ESCANABA — Trailing 28-12 after three quarters, Escanaba football forced Marquette into a 4th-and-12 situation.

The Eskymos were looking to send the home crowd into a frenzy on their ensuing possession on Homecoming night.

Marquette showed punt at its own 45-yard line. The actual play, though, was a fake. The Redmen connected on a 31-yard pass play for a first down.

It was one of several moments the Eskymos couldn’t overcome in a 38-20 Big North Conference loss on Friday night at the Escanaba Athletic Field.

Esky is now 1-5 overall and 0-4 in conference action, while MSHS improved to 3-2 and 3-1.

“There’s no question our boys play really hard,” Esky coach Bailey Lamb said. “They put in so much time in practice every week and work so hard, and we just find ways to shoot ourselves in the foot.”

Trailing 14-0 with 9:06 left before halftime, the Eskymos began to find momentum on offense. Senior Ben Johnson ripped a 24-yard run to start the drive. Johnson gained two yards on the ensuing play, but was dragged to the turf by his face mask, giving the home team a first down and possession at the Marquette 32.

Facing a 3rd-and-8 from the 30, sophomore quarterback Nolan Bink scrambled to his left and found green grass, scrambling 15 yards for the first down.

With the snap on the next play sailing wild, the Eskymos faced a daunting 4th-and-22. Bink scrambled to his right and connected with Alex Stalboerger for the touchdown and pulled the home team to within 14-6.

After the teams exchanged punts, Marquette found itself driving deep into Esky territory. On 3rd-and-7 from the Esky 19, the Eskymos’ defense came up with a big play when Johnson intercepted a pass attempt in the end zone.

Esky quickly moved to the 50, but what happened next was the beginning of a downhill slide. Bink was sacked on first down. On second down he was intercepted as Marquette set up shop at the Esky 13 with 18 seconds left.

Two plays later, Marquette connected on a pass play for a touchdown. Within four plays, what could’ve been a two-point deficit or even a tie at the break turned into a 21-6 shortfall.

“We can move (the ball) and then all of a sudden one thing stops us,” Lamb said. “That’s been kind of the thing this year. We can move the ball so well, and then (we have) one little hiccup and it stalls.”

Esky came out of the break like a ball of fire, marching 74 yards in 14 plays for six points after Bink found Stalboerger once again to pull to 21-12 after eating 5:26 off the clock.

MSHS responded with a six-play, 60-yard drive of their own to reopen a 28-12 lead.

Facing a 2nd-and-6 from its own 42, Esky’s next possession came to a screeching halt when Bink was sacked for a 10-yard loss. Esky ultimately punted.

Then Marquette executed its fake punt. However, the Eskymos defense stiffened to force a successful field goal try that made it 31-12 with 10:35 remaining.

Esky set up shop at its own 20 to start the ensuing drive. While it moved to its 44 in four plays, Bink suffered a hit that forced him to stay down for a brief period. With their quarterback forced to the sidelines, the Eskymos still rallied.

Four plays later, Esky had moved to the MSHS 24 and Bink found his way back into the game. Johnson bolted 21 yards to get to the 3-yard line and punched it in on the next play for a touchdown. With a successful 2-point try, an 11-play, 80-yard drive pulled the home team to within 31-20 with 7:09 left.

But Marquette iced the game with a 10-play, 58 yard drive that featured two third-down conversions, each of more than eight yards, to go up 38-20 with 2:24 left.

“It’s frustrating because I know how much they want it. I know how much they’re working,” Lamb said. “I know how much this coaching staff is working. We see how close we are and we know we’re so close.

“I’m proud of how hard the kids fought, even to the end.”

Marquette hosts Petoskey at 6 p.m. Friday.