Maroons Move On!

There is no place like home!

Just ask the Menominee Maroons after wining their third straight home playoff game to advance along the MHSAA Division 5 post-season tournament trail.

Victim number three at Walton Blesch Field for the 11-1 Maroons was Clare, which was handed a 28-21 regional title loss Saturday afternoon.

Menominee will now advance to the state semifinals at the Superior Dome in Marquette on Saturday, November 17 taking on Grand Rapids West Catholic (9-3) at 1pm.

In the latest playoff victory, Maroon coach Joe Noha saw his troops turn a late interception by Devon Harris into the winning touchdown with 3:02 remaining.

“Our motto all year has been ‘think big and focus small’. The kids just seem to do the little things right like block and tackle to move on and win. Clare was a quality team that used a well-devised scheme and made calls at the line of scrimmage. We struggled at times but towards the end, our defense stood up when it mattered the most and made plays to get us the win,” Noha said.

The Maroons were once again sparked by the play of “Mr. Do-it-all” in Harris, who rushed 33 times for 186 yards and passed for another 101 yards.

Harris didn’t do it by himself. He had help and plenty of it.

Standing at just 5’9, receiver Bryan Hines came up with a number of big plays, including hauling in two touchdown passes and picking off a Clare pass.

“Like I said previously, Harris can beat you with his arm or legs. But in all honesty, none of our guys do it alone...get good blocking from the guys upfront that create space for him and the receivers catch the ball. Hines is a very good athlete that makes things happen on both sides of the ball. He has excellent body control and a nose for the football,” Noha added.

In a high scoring first quarter, the Maroons saw their defense give up a pair of touchdowns to trail 14-7 at the break.

After forcing the Maroons to punt on the opening possession, Clare moved 66 yards in 6 plays as workhorse Jordan Gross bolted 9 yards at the 7:42 mark. Logan Emery tacked on the extra point for a 7-0 lead. The Menominee defense saw plenty of Gross, who rambled for 224 yards on 27 carries.

Facing that early deficit, the Maroons needed 25 seconds to get even, driving 60 yards in two plays on runs by Harris. The first scamper netted 10 yards before the 160 pound junior tailback weaved his way through the Clare defense for 50 yards and the touchdown. Evan Pohlman tacked on the PAT for a 7-7 deadlock with 7:17 remaining in period one.

Clare regained the upper hand at 14-7 with 2:32 left in the opening quarter as James Simon scooted 9 yards to paydirt on his lone carry of the game.

While Clare dominated the first quarter, period two belonged to the Maroons by a 14-0 edge.

Menominee answered the second Clare score with an 8 play, 51 yard teedee drive capped by a 17 yard jaunt by James Brown. Harris hooked up with Brown for 16 yards to the 35 before six straight runs resulted in points. Harris shook free for 8 yards to the 17 before Brown fought his way into the end zone (11:23).

Clare put a big scare into the Maroon faithful on the ensuing possession with a 6 play/69 yard drive that ended on a fumble recovery by Harris in the end zone. Clare thought Gross made his way in for points, only to lose control of the ball with 8:41 to play in the half.

Starting at their own 20 following the touchback, Menominee slowly moved downfield and ran off 12 plays, highlighted by a 20 yard pass to Hines at the 30. The Maroons eventually moved to the 3 only to see a chop block penalty on a screen wipe out a 25 yard gain. Pushed back to the 26, three plays netted one yard as Menominee faced a fourth down at the 25.

Decision time. Coach Noha went with what worked last game and brought in kicker Pohlman to try a field goal. His 42 yard effort had the distance, but sailed just left of the upright to keep things deadlocked at 14-14.

With time ticking under two minutes left in the half, Hines came up an interception at midfield (1:27) to set up a go-ahead score. Harris peeled off 25 yards on first down before a pair of passes to Mike Kinsey (12 yards) and Brown moved the ball to the 13. Two plays later, Hines hauled in a 13 yard scoring pass from Harris for a 21-14 halftime edge.

