Manistique’s Jayce Reque-Goudreau, left, stiff-arms Gwinn’s Zahir Topping in the third quarter as the Emeralds near the end zone during their high school football game on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024 at McCormick Field in Gwinn. (Caden Sierra/Mining Journal)

GWINN — Despite all the excitement of homecoming activities at McCormick Field on Saturday afternoon, the Gwinn High School football team couldn’t keep its offense chugging and lost to Manistique 36-6.

This was a bit of an improvement, though, over a 35-0 loss at Manistique on Sept. 6 as Gwinn slipped to 2-5 overall, while the Emeralds, looking for an MHSAA playoff bid, improved to 4-3.

“We preached execution on both sides of the ball,” Gwinn head coach Derek Nyquist said. “It was there defensively for the first quarter, but offensively I don’t feel like it was there much at all.”

The first quarter was a defensive battle, with both teams forcing turnovers and keeping each other off the scoreboard.

Gwinn started with the ball but struggled to gain momentum after a penalty pushed them into a third-down-and-long situation. The Emeralds got their first big break when a muffed punt then led to a recovery by Mason Dimmer, giving them great field position deep in Modeltowner territory. However, Gwinn’s defense came up big, forcing a turnover on downs to keep the game scoreless.

Manistique found the end zone early in the second quarter when running back Aiden Osterhout broke loose for a touchdown, putting the Emeralds ahead 6-0 after a missed extra point.

Gwinn responded with a promising drive, as quarterback Carter Stansky connected with wide receiver Dane Wixtrom to move the ball deep into Emeralds territory. But Manistique’s defense stifled Gwinn’s momentum, forcing a fumble they recovered to kill that drive.

Osterhout continued to be a thorn in Gwinn’s side, adding another touchdown midway through the second quarter to push the score to 12-0. Manistique quarterback Mack Pugh then added a rushing touchdown of his own just before halftime, followed by a successful 2-point conversion, extending the lead to 20-0 as the teams headed into halftime.

“We just got to … find that killer instinct to punch them, especially early when we’re down 6-0,” Nyquist said. “We could go in to tie it or take the lead. So we need to capitalize … on those types of situations.”

Gwinn struggled to mount a consistent offensive threat in the second half, as Manistique’s defense continued to impose its will.

Early in the third, Pugh led a methodical drive that ended with a touchdown run by Jayce Reque-Goudreau, pushing the Emeralds’ lead to 28-0 after Pugh’s 2-point conversion.

The Modeltowners’ offense showed signs of promise late in the third when Stansky found Wixtrom for another big gain, putting Gwinn in scoring position at the Emerald 9-yard-line as time expired in the quarter.

Gwinn finally broke through when, on fourth-and-long, Stansky threw a pass brought in by Zahir Topping in the end zone for a 21-yard TD catch in the opening minute of the final period. Though the 2-point conversion failed, the Modeltowners’ offense had broken through to make it 28-6.

But MHS quickly responded. On its next possession, Pugh sprinted down the sideline for a 41-yard TD run, extending its lead to 36-6. Gwinn mounted one last offensive push, but turnovers and penalties continued to hurt their progress, and Manistique ran out the clock.

Nyquist remains optimistic about his team’s effort and their final two games — a rematch at L’Anse, who the Modeltowners defeated at home 33-6 on Sept. 13, and another rematch at home against West Iron County, which prevailed 24-16 in double overtime in Iron River on Sept. 28.

“Just stay positive and work hard,” the Gwinn coach said. “We all have a job to do still, and that’s coaches included, to put forth the same effort in week eight of the season, as Week 1, preseason, Week 2. You just got to stay focused and hopefully come out the last couple weeks with a couple wins.”

The game at L’Anse is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, while the final game vs. WIC is at McCormick Field at 7 p.m. the following Friday.

Manistique also has a rematch at 7 p.m. this Friday, hosting Upper Peninsula No. 5 Iron Mountain before taking a long road trip downstate to play at Saginaw Nouvel at 7 p.m. the following Friday.

The Mountaineers prevailed in their first meeting with Manistique 62-25 on Sept. 13 in IM.