KINGSFORD — A nip-and-tuck offensive battle literally came down to the wire as Menominee outlasted Great Northern Conference foe Kingsford 42-41 Friday night at Flivver Field. Both teams racked up offensive yardage at will, with the Flivvers having the ball last in the contest, the final game of the regular season for both teams.
Kingsford trailed 42-41 and they moved the ball down field on the game’s final possession. Senior standout Nic Nora ran the ball on the first four plays of the drive, as well as on the final play of the drive with two passes and a seven-yard gain by senior Cole Myllyla also a part of the drive. Flivvers head coach Mark Novara called the team’s final timeout with six seconds remaining in the game.
Kingsford junior kicker Nolan White and the rest of the field goal unit jogged out onto the field to attempt a 35-yard game winning kick. The kick landed wide left with :01 remaining on the clock. The visiting Maroons came out and knelt on the ball to end the game.
“We ran out of time, they couldn’t stop our offense the whole game,” Novara said. “Had we had some more time on the clock after their last score, we’d have been in a good position to take a shot at the end zone.”
The Flivvers amassed over 500 yards of total offense in the game, with 373 of then coming on the ground. Myllya led the way with 194 yards on 17 carries with 99 yards coming on his first two carries of the football game, including a 63-yard touchdown run in the opening stanza.
“Our defense has been fantastic this season, they bailed us out two weeks ago against Petoskey when our offense scored zero points. But tonight, was a struggle defensively for us, for both teams,” Novara said. “Usually when you gain 508 yards and score 41 points, it’s usually enough to win.”
The Maroons punted one time in the game, while the Flivvers didn’t punt in the contest.
Nora reached paydirt a trio of times in the contest, scoring on runs of two and five yards, respectively, while
hauling in three passes, for 108 yards, including an impressive 79-yard run after a short screen pass from Flivvers sophomore quarterback Nic Novara.
“Neither team’s defensive coordinator will be keeping tonight’s game plan for future use, that’s for sure,” said first-year Maroons head coach Chad Brandt.
Brandt, a former Stephenson head coach, took over the Maroons program a mere five months ago after long time coach and former Menominee standout quarterback Joe Noha stepped down for a second time in the last four seasons.
“Kingsford has playmakers in their locker room, no doubt about it. But our boys are a young team and had no quit in them tonight, I am proud of the way they kept responding to each Kingsford score,” Brandt said.
The Maroons start six sophomores and three freshman, while only having three seniors suited up for Friday night’s game. Brandt noted that Menominee, which finished with a 5-4 (2-2 GNC) record, had a sophomore and a freshman each register four catches each in the game.
Defensively for the Flivvers, a trio of players led the team with seven tackles apiece —- Jacob Saari, Myllyla and sophomore Gavin Trevillian, who made a great play in the second quarter to intercept a pass of Menominee junior quarterback Trevor Theuerkauf. A pass that was batted in the air off the hands of two other players before Trevillian scooped the ball up and returned it 45 yards deep into Maroons territory.
Kingsford junior Elizen Rouse, who scored a first-quarter touchdown on the team’s second drive, also intercepted a pass in the game. It was at the 7:03 mark of the final quarter which set up the Flivvers final touchdown of the game less than four minutes later.
“Special teams miscues also didn’t help us tonight, we’ve got to shore those type of things up,” Novara said. In addition to the aforementioned missed field goal, the Flivvers had miscues on an additional field goal attempt as well as two extra-point attempts.
A key point in the game that Kingsford can also point to a special teams miscue was when Menominee recovered their second quarter onside kick attempt, after taking a 14-12 lead early in the stanza.
Kingsford finished the season with a record of 6-3 (2-2 GNC) and has likely qualified for the MHSAA Division 5 football playoffs. Coach Novara anticipates the Flivvers, who would again this season be lone the playoff qualifier in Division 5 from the U.P., to face Kingsley in their first round matchup.
With Friday’s win, Menominee will likely also qualify for the MHSAA football playoffs, but in Division 6. The 2022 Maroons arguably played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in recent years, in the U.P.
Box Score
Menominee 8 12 14 8 – 42
Kingsford 6 14 6 15 – 41
1st Quarter
K- Cole Myllyla 63 yard Run, (Kick Failed), 6:45, 6-0
M – Trevor Theurkauf 17 yard Run, (Theurkauf Run), 0:29, 8-6
2nd Quarter
K- Elizen Rouse 2 yard Run, (Conversion Failed), 10:43, 12-8
M- Kaeden Calcari 79 yard Run, (Conversion Failed), 10:16, 14-12
K- Nic Novara 79 yard Pass to Nic Nora, (Novara to Cardel Morton), 4:44, 20-14
M – Landan Bardowski 1 yard Run, (Conversion Failed), 0:25, 20-20
3rd Quarter
K- Myllyla 6 yard Run, (Kick Failed), 9:13. 26-20
M- Calcari 4 yard Run, (Theurkauf to Kaiden Bell), 5:54, 28-26
M- Calcari 43 yard Run, (Pass Failed), 1:18, 34-26
4th Quarter
K- Nora 2 yard Run, (Novara to Noah Johnson), 11:19, 34-34
K- Nora 5 yard Run, (Nolan White Kick), 3:46, 41-34
M- Bardowski 23 yard Run (Theurkauf Run), 1:39, 42-41
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