REED CITY — Same old Menominee.
The perennial power from the Upper Peninsula proved its strength again Saturday at Reed City with a convincing 40-14 Division 5 regional title victory over the Coyotes.
The Maroons (11-1) advance to the state semifinals after building a 26-0 lead against the Coyotes (11-1).
Menominee had an interception and fumble recovery against Reed City in the first half and had a 283-51 advantage in total yards after the first two quarters.
“We knew the line of scrimmage was a key point on whether or not we would have success,” Maroon coach Joe Noha said. “Our front offensive and defensive lines did a nice job of holding them to very little yardage. Other than that long (touchdown) run they had in the third quarter (by Logan Straub), I thought our defensive front did a good job.”
Running a form of the single-wing offense where there is no official quarterback and the ball is snapped from the shotgun to one of two players, the Maroons were able to move the ball effectively. They led 7-0 in the first quarter on Sam Larson’s 10-yard run. He also had a 2-yard scoring run in a 19-point second quarter, which featured touchdown passes from Ethan Mileski to Jacob Rivard of 50 and 15 yards.
“I don’t think the start had anything to do with the outcome,” Reed City coach Monty Price said. “They’re a dang good football team and were better than us. They won the line of scrimmage and the physical battles. Hats off to coach Noha and the Maroons. They’re going to make a lot of noise.”
Menominee’s unique offense “has been talked about a lot,” Noha said. “But regardless of what you run, you have to block it and you have to tackle. The single wing has some nuances to it and if you’re not familiar with it, it could cause problems. I thought Monty Price did a nice job of getting his kids ready. They play smashmouth football, too. Single wing is a power football game. I thought our kids executed well.”
Marcus McKenny scored in the third quarter for a 33-0 Menominee lead. But a minute later, the Coyotes broke through on Logan Straub’s 59-yard touchdown scamper.
Larson had a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter for a 40-8 Menominee advantage. Straub had a 6-yard run late in the game to cap the scoring.
For Reed City, which wound up with 242 total yards, Straub had 21 carries for 154 yards.
“I thought for three quarters, we defended well, then we started subbing a little bit,” Noha said.
Menominee had 283 yards rushing and 158 passing. Ethan Mileski had 10 pass completions and rushed for 80 yards. Larson led all ball carriers with 113 yards.
Defensively, Straub had nine tackles for Reed City while Sturgell had five, plus an interception, and Rasor had six.
“I’m very proud of my kids, I love them to death,” Price said. “We tried to challenge them to put the first half away. We played 14-14 in the second half. I understand they took out their starters. But our kids never quit. That’s what they’ve done ever since I’ve been here.”
Menominee plays Frankenmuth in the state semifinals this week, while Reed City closes a season in which it set a record for wins.
“I don’t think anybody thought we’d be where we’re at,” Price said. “It was a young team with seven sophomores up and lots of juniors with inexperience playing. To go out and win 11 games and make history, it’s a big tribute to our kids and how hard they work.”
