Local Sports

Break into the win column: Sentinels get first football victory at the Soo

Sentinels get first football victory at the Soo

SAULT STE. MARIE -- Marquette needed one bad pitch to get started Friday night, and once it did, it did not let up until the running clock took over.

A Sault Ste. Marie exchange in the backfield came loose in the opening minutes, MSHS recovered at the Blue Devil 44, and quarterback Winston Leonard scored from 6 yards out with 7:09 left in the opening quarter.

The Sentinels led 14-0 after a quarter, 41-0 at the half and won 47-8 at Van Citters Field for their first victory of the season. Marquette is 1-2, as is the Sault.

MSHS opened the season with a 30-28 loss to Negaunee and a 49-19 loss to defending MHSAA Division 7 state champion Menominee. Against the Blue Devils, the Sentinels did not allow a point until the fourth quarter.

The Blue Devils gave it away again before the quarter was out. A high snap got past freshman quarterback Mason Garlinghouse, who picked it up and lost it, and MSHS recovered at the Sault 37-yard line with 2:53 on the clock. Leonard converted a 4th-and-4 from the 16 with a throw to Wesley Robinson, and Landen Faccio scored from the 6 off right tackle as time expired. Eric Epper's kick made it 14-0.

Then came the second quarter and 27 more points. Leonard hit Robinson for 52 yards with 9:13 to go. From his own 16, he found Brody Clements over the middle for an 85-yard scoring play. After Skyler Blackburn intercepted a Garlinghouse pass, Faccio scored from 12 yards out with 5:26 left, though Epper's kick was blocked. With 24 seconds left before halftime, Leonard found tight end Cooper Smith from the 6.

Robinson, listed as a QB on the Marquette roster and used mostly at receiver this season, took the signal caller's position in the second half. On 4th and 10 from the Sault 20 with 6:50 left in the third, he threw into the right corner of the end zone for the TD to Lucas Barber that made it 47-0. A running clock was already in effect under the MHSAA scoring differential rule.

The Blue Devils, who have been short on numbers and dressed several JV players under the "five-quarter" rule, got on the board in the fourth. Garlinghouse found sophomore Kanyon Peller, who broke tackles and covered 40 yards to the end zone. Garlinghouse came out of the game, Peller lined up at quarterback, and the Sault ran in the 2-point conversion with 7:41 to play.

Dane Armentrout gave Sault good field position on three kickoff returns, one of them into Marquette territory. The Sentinels began kicking away from him in the second half.

Sault Ste. Marie travels to Charlevoix on Friday. Marquette is home at 6 p.m. Saturday against Cadillac.

Marquette 47, Soo 8

Friday at Sault Ste. Marie

Scoring by quarters

Marquette 14 27 6 0 -- 47

Sault Ste. Marie 0 0 0 8 -- 8

First quarter

MQT -- Winston Leonard 6 run (Eric Epper kick) 7:09

MQT -- Landen Faccio 6 run (Epper kick) 0:00

Second quarter

MQT -- Wesley Robinson 52 pass from Leonard (Epper kick) 9:13

MQT -- Brody Clements 85 pass from Leonard (Epper kick) no time indicated

MQT -- Faccio 12 run (kick failed) 5:26

MQT -- Cooper Smith 6 pass from Leonard (Epper kick) 0:24

Third quarter

MQT -- Lucas Barber 20 pass from Robinson (PAT failed) 6:50

Fourth quarter

SOO -- Kanyon Peller 40 pass from Mason Garlinghouse (run good) 7:41

Game statistics

Not available

This story was generated by CubReport from a WSOO-AM radio broadcast. CubReport generates reports for area high school sporting events, with Marquette Senior High School serving as a launch partner in this pilot program. CubReport is a nonprofit initiative dedicated to expanding coverage of high school athletics and generating new financial support for participating athletic departments. CubReport is also supported and incubated by Innovate Marquette SmartZone. For future game stories, visit online at cubreport.ai.