Houghton Gremlins Eli Heasman, 58, and Ruben Mensah, 75, are all smiles as they pose with their teammates at the Copper Bowl on Friday at McAfee Field in Hancock.
HANCOCK – The Copper Bowl is staying at Houghton High School for the fourth year in a row. On Friday, the Gremlins held the Bulldogs on the back foot with a 43-8 victory over the Bulldogs in this historic 71-year rivalry.
“I’m so proud of these kids.” Houghton coach Tim Driscoll said.
They did everything in their power to ensure that their rivals won the match. They prepared well and worked hard all week and it paid off. ”
The Gremlins (4-5) often scored early and led 22-0 after the first quarter.
Houghton’s Jay Halonen got the Gremlins on the scoreboard first with a scamper into the end zone. The two-point conversion went well, making it 8-0 at the 6:30 mark.
Brayden Goudge followed suit with six more points for the Gremlins in less than two minutes. He added two points, making the score 16-0.
Nathan Arbor capped off the Gremlins’ first game with a six-point run, and the Bulldogs (1-8) improved to 22-0 after one hole.
“I’m disappointed.” Hancock coach Jeff Hauswirth points out. I knew I could have done better at home, in front of so many alumni and friends. We laid eggs. ”
The second quarter was much the same, with the Gremlins scoring 14 points and shutting out the Bulldogs.
Horton’s two touchdowns in the second were thanks to Halonen and Tim Brown. Both saw the light of day on big runs into the end zone.
The Gremlins led 36-0 at the half.
“The winning ball goes to the seniors.” added Driscoll. “Their line and our line ran the ball well and made very few mistakes.”
The Gremlins added salt to the wound by not giving up seven runs in the third inning. With less than four minutes left in the quarter, he scored on a 55-yard pass play to Jace DeForge.
However, the Bulldogs avoided a shutout by scoring eight runs in the fourth inning. With less than three minutes left in the game, Hancock’s Cody Turner scored six points and converted a two-point conversion to clinch a 43-8 lead and advance to the finals.
“Our struggles this season have been consistency and numbers.” added Hauswirth. “We don’t have the players to do things right, but I want to thank our kids for their hard work this season. They worked hard and even though we had a tough loss on Friday.” Despite that, I competed every Monday. I certainly learned a lot and I’m looking forward to what next year will bring.”
Friday’s Copper Bowl concluded the regular season for both Houghton and Hancock football teams.
