Sentinels celebrating trio of undefeated football teams
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Marquette's Skyler Blackburn, left, makes this pass reception beyond the outstretched hand of Negaunee's Braydon Gleason as Blackburn would also run it in for a touchdown during their high school football game played at William R. Hart Stadium in Marquette on Aug. 27. (Photo courtesy Cara Kamps)
The teams from 1957, 1968 and 1975 at MSHS and its previous incarnation, Graveraet High School, will be celebrated during the Sentinels' next home football game against Cadillac that kicks off at 6 p.m. next Saturday.
Players and coaches from the three honored teams are invited to the high school cafeteria at 4:30 p.m. that day in preparation for the festivities.
Plans are to introduce each player from those teams on the field at halftime of the game.
The 1957 team had an 8-0 record, defeating, in order, Kingsford, Munising, Newberry, Ishpeming, Gladstone, Sault Ste. Marie, Negaunee and Manistique.
They won by margins ranging from two to 46 points, which included two shutouts and only two opponents scoring more than seven points. Offensively, this Graveraet team scored at least 21 points every game, hitting a high in a 46-0 blanking of Newberry, with its closest game a 21-19 decision over Ishpeming.
The 1968 team was 7-0-1, opening with a 19-19 tie vs. Kingsford before defeating, in order, Munising, Negaunee, Gladstone, Newberry, Sault Ste. Marie, Ishpeming and Manistique.
Their margins of victory spanned from three to 25 points, with one shutout and only three opponents scoring in double digits. This team was a bit lower scoring than the '57 edition, posting between 12 and 32 points each game and reaching 20 or more three times.
The 1975 Marquette Senior High School Redmen were 9-0 with wins over, in order, Escanaba, Iron Mountain, Ishpeming, Gladstone, West Iron County, Menominee, Ironwood, Negaunee and Kingsford.
Ishpeming went on that season to win the Class C state championship in the first year the MHSAA offered playoffs, its only loss coming to Marquette. MSHS was unable to qualify, despite its unblemished record, as the state was just getting going with the tournament and only took four teams into the playoffs for each of the four letter classes -- A, B, C and D -- at the time.
MSHS posted two shutouts in '75 and only allowed two opponents to score more than eight points, the highest total being 13 in a 34-13 win over Kingsford. The team only scored seven points twice, also reaching a high of 46 points in a 46-0 shutout of WIC.
Story contents based on an email received from Marquette Senior High School athletic director Jackson Ingalls. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee's email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.