Getting the ball to open the second half, Clare returned to its dominating ground attack with a 15 play, 88 yard scoring drive to knot the score at 21-21. Gross got the call 8 times for 26 yards before quarterback Zack Tyler hit Brock Swan on a 17 yard scoring strike (4:05).

Menominee threatened on the ensuing kickoff, only to see a 12 play march fizzle out at the Clare 43 following a critical holding penalty. Forced to punt, Justin Brilinski saw his boot roll into the end zone for a touchback.

With the clock ticking away, Clare slowly moved to its own 44 before a second down pass was picked off by Harris at the Maroon 44 and returned to midfield. The turnover would prove costly as Menominee set sail for the winning score.

Needing 13 plays to cover the distance, the Maroons watched Jared Rivard come up with a leaping 16 yard catch to the Clare 37 for a new set of downs. Menominee converted again on fourth down as Harris gained 3 yards to the 24. Continuing to head goalward, Harris pick up 6 yards to the 15 and Brown 3 to the 12. Two plays later the Maroons avoided disaster when Brown recovered a fumbled snap and a loss of 7 yards back to the 14 (3:30).

No problem as Harris went back to the air and hooked up with Hines, who made a leaping catch then stretched past the pylon for the touchdown. Pohlman’s kick gave the Maroons a 28-21 edge with 3:02 left.

Starting their final drive at the 27, Clare not only had to travel 73 yards to tie the score but had less than 3 minutes remaining on the clock. They never made it.

Three runs by Gross moved the ball to the 38 before a pair of passes gave Clare a first down at the Maroon 49. Continuing to nickel and dime their way downfield, Clare ran into trouble on third down when Zack Budzynski came off the edge with pressure before 5’4 Chris Briar sacked Tyler back to the 44. That brought on fourth down as Tyler saw his pass to Spencer Harrell fall incomplete.

Getting the ball back with 40 ticks left, Harris used a pair of kneel downs to run out the clock.

“This was a tough game and our kids really battled hard. Every play meant something and when the crowd really got going, our kids responded. It was a great win,” Noha added.

Looking ahead to the state semifinal foe, Grand Rapids West Catholic, Noha and company know they’ll have their hands full.

“Grand Rapids beat Menominee in the regional finals last year. They run the spread offense and throw the lateral game with bubble screens and hitches. Grand Rapids will present problems for us with their speed and skilled players, especially on the carpet at the dome. This is definitely a quality team we are going up against,” Noha concluded.

The winner of the semifinal clash will head to Ford Field and the state title game on Saturday, November 24.

