Houghton quarterback Oscar Petersen runs down the sideline in a game against Calumet at Agassiz Field in Calumet Friday. In on the tackle for the Copper Kings are Jack Heinonen (40) and Owen Ruonavaara (10). (Eddie O’Neill/Daily Mining Gazette)

CALUMET — Most games in the Houghton Gremlins and the Calumet Copper Kings football rivalry display intensity and high-level performances; Friday night was no different.

The Gremlins bussed up U.S. 41 to battle with the Copper Kings on the gridiron. A 10-point comeback in the final half of the fourth quarter, capped with a dramatic field goal, lifted Calumet to a 17-16 win.

“Our guys battled, and obviously, there were times where it was sloppy, but Houghton did a great job and had a great game plan,” said Calumet coach Josh Frantti. “They had us on the ropes there for a while when we went down by two scores with six minutes left, and our kids could (have) easily broke, but they did a phenomenal job fighting back and getting that ball back.”

After the first half, the score was 7-0 Copper Kings. Houghton coach Tim Driscoll spoke on the quality defensive play from both sides.

“We love to compete, and it was a close and competitive game,” he said. “Both defenses played great; only seven points in a half of football between both teams speaks to defenses doing well.

Driscoll felt that Houghton was in a good position early in the second half.

“We felt good about what happened coming out of half time,” he said. “It was great to score two touchdowns, get two two-point conversions. You (have to) go up two scores up, to give ourselves a chance.

“You have to give a lot of credit to Calumet; they’re down two scores and never slowed down. They never quit; they got a nice drive on us and go ahead and score and come within two.”

Houghton came within inches of stopping Calumet’