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Hematite defense rules

ISHPEMING – In a game in which they scored two dozen points, the Ishpeming High School football Hematites were carried by their defensive play Friday night.

Coach Jeff Olson’s club made a defensive stop at the 1-yard line, recorded two key sacks and intercepted two passes in a 24-14 victory over visiting Iron Mountain for the Class C Division 7 district playoff title.

“We got stops when we needed them,” said the Hematites’ Luke Kuliu, who picked off a pass and caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Ozzy Corp to put the game on ice.

“We also put pressure on their quarterback.”

Ishpeming will now meet McBain – a 20-19 winner over Saginaw Nouvel Catholic Central on Friday – in a regional game most likely to be played at 1 p.m. next Saturday in Ishpeming.

Corp threw three TD passes and rushed for a team-high 117 yards for the Hematites (9-0) on Friday night. Kuliu, Thomas Finegan and Nick Comment caught Corp’s aerial scores as Ishpeming rallied from a 14-12 third-quarter deficit.

“We’re a second-half team that’s competitive and resilient,” Olson said. “The kids just refuse to lose.”

Iron Mountain (7-4) got a 1-yard TD run from Gavin Wright and a 75-yard pass reception by Josh Tucker from QB Tanner Huotari for another score.

But it wasn’t enough to prevent the Mountaineers from losing a second time this season to IHS, the first a 14-7 decision to open the season in August.

“They made more plays than we did,” IM head coach Robin Marttila said. “We played as hard as we could and that’s great. There were a lot of tears after the game and that’s great, too, because it means something.

“We lost the turnover battle. That’s a big key. You just can’t turn the ball over against a good football team like Ishpeming.”

On the first offensive series, the Mountaineers marched from their own 41 to a first-and-goal situation at the Ishpeming 6-yard line. But the Ishpeming defense stiffened and twice held the Mountaineers inside the 1 to get the ball back on downs.

“That was a big turning point in the game, we don’t score and they (come back to) score on a big pass play,” Marttila said.

That came on a 96-yard catch and run by Finegan.

“Coach just knew the right play,” the tight end said. “It was a post to get away from the safety and (the Mountaineers) weren’t ready for it.

“I just ran as fast as I could.”

Said Olson: “That was a huge stop at the beginning (of the game) and on that TD, sometimes you take a chance … and it’s time to roll the dice.

“We just put in that (pass) play today before the game.”

Added Marttila: “That’s demoralizing, but we battled back.”

An interception by Haden Carello led to Ishpeming’s second TD and a 12-0 lead in the second quarter. Isaac Olson ran it in from the 13.

But Wright’s 1-yard plunge with 7:20 left in the first half lifted IM to within 12-7 before a late Mountaineers drive was thwarted by a Matt Malone sack for IHS.

Marttila replaced starting QB Aaron Bolo with Huotari to start the second half. The move paid immediate dividends as Huotari hit Tucker for a 14-12 IM lead.

But IHS came right back. A 17-yard pass from Corp to Evan Gravedoni and a 20-yard run by Corp led to a 27-yard scoring strike from the Ishpeming QB to Nick Comment.

“Nick called the play himself,” Jeff Olson said. “He was supposed to block, but said he could get open so we ran the play twice in a row. It was a key play.”

Isaac Olson recovered an IM fumble on a punt return and 10 plays later, Kuliu snared his TD pass from 11 yards out for a 24-14 Ishpeming lead with 10:13 left.

Kuliu then picked off a pass and Isaac Olson recorded a sack to ensure the Ishpeming victory.

“I saw their inside guy come straight downfield,” Kuliu said. “I made eye contact with (Huotari) and just jumped it.”

The Mountaineers outgained Ishpeming 299-290, but lost the ball on three turnovers to Ishpeming’s none.

“They’re just a good football team,” Marttila said of the Hematites. “Everyone knows that. But I’m proud of my football team.”

Craig Remsburg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 251. His email address is cremsburg@miningjournal.net.

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