Recent stories, opinions and photos

Issue Date	Department	Headline
05-16-2013	Front Page	Mike, Anita Folgert Are Recipients Of Touhey Award
05-16-2013	Front Page	Predicts New Learning Center Will Be “A Shining Light” For Marinette Schools
05-16-2013	Front Page	Tourism Draws Millions For State, 4 County Area
05-16-2013	Front Page	Water & Sewer Committee Moves Ahead With Loan
05-16-2013	Front Page	Commend City Officer’s Work On Murder Case
05-16-2013	Obituaries	Lorna M. Techmeier
05-16-2013	Obituaries	James R. Schaut
05-16-2013	Obituaries	Nora E. Salewsky
05-16-2013	Obituaries	Ralph R. Runge
05-16-2013	Obituaries	James P. Reindl
05-16-2013	Obituaries	Uta Rasmussen
05-16-2013	Obituaries	Virginia Ellsworth Plier
05-16-2013	Obituaries	Ursula J. Peters
05-16-2013	Obituaries	Walter J. Moucha, Sr.
05-16-2013	Obituaries	Kasimir Melnyk
05-16-2013	Obituaries	Bernadette E. Meek
05-16-2013	Obituaries	Shirley Jean Johnson
05-16-2013	Obituaries	Julie N. Jeske
05-16-2013	Obituaries	George L. Hayden
05-16-2013	Obituaries	Patricia L. Gomber
05-16-2013	Obituaries	James A. Erickson,
05-16-2013	Obituaries	Frank M. Dudek
05-16-2013	Obituaries	Judith A. Carrillo
05-16-2013	Obituaries	Shirley Ann Bishop
05-16-2013	Obituaries	Donald M. Allard
05-16-2013	Sports	Marinette Golfers Win Menominee Meet; Bieberitz Is Medalist
05-16-2013	Sports	Track Regionals To Begin May 20
05-16-2013	Sports	Peshtigo Captures M-O Conference Crowns
05-16-2013	Sports	Coleman Finishes Perfect�Again!
05-16-2013	News	Set Babysitting Class for May 25
05-16-2013	News	Town Peshtigo Sets Cleanup Day
05-16-2013	News	Marinette Legion Brat Fry Dates
05-16-2013	News	Church Dinner, Auction May 19
05-16-2013	Perspectives	From our readers
05-16-2013	Perspectives	Tales from the old-timer
05-16-2013	Perspectives	Country Cousin
05-16-2013	Community - Wausaukee	Grand Germany Tour Sept. 15-24
05-16-2013	Community - Wausaukee	Wausaukee Blood Drive is June 10
05-16-2013	Community - Wausaukee	Wausaukee Memorial Services Slated May 27
05-16-2013	Community - Wausaukee	Wausaukee Students Help Plant Nursery Stock Trees
05-16-2013	Community - Crivitz	Jeff Diges Memorial Bike Run June 29, Hold Pool Tourney
05-16-2013	Community - Crivitz	TB Rescue Bake, Rummage Sale
05-16-2013	Community - Crivitz	Co. Elderly Golf Scramble July 12
05-16-2013	Community - Crivitz	Crivitz Sister Cities Future On Line At May 22 Meeting
05-16-2013	Community - Coleman	Coleman High School Graduation is June 1
05-16-2013	Community - Coleman	2 Top Coleman Seniors
05-16-2013	Community - Coleman	Fine Art Nite at Coleman School
05-16-2013	Community - Coleman	Coleman Services for Memorial Day
05-08-2013	Front Page	Marinette Police Memorial To Officers Lost In Duty
05-08-2013	Front Page	City Adopts New Sewer Rates, Fire Dept. Fees
05-08-2013	Front Page	Co. Move Toward Medical Examiner Model Rejected
05-08-2013	Front Page	Centenarian Marks Birthday May 5th
05-08-2013	Front Page	Folgerts Chosen For Touhey Award Recipients
05-08-2013	Front Page	Million Dollar Bail Set In Homicide Case
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Irene Zoellner
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Lila V. Tippett
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Clarence E. Treptow
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Dennis L. Tachick
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Roger K. Schiefelbein
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Sharon A. Ronan
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Robert Ranallo, Sr.
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Jerry Rakowski
05-08-2013	Obituaries	James Prefontaine
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Spencer B. Patz
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Lila E. Miller
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Patricia Mathey
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Helen J. Lemery
05-08-2013	Obituaries	William H. Keller
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Alice Johnson
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Ronald Cedric Henning
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Algin T. Hendricksen
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Paul G. Grunwald
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Cheryl Lynn Gallo
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Gyneth Gadtzke
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Crystal Ann Gabriel
