Competitive to the end: Miners build lead, then hold off Sentinels comeback for 30-28 win
Miners build lead, then hold off Sentinels comeback for 30-28 win
Marquette’s Skyler Blackburn reaches up to make a pass reception with a defender in his face but would still make the catch and run in for touchdown during a high school football game played against Negaunee at William R. Hart Stadium in Marquette last Thursday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Negaunee’s Mason Swenor, right, eludes one Marquette defender while another, the Sentinels’ Brody Clements, center, gets to Swenor and tackles him during their high school football game played at William R. Hart Stadium in Marquette last Thursday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Marquette’s Brody Clements, left, jumps high trying to at least tip a pass made by Negaunee’s Kyle Waterman, right, but the Miners quarterback would be able to connect with Evan DellAngelo (not shown) for a touchdown pass during their high school football game played at William R. Hart Stadium in Marquette last Thursday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Marquette’s Skyler Blackburn reaches up to make a pass reception with a defender in his face but would still make the catch and run in for touchdown during a high school football game played against Negaunee at William R. Hart Stadium in Marquette last Thursday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Negaunee’s Mason Swenor, right, eludes one Marquette defender while another, the Sentinels’ Brody Clements, center, gets to Swenor and tackles him during their high school football game played at William R. Hart Stadium in Marquette last Thursday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
Marquette’s Brody Clements, left, jumps high trying to at least tip a pass made by Negaunee’s Kyle Waterman, right, but the Miners quarterback would be able to connect with Evan DellAngelo (not shown) for a touchdown pass during their high school football game played at William R. Hart Stadium in Marquette last Thursday. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
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Editor's note: This is the inaugural CubReport for area high school sporting events, with Marquette Senior High School serving as a launch partner in this pilot program. CubReport, which thanks MSHS for their cooperation and access, 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.
By CubReport
MARQUETTE -- Negaunee spent three quarters making the long throw look easy. It spent the last four minutes hanging on.
The Miners scored on plays of 61, 63, 21 and 13 yards, watched Marquette cut a 16-point deficit to two, then recovered an onside kick with 2:31 left to close out a 30-28 win last Thursday night at William R. Hart Stadium and keep the Diamond Jubilee Trophy for a second straight year.
Evan DellAngelo caught three passes for Negaunee. All three went for touchdowns, covering a total of 145 yards.
"They've got one of, if not the best, athlete in the U.P.," Marquette coach Eric Mason said. "That kid is amazing. He made plays when our guys were right there. It's not like we dropped the coverage -- a couple of them, we did. But the rest, he just made plays."
Marquette was blanked on the scoreboard until 1:46 remained in the first half, and it took a turnover to get that drive set up.
Previous to that, Nash Hoffman had already intercepted Miners quarterback Kyle Waterman in the first quarter. This time, the Sentinels' Will Bradley recovered a Mason Swenor fumble at the Negaunee 22-yard line, and MSHS' Landon Faccio turned the corner on a pitch from quarterback Winston Leonard for the touchdown that pulled their team within 16-7.
The Miners answered the break with one of their own. On 3rd-and-9 from the Marquette 21 midway through the third quarter, Waylon Harvala took a pitch, pulled up and threw back across the field to DellAngelo for a 21-yard touchdown. Aries Korsman caught the 2-point pass for a 24-7 lead.
Marquette responded with a drive helped by two Negaunee pass-interference penalties, with Wesley Robinson taking a pitch around the left side from 5 yards out to make it 24-14. Waterman's 13-yard scramble early in the fourth pushed the lead back to 16, and Negaunee's 2-point pass was intercepted -- a detail that mattered later.
Leonard, a first-year starter, threw a 42-yard TD strike to Blackburn with 3:50 to go, and Pond ran in the conversion to get the Sentinels within 30-22. Braylon Zdunek's onside kick was recovered by Marquette at midfield, and on the next play Leonard found Brown behind the secondary for another long scoring strike, this one 52 yards.
"You want me to tell you how much we practice that thing? Absolutely zero," Mason said of the onside kick. "The kids just made a play. We were putting guys all over the place, just trying to get an edge, and it worked out."
The 2-point pass that would have tied it 30-30 bounced off a Marquette receiver's face mask. Negaunee recovered another onside kick near midfield, and Vince Tincknell converted a 4th-and-1 at the Marquette 41 to end it.
Leonard was 17 of 26 for 213 yards and two TDs. Robinson caught seven passes for 50 yards, Blackburn five for 82 and Faccio carried 19 times for 71 yards. Waterman was 6 of 8 for 176 yards and two TDs for Negaunee. Statistics compiled by radio station Fox Sports Marquette are unofficial.
"I was proud of them," Mason said. "They did not fold up their tents and go home. They continued to play and finished till the end. I can't ask for more than that."
Marquette hosts Menominee, the defending Division 7 state champions, on Friday evening.
Negaunee 30, Marquette 28
Score by quarters:
Negaunee 8 8 8 6 -- 30
Marquette 0 7 7 14 -- 28
First quarter
NEG -- DellAngelo 61 pass from Waterman (Korsman pass from Waterman)
Second quarter
NEG -- DellAngelo 63 pass from Waterman (Dellangelo pass from Waterman)
MAR -- Faccio run (Epper kick), 1:46
Third quarter
NEG -- DellAngelo 21 pass from Harvala (Korsman pass from Waterman)
MAR -- Robinson 5 run (Epper kick), 5:09
Fourth quarter
NEG -- Waterman 13 run (pass failed)
MAR -- Blackburn 42 pass from Leonard (Pond run), 3:50
MAR -- Brown 52 pass from Leonard (pass failed), 2:50
Individual leaders
RUSHING -- Marquette: Faccio 19-71, TD; Leonard 1-13; Pond 2-6; Robinson 2-minus 5, TD. Negaunee: Waterman 8-33, TD; Tincknell 6-17; Swenor 20-14; Niemi 1-2
PASSING -- Marquette: Leonard 17-26-0-213. Negaunee: Waterman 6-8-1-176, Harvala 1-1-0-21
RECEIVING -- Marquette: Robinson 7-50, Blackburn 5-82, Brown 1-52, Clemens 1-30, Zadunik 1; Faccio 2-minus-1. Negaunee: DellAngelo 3-145, Prusi 1-34, Gleason 2-18
Story contents based on an email received from Vince Nystrom of CubReport and edited by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. Brownlee's email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.