copper King 37 yard line.

Kaleb Gagne plowed into the line for a two yard first down gain before Alan Bjorn stopped him. Kent Koskela stopped the Eskymo second down run for a one yard loss. Nolan Bink’s third down screen pass was caught by Javon Stevenson, who went up the left side for an eleven yard gain and a first down on Calumet’s 24 yard line before Cam Anderson tackled him.

On the next play, Ben Johnson dodged and darted through the Copper King defense for a twenty-four yard touchdown run. Escanaba committed a penalty on the first extra point attempt. The second extra point attempt missed. With 10:11 to go in the second quarter, Escanaba’s lead was at 13-0.

Zach Wirhanowicz kicked the ball off to the Calumet 33 yard line where Xander Hoffman grabbed the ball and gained about a yard before the Eskymo defense stopped him.

On the next play, Calumet fumbled and Escanaba recovered the ball on the Copper King 23 yard line.

Kaleb Gagne took the ball to the left for a two yard first down gain before Alan Bjorn took him down. Alan Bjorn and Kent Koskela stopped Escanaba’s second down run for a two yard loss. Garrett Peterson intercepted Escanaba’s third down pass to give his Copper Kings a first down at their own 29 yard line.

A first down penalty cost Calumet five yards. Calumet recovered a fumble on its second down play, but lost a yard in the process. Chase Cloutier intercepted the Copper King third down pass and returned the ball to the Calumet 13 yard line to give Escanaba a first down.

On the next play, Nolan Bink fired the ball to Javon Stevenson for a thirteen yard touchdown pass. Escanaba missed its extra point kick. With 7:47 to play in the first half, Escanaba had a 19-0 lead.

Calumet’s Ted Loukus picked up Zach Wirhanowicz’s kickoff at around the 30 yard line and gained about six yards before Eli Gardner tackled him. Calumet had a first down on its own 36 yard line.

Kaleb Gagne stopped the Copper King first down run for a one yard gain. Ben Johnson stopped Cam Anderson’s second down run to the left for a two yard gain. On third down, Garrett Peterson burst through the middle and gained 21 yards before Nick Chiu and Kaleb Gagne tackled him.

Colton Sierpen stopped Calumet’s first down run for a one yard gain. Cam Anderson took a pitch to the left side for a seven yard second down gain. Eli Gardner made the tackle for Escanaba. Garrett Peterson went to the middle for a five yard gain before Ben Johnson tackled him. This gave Calumet a first down at the Escanaba 27 yard line.

Cam Anderson took a pitch down the left sideline for a nine yard gain; Eli Gardner made the tackle for the Eskymos. The Eskymo line stopped the Copper King second down and third down runs for no gain. After a measurement, Calumet was short of a first down. Garrett Peterson went into the line to gain two yards to earn a first down for the Copper Kings.

A first down penalty pushed Calumet back to the Escanaba 25 yard line. On the next play, Garrett Peterson completed a twenty-one yard pass to Alan Bjorn to give the Copper Kings a first down on Escanaba’s four yard line with just 56 seconds remaining in the first half.

Javon Stevenson stopped Calumet’s first down run for no gain. On second down, Cam Anderson took a pitch to the left side for a four yard touchdown run.

Garrett Peterson held the ball and Xander Hoffman booted it through the goalposts to trim the Escanaba lead to 19-7 with 15 seconds to go in the first half.

Ben Anderson kicked off for Calumet. Nick Chiu downed the kick at the Escanaba 31 yard line where the Eskymos started their final series of the half.

Nolan Bink threw a screen pass to the left side to Javon Stevenson for a thirteen yard gain.

Nolan Bink passed to Connor Royer, who lateraled the ball to Ben Johnson, who made it to the Copper King 25 yard line before he was tackled and the first half was over.

Escanaba had a 19-7 lead at halftime. If football protocols are normally observed, Escanaba will have a 19-7 lead at the start of the second half as well.

The Escanaba Marching Band did a really nice halftime show. The played “Paint it Black” by the Rolling Stones and “Back in Black” by ACDC. The music and marching was pretty good, especially when you realize it was the year’s first performance. KUDOS!!

Those of you who may have missed the halftime show will hopefully enjoy this Boogie Woogie tune from my channel!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1MxOus8t44

Calumet’s Ben Anderson kicked off to open the second half. Nolan Bink fielded the kickoff around the 8 yard line and ran out of bounds at the Eskymo 23 yard line where Escanaba started its first series of the second half.

Nolan Bink’s first down pass to Javon Stevenson earned nine yards for the Eskymos. Nolan Bink ran for eleven more yards on second down to earn a first down for his Eskymos.

Ben Johnson twisted and turned his way to a three yards first down gain. Ben Johnson went through the middle for a five yard second down gain. Owen Ruonavaara made the tackle for the Copper Kings. Ben Johnson went to the right for a seven yard third down gain to give Escanaba a first down on the Calumet 35 yard line.

Nolan Bink went through the middle and cut to the left for a twenty-nine yard gain that moved Escanaba to the Calumet 6 yard line.

A first down penalty pushed Escanaba back ten yards. On the first down replay and on the second down, Escanaba threw incomplete passes. Nolan Bink completed a twelve yard pass over the middle to Alex Stalboerger to put Escanaba on the Calumet 4 yard line. Ben Johnson went to the right for a four yard fourth down touchdown run.

