Marquette junior Ford Richardson, left, attempts to fend off the tackle of Escanaba senior Javon Stevenson during their Big North Conference football game played Friday at William R. Hart Stadium in Marquette. (Escanaba Daily Press photo by Mitch Vosburg)

MARQUETTE — Coming off back-to-back wins for the first time in half a decade, the Escanaba football team started a stretch of three road games in its final four games in Marquette on Friday night.

The Upper Peninsula’s No. 3 team, the Sentinels made their homecoming game fans happy at William R. Hart Stadium with a 28-7 victory, even as the Eskymos found ways to move the ball up and down the field.

But a stout red zone defense and a 178-yard, three-touchdown night from Drew Bradley made all the difference for MSHS, which improved to 5-1 overall and 4-0 in conference with their first win that wasn’t a shutout.

“Anytime you get a win in high school, it’s great,” Marquette coach Eric Mason said. “The homecoming week obviously culminates through the game. It’s a little extra icing on the top to win.”

Escanaba was staring down a 14-0 deficit after the first quarter after Bradley racked up 106 yards rushing and two TDs that included a 58-yard score on the game’s fourth play. But the Eskymos began to find momentum late in the first half.

Esky (3-3, 2-2 Big North) got a fumble recovery from Keagan Braun on 4th-and-4 from the Eskymos’ 15-yard line. It was the spark the orange and black needed, ultimately moving the ball down the field to set up a 1st-and-10 from the Marquette 19.

But a wild snap drove the Eskymos back to the MSHS 35. Then on 4th-and-24, junior quarterback Nolan Bink fired a deep shot to Ashton Rymkos, who caught the ball downfield. The pass was good for 23 yards, enough for a first down in most scenarios. Except this scenario resulted in the Eskymos being a yard short of the first down.

Bradley scored from three yards out on Marquette’s ensuing possession to cap off an eight-play, 90-yard drive for a 21-0 Sentinels lead.

“We ran the ball well tonight, and everybody just played a heck of a game,” Mason said. “I mean, we didn’t get over our skis and get crazy with anything. We just played hard.”

Esky didn’t back down. Bink connected with junior Graham Johnson on the ensuing drive, including an 18-yard completion on 4th-and-12 to set up shop at the Marquette 15 with under 45 seconds left until halftime.

Then Bink was sacked on 4th-and-5 after two incomplete passes and a five-yard scramble, falling short once again.

“We got a lot of athleticism across the board,” Marquette senior Jacob MacPhee said. “When you get in that red zone, the field shrinks a little bit. It gives everyone a chance to make a play.”

The Eskymos moved deep into Sentinels territory midway through the third quarter, thanks to multiple big runs from junior Brody Ison, including a 25-yard bust to set up 1st-and-10 from the Marquette 14. Bink looked to connect with Rymkos on 4th-and-11, but MacPhee got his hands on the ball, forcing Bink to toss his second interception of the night.

With the Sentinels leading 28-0 midway through the fourth quarter, the Eskymos again moved deep into Marquette territory, setting up shop at the Sentinels’ 11. Esky was flagged for a hold on 2nd-and-10. The next play saw Bink attempt to connect through the air on a screen pass, but the pass was tipped and landed in the hands of MacPhee.

Esky avoided being shutout for the second time in 2024 when Ison ripped off an 83-yard touchdown run with less than three minutes remaining.

In a game where every possession had a purpose, the Eskymos earned zero points in four trips into the red zone.

“We were able to drive down and move the ball all night. We just couldn’t punch it in,” Esky coach Bailey Lamb said. “It was the little mistakes. Stuff that we got to really clean up and learn from.”

For Marquette, the win not only caps off a successful homecoming week, but continues the process of washing the taste of Week 4’s 61-14 road loss to Lowell out of its mouth.

“We just responded and played well,” Mason said. “They gave me their (best) effort. A lot of times during homecoming week, focus is an issue with all the things going on, but they didn’t (lose focus). They concentrated on the game and played well.”

The Sentinels also remain undefeated in Big North Conference action and are tied with Petoskey, which is also undefeated in Big North Conference action after a 42-18 road win over Cadillac on Friday.

Petoskey and Marquette play at 7 p.m. Friday at the Northmen field below the Mackinac Bridge.

While the Eskymos fell to 3-3 on the season, they did discover something crucial about their character in the loss.

“When something bad happens, the goal is to not point fingers,” Lamb said. “It’s to pick each other up instead and be a leader. It’s a lot easier to point fingers when something bad happens. It takes a real leader to pick each other up instead and say ‘Hey, let’s get the next one.’

“That was tested (Friday night), and I think they did a really really good job putting that to work.”

Esky stays on the road for a 6 p.m. Saturday clash at Big North foe Gaylord (1-5).