Marquette pummels Menominee 41-18 in high school football opener
MARQUETTE — The Marquette football team had to make a big comeback to earn a win over Menominee in 2019.
On Friday night, though, the Redmen took charge quickly and cruised to a 41-18 victory over the Maroons in what is scheduled to be the first to two meetings
The Redmen were originally scheduled to host Gladstone in a GNC contest, but the Braves had to pull out of the game when it was announced a coronavirus test came back positive at the Delta County school.
Marquette’s high-powered offense had a big night with quarterback Austin Ridl finishing 10 of 19 passing for 229 yards and a touchdown along with four carries for 65 yards and a touchdown.
Wide receiver Kam Karp also had a strong performance, hauling in three passes for 112 yards and a TD.
The Redmen got on the scoreboard first with a 58-yard run by Ridl and extra point making it 7-0 late in the first quarter. After Menominee answered with a touchdown a couple minutes later, Marquette struck again early in the second quarter on a 6-yard run by Brady Wright and with the PAT kick, led 14-6.
Marquette scored again before halftime on a run by Owen Beauchamp. Teammate Truman Langlois picked off a Menominee pass in the end zone to preserve the Redmen’s 21-6 halftime lead.
Karp kept the Marquette offense rolling in the second half with a 49-yard scoring run as the Redmen padded their advantage to 28-6. The Maroons trimmed Marquette’s lead with a touchdown with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter, but the Redmen shook it off.
Ridl scored from 12 yards out to extend the lead to 34-12 heading into the fourth, and Desmond Mullen put the game away with a long punt return for a touchdown.
Marquette plays Sault Ste. Marie at 6 p.m. Friday.
Information compiled by Journal Sports Writer Ryan Stieg. His email address is rstieg@miningjournal.net.