Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette Lakes quarterback Danny Marcotte prepares his next move as he faces an oncoming duo of Rapid River defenders.

LAKE LINDEN — In the first two weeks of the 2021 football season, the Lake Linden-Hubbell Lakes have outscored their opponents 102-14. In their season opener, the Lakes socked it to the Gogebic Miners 42-8. On Friday, they again limited their opponent to under 10 points with a 60-6 tilt against the Rapid River Rockets at home.

“We played a real aggressive game, and I was happy with that,” said Lakes head coach Brett Gervais. “We got on the scoreboard first and just kept going.”

A 24-yard touchdown pass by Lakes quarterback Danny Marcotte to Marcus Sutherland at the 7:53 mark set the tone for the opening quarter. The two-point conversion run by Ben Tampas was good. Tampas had five two-point conversion runs before the evening was over.

He also had back-to-back touchdowns. His first was at the 4:49 mark in the first which was a 12-yard scamper. To open the second quarter, Tampas pushed his way in for a four-yard touchdown.

Tampas was our work horse,” added Gervais. He was our go-to man on the ground.”

The Rockets would get their one-and-only score of the game with three minutes remaining in the second. Quarterback Blake Lundquist hit Carter Johnson for a 19-yard touchdown pass. They couldn’t complete the two-point conversion.

“I was very pleased with Blake as he was on his game,” said Rapid Rivers coach Steve Ostrenga. “He is young, but he will do very good. He’s just a sophomore, but shows real leadership out there.”

The Lakes headed into the locker room at halftime with a 32-6 lead.

If Tampas was LL-H’s go-to man in the first half, James Milkey was the star of the show in the second. Milkey had a two-point conversion run in the third. Perhaps that warmed him up for a 68-yard touchdown run in the third followed by a pick six just a minute later.

“He was all over the field,” said Gervais. “The word is competitive. He played great today.”

Despite the 54-point loss, coach Ostrenga was pleased with his team’s effort. He noted that he saw a lot of improvement in his team from the Rockets opener a week ago.

“Most of these guys out there played 48 minutes of football today,” he said. “They played with all their heart. I couldn’t be prouder of the boys. We knew what we were getting into and they hung in there.”

Rapid River 0 6 0 0 — 6

Lake Linden16 16 8 20 — 60

Scoring

First Quarter

LL-H Sutherland 24-yard pass from Marcotte (Tampas run), 7:53

LL-H Tampas 12-yard run (Tampas run), 4:49

Second Quarter

LL-H Tampas 4-yard run (Tampas run), 11:12

RRHS Johnson 19-yard pass from Lundquist, 3:07

LL-H Sutherland 12-yard pass from Marcotte (Tampas run), 2:56

Third Quarter

LL-H Marcotte 74-yard run (Milkey run), 7:13

Fourth Quarter

LL-H Milkey 68-yard run (Tampas run), 11:11

LL-H Milkey 54-yard interception run, 10:03

LL-H Koskela 4-yard run, :54