Marquette’s Grant Simon, left, fends off a Gaylord defender in the first quarter at William R. Hart Stadium in Marquette on Saturday. (Journal photo by Caden Sierra)

MARQUETTE — Scoring a hundred points in a football game sounds like a sure-fire way to win, but it’s no guarantee.

Posting a shutout, however, does guarantee no worse than a tie, and in Michigan high school rules with overtime, insures victory.

That’s why the Marquette Sentinels are a slam-dunk 3-0 after posting their third straight shutout on Saturday evening, downing Gaylord 30-0 at William R. Hart Stadium in Marquette.

“They played with great effort and were physical the entire game,” MSHS head coach Eric Mason said. “That’s been the key for us in these first three games, just 11 guys to the football and wrapping up on defense.

“It’s a total team effort, we’re physical in practice during the week and it’s paying off.”

The combatants came into the game on opposite sides of the coin, with Marquette already outscoring its opponents 106-0 in its first two games while the Blue Devils were still searching for their first points of the season.

The Sentinels got off to a bit of a slow start on Saturday after their first drive stalled and resulted in a punt. But Marquette’s defense quickly set the tone, also forcing Gaylord into a punt.

After that, Marquette quarterback Ford Richardson ignited the home crowd with a perfectly executed fake run, instead connecting with a throw to wide receiver Pierce Pittsley for a touchdown. Marquette led 6-0 after the missed extra point.

In the second quarter, the Sentinels’ offense began to find its rhythm, starting with an amazing 99-yard touchdown pass from Richardson to wide receiver Kyler Sager just a few minutes into the period that made it 13-0.

The Sentinels’ defense remained rock solid in the quarter, consistently forcing Gaylord to punt.

With 4:06 left in the first half, Sentinels back Drew Bradley ran in for a 2-yard TD to increase the lead to 20-0.

And just before halftime, Marquette added one more score when Richardson found Sager for his second touchdown of the night, sending the Sentinels into the locker room with a commanding 27-0 advantage.

Gaylord had a brief moment of hope early in the third, advancing into Marquette territory for the first time. But once again, the Sentinels’ defense stepped up, stopping Gaylord on fourth down and regaining control. Both defenses dug in then, leaving the score 27-0 entering the fourth.

Marquette added a field goal in the final period to make it 30-0. The Blue Devils managed to break off a few positive plays late, but their offense couldn’t find the end zone.

The Sentinels continue with their Saturday schedule next weekend, playing downstate at Lowell, just east of Grand Rapids, at 1 p.m. that day. Gaylord (0-3) plays at Petoskey at 7 p.m. Friday.

Caden Sierra can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 551. His email address is csierra@nmu.edu.