Maroons pummel Ramblers in regional round

The Menominee High football team is moving on to the semifinal round of the Michigan High School Athletic Association Division 7 bracket following a 40-0 drubbing of McBain at Walton Blesch Field on Saturday, Nov. 11.

“Feels awesome. I’m very happy for the kids and the staff,” said Maroons head coach Chad Brandt. “And even better to do it here at home, it’s great to see all the families here celebrating with their kids.

Menominee wasted no time getting on the scoreboard Saturday, starting out at their own 29-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Theuerkauf, who would finish the game 10-of-14 through the air for 189 yards and three touchdowns, marched the team downfield over the game’s first three minutes before finding Tanner Theuerkauf with a pass that turned into a 28-yard play that ended up in the end zone for a 6-0 lead on the scoreboard following an unsuccessful attempt at the two-point conversion.

“I told them before we came out of the locker room, ‘Offensive line, it’s on you that we go down the field and score on the first drive’. They liked that feeling. We lean on those guys, our backs. We’ve got a lot of guys that make plays but it certainly starts with the bodies up front and they’ve been awesome.”  

McBain’s first attempt on offense saw the Ramblers move the ball from their own 26 into Menominee territory only to be bullied into a fourth-and-18 punting situation by the Maroons defense. 

Menominee’s next trip down the field was highlighted early by a third-and-six play from the 24 that had Theuerkauf connect with Eli Beal for a 26-yard gain to keep the drive going. That was followed by a 12-yard rush from Bardowski, who finished the day with 12 carries for 78 yards and a score on the ground. 

Theuerkauf picked up a first down later in the drive on a QB keeper before running it in himself on second-and-nine from 14 yards out on a play that saw the senior signal caller break four tackles on his way to the goal line to make it 12-0 following another missed attempt at two points.

The Maroons’ defense came up big on the ensuing McBain drive as Isiah Odom came up with the ball after a Ramblers’ fumble, setting Theuerkauf and the offense up at the visitor’s 27-yard line.

A Menominee miscue brought an illegal procedure penalty but Theuerkauf got it back with a 13-yard scramble. Up next, Bardowski reeled off a 14-yard run to get the Ramblers’ defense back on its heels before punching it in on the next play for a 20-0 second quarter lead following a run for two-points after the TD from Theuerkauf.

From there, the only thing slowing the Maroons down were self-inflicted headaches due to penalties. 

The second half was highlighted by scores from Theuerkauf on a keeper for five yards, a Theuerkauf-to-Nathan Komp touchdown play for 39 yards and then capped by one through the air from Trevor to Tanner Theuerkauf 

Final stats for the game show the Maroons outgained the Ramblers on total offense 376 yards to 171 for the visitors. The Menominee defense forced three turnovers, compared to just one for McBain but the home team racked up 10 penalties for 80 yards, a statistic coach Brandt has identified as a concern heading into the semi final round of the playoffs.

“They did some things, they had some big bodies and made us work in some areas a little differently,” coach Brandt said of McBain’s efforts on Saturday. “And then sometimes we shoot ourselves in the foot with penalties. I thought we could have had another score or two in the first half. That being said, our kids stuck with it and then we opened it up with some big plays in the second half.”