CALUMET — The scoreboard wasn’t working at Agassiz Field on Friday night, but the great weather, big crowd and quality football far outweighed the minor inconvenience of the clock. Fans flocked to the highly anticipated matchup between the Negaunee Miners (3-0) and Calumet Copper Kings (2-1) and both teams did not disappoint, with the Miners winning 29-0.
But the game was much more intense than the final score: 8-0 at halftime and 14-0 seven minutes before the end of the game.
“We stumbled at times offensively, but that’s credit to Calumet.” “The Copper Kings played well tonight and kept us off balance offensively and defensively,” Negaunee coach Paul Jacobson said. “I’m proud of how our guys responded to the adversity tonight.”
“Defensively, we buckled but we didn’t collapse and made some big plays when we needed to. It was good to come out here and get the win.”
A significant advantage in time of possession was crucial to Minor’s success.
“That’s the kind of football we want to play.” Jacobson said. “We’re going to do whatever we can and adjust as necessary.”
Calumet coach Josh Franti mentioned Negaunee’s ball control.
“They have some good backs and they run hard.” Franti said. “They have a good offensive line that’s going to gain yards.”
Franti felt the match was closer than the score indicated.
“The kids played hard.” Franti said: “I don’t think the score is reflective of how the game went tonight. It was close for most of the game. We had some chances but made too many mistakes and just didn’t get the results we wanted.”
Over the past decade or so, a rivalry has developed between Calumet and Neegaunee, with the teams meeting each year in the regular season and often the Copper Kings and Miners meeting in the playoffs.
“It’s a great matchup.” Jacobson says. “There’s a lot of respect between the team and the coaching staff. It’s always fun to come here and have the coaching staff come to us.” He added: “We’ve had some great matches over the years and it’s always been fun.”
Franti had similar thoughts about the rivalry.
“My kids love this game.” “No matter how well or badly our teams perform, we know it’s going to be a tough battle every year,” Franti said. “Our styles are very similar and we love going at each other.”
“It’s always a fun game.”
The Copper Kings received the opening kick and went 50 yards before getting downed at the Miners’ 30-yard line.
Negaunee’s offensive line set the tone, going 70 yards in 10 plays for a touchdown. Weston Yesny scored the game’s first points on a 3-pointer with 1:33 left in the first quarter. The 2-pointer was successful and the visitors took an 8-0 lead.
Calumet’s next drive started at the 20, but after a third-down, eight-yard drive, they punted four plays later. The Miners again drove as far as the 70 to buy six minutes of the clock, but they were unable to extend their lead as they started at their own 13.
Calumet started the offense from the 21-yard line with 1 minute, 40 seconds left in the half. The Copper Kings fumbled with 18 seconds left and the Miners recovered. On the next play, Negaunee fumbled and Calumet recovered. The second half turnovers were ineffective and the Miners led 8-0 by halftime.
Negaunee opened the third quarter with a 12-play, 64-yard, 6-minute, 27-second period of possession and six points, taking a 14-0 lead on a 3-yard run by Bonovets. The two-point conversion failed.
Calumet advanced the ball 75 yards but couldn’t score after a Negaunee sack forced them into the goal line, and two plays later the Miners had downs from their own 32 with 40 seconds left in the third period.
Time was beginning to become an issue, but hope was growing along the Calumet sideline after two Negaunee fouls forced a second-and-goal from the 27-yard line. The deciding factor came on the next play, when Jacobson completed a 27-yard touchdown pass to Engstrom to end any chance of a Kings comeback. The two-point try was successful, giving the Miners a three-point lead, 22-0.
Scoring three times in under five minutes is nearly impossible, but Calumet never gave up, and with just over a minute left in the game, Yesny scored another TD, and Neegaunee got the extra point, making the final score 29-0, Neegaunee winning.
Next
Calumet will leave for Menominee on Friday, Sept. 20. Neegaunee will travel to Kingsford on Friday, Sept. 20.
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