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Curtis P. Frank, Sr.
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Della A. DeStarkey
05-08-2013	Obituaries	Daniel P. Barney
05-08-2013	News	Girl Scout Carnival at Peshtigo June 2
05-08-2013	News	5th Annual EMS 5K Walk/Run
05-08-2013	News	Brazeau Annual Fundraiser July 27
05-08-2013	Community - Wausaukee	Wagner Board Meets May 14
05-08-2013	Community - Wausaukee	SC Fire, Rescue Auxiliary May 13
05-08-2013	Community - Wausaukee	Lions To Clean Hwy. 180 May 11
05-08-2013	Community - Wausaukee	Legion Post 66 Meeting May 11
05-08-2013	Community - Crivitz	CHS 5K Run/ Walk is June 1
05-08-2013	Community - Crivitz	Legion Trap 22
05-08-2013	Community - Crivitz	Middle Inlet Plans for Memorial Day
05-08-2013	Community - Crivitz	Middle Inlet Plans 33rd Annual Reunion
05-08-2013	Community - Coleman	Area Cadets at State Challenge Academy
05-08-2013	Community - Coleman	Parkway Ladies Start
05-08-2013	Community - Coleman	Comins Graduates Basic
05-08-2013	Community - Coleman	Graduates Basic
05-08-2013	Sports	Wausaukee Golfers Win 9-Hole M-O Tournament
05-08-2013	Sports	Bulldogs Grab M-O Lead
05-08-2013	Sports	Marines Shine At Home Invite
05-08-2013	Sports	Coleman Clinches M-O Title Share
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Patricia J. Waschbisch
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Bessie Riley
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Russell D. Thurow
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Anne Schumacher
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Janette B. Perry
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Marilyn Mc Keefry
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Timothy J. Lynch
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Donald J. Kubiak
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Marilyn Mc Keefry
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Reino L. Lampinen
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Lonnie L. Kasbaum
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Dave Gajeski
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Gyneth I. Gatzke
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Virgil L. Erdman
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Albert J. Demers
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Bernard L. Courchaine
05-02-2013	Obituaries	David Campbell
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Roy Bylund
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Dale P. Bundy
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Gerda M. Barrick
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Antoinette A. Bacon
05-02-2013	Obituaries	Bonnie R. Artz
05-02-2013	Front Page	Peshtigo Woman Murdered
05-02-2013	Front Page	Crivitz High School Ranks 22 in Survey
05-02-2013	Front Page	Heyer Changes Plea in Murder
05-02-2013	Front Page	City Parks, Recreation Director Marquardt Takes County Job
05-02-2013	Front Page	Public Hearing On 4 Ordinances Precedes May 7 Council Meet
05-02-2013	Perspectives	From our readers
05-02-2013	Perspectives	Tales from the old-timer
05-02-2013	Perspectives	Country Cousin
05-02-2013	Sports	Oconto Falls Girls Dominate Invite
05-02-2013	Sports	Suring Cruises To Track Sweep; Cops 22 1st Place Marks
05-02-2013	Sports	Bulldog Booster Bash On May 4
05-02-2013	Sports	Coleman Improves To 6-0
05-02-2013	News	Walking Club To Paddle on River
05-02-2013	News	Pound Senior Club Meeting is May 6
05-02-2013	Community - Wausaukee	Car, Lightning Cause Outages
05-02-2013	Community - Wausaukee	SC Fire, Rescue Auxiliary May 13
05-02-2013	Community - Wausaukee	Ladies Luncheon at Assembly Church
05-02-2013	Community - Wausaukee	Eight Wausaukee Music Students Advance to State
05-02-2013	Community - Crivitz	Crivitz High School 2013 Graduation Ceremony May 18
05-02-2013	Community - Crivitz	OWI Task Force Town of Stephenson
05-02-2013	Community - Crivitz	List Theme for July 4th Parade
05-02-2013	Community - Crivitz	CYI Summer Youth Programs
05-02-2013	Community - Coleman	Smarter Than 5th Grader at Coleman
05-02-2013	Community - Coleman	Pound Senior Club Meeting is May 6
05-01-2013	Front Page	Suspect Will Face Homicide Charges In Marinette County
04-25-2013	Obituaries	Roger C. Winter
04-25-2013	Obituaries	Alfred W. Weissgerber
04-25-2013	Obituaries	Josephine H. VandenBush
04-25-2013	Obituaries	Julius Torzala
04-25-2013	Obituaries	Anna Szkolny
04-25-2013	Obituaries	Sylvin J. Steffes