Escanaba’s extra point pass fell incomplete. With 9:03 remaining in the third quarter, Escanaba had a 25-7 lead.

Zach Wirhanowicz kicked the ball off to around the 14 yard line where Cam Anderson fielded it and gained about ten yards. Calumet started its series on its own 24 yard line.

Garrett Peterson gained two yards on a first down run before Cole Carter took him down. Noah Gagne stopped the Copper King second down run for no gain. Cam Anderson passed the ball to Kent Koskela for a nineteen yard third to gain to give Calumet a first down on its own 45 yard line.

Noah Gagne stopped Calumet’s first down run up the middle for a one yard gain. Colten Carter stopped the second down run for no gain. Conner Royer and Reese Korhonen covered on Calumet’s incomplete third down pass. On fourth down, Alex Tarnowski punted the ball to about the Escanaba 27 yard line where Ben Johnson fielded it and returned if for about ten yards to give Escanaba first down on its own 37 yard line.

Nolan Bink completed a twenty-one yard pass to Alex Stalboerger on the left side. Owen Ruonavaara made the tackle for the Copper Kings.

Jack Heinonen and Ethan Palli stopped the Eskymo first down run for no gain. Ben Johnson gained three yards on second down run up the middle; Alan Bjorn tackled him. Nolan Bink dove on a third yard fumble to prevent an Eskymo turnover, but Escanaba lost twelve yards on the play. Ben Johnson punted on fourth down. Cam Anderson fielded the pun around the Calumet 40 yard line and gained about ten yards before Jordan Bennetts tackled him. Calumet had a first down at the fifty yard line.

Garrett Peterson took the ball to the left for a five yard first down gain. Noah Gagne and Cole Carter teamed up to stop the Calumet second down run for a two yard loss. Nick Chiu covered on Calumet’s incomplete third down pass. Javon Stevenson knocked down the Copper King fourth down pass and Escanaba took over the ball on downs on their own 47 yard line.

Nolan Bink passed to Ben Johnson for a fifty-three yard touchdown down the left side. Cole Carter snapped the ball, Ben Johnson held it and Zach Wirhanowicz booted it through the uprights to give Escanaba a 32-7 lead with 2:06 to play in the third quarter.

Zach Wirhanowicz kicked the ball to the 20 yard line where Cam Anderson picked it up and gained ten yards before Alex Stalboerger tackled him. Calumet had a first down on their own 36 yard line.

Cole Carter stopped the Copper King first down run for a one yard loss. Garrett Peterson made a three yard second down run to the right before Cole Carter tackled him. Ty Miron knocked Calumet’s third down screen pass out of the air. A fourth down roughing the passer penalty gave Calumet a first down on the Escanaba 38 yard line.

On the final play of the third quarter, Calumet ran to the left for a three yard first down gain.

After three quarters, Escanaba held a 32-7 lead.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Cam Anderson recovered a second down fumble to prevent a Copper King turnover, but Calumet lost six yards on the play. Colten Carter and Ty Miron teamed up to sack the Calumet quarterback on third down. Jackson Cousineau and Connor Royer covered on Calumet’s incomplete fourth down pass.

Escanaba took the ball over on downs on their own 47 yard line.

Micah Pieti stopped the Eskymo first down run for no gain. Calumet’s line stopped the Eskymo second down run for a four yard loss. On a broken third down play, Nolan Bink got free and ran for a nineteen yard gain before he ran out of bounds at the Calumet third down line to give his Eskymos a first down.

Nolan Bink passed to Adam Prey for a four yard first down gain. Alan Bjorn made the tackle for Calumet. Noah Gagne burst through the middle for an eight yard second down gain to give the Eskymos a first down.

Ben Johnson took the ball up the right tackle for an Eskymo twenty-four yard touchdown run. Nolan Bink passed the ball to Connor Royer for the two point conversion.

With 8:04 left on the clock, Escanaba had a 40-7 lead.

Cam Anderson returned the Eskmo kickoff out to the Calumet 45 yard line.

Calumet earned four yards on its first down run. Trent Halonen gained five yards on a second yard run up the middle and got four more yards on third down to give his Copper Kings a first down on the Escanaba 42 yard line.

Trent Halonen went to the right for a two yard first down gain. Chase Cloutier and Drew Griffin teamed up to stop the Calumet second down run for a two yard loss. Ted Loukus ran to the right for a nine yard third down gain. Chase Cloutier made the tackle for Escanaba. Nathan Thyrion went up the middle for a four yard gain before Jacob Brown tackled him. Calumet had a first down on the Escanaba 29 yard line.

Ted Loukus earned four yards on a first down run to the left. Trent Halonen went up the middle for a five yard second down gain; Cayden McKeever got the Eskymo tackle. Peter Eskola gained five yards on third down before Eli Gardner stopped him and Calumet had another first down.

Peter Eskola gained four yards on a run up the right tackle. Drew Griffin made the tackle for Escanaba. Peter Eskola took a pitch to the right for a ten yard gain and went out of bounds at the 1 yard line.

Peter Eskola went into the middle for a one yard touchdown run.

Calumet’s extra point run attempt failed. With 1:23 left in the game, Escanaba’s lead was at 40-13.

Calumet’s kickoff went out of bounds and Escanaba got the ball on its own 35 yard line.

Escanaba took a knee on the final two plays of the game and won by the 40-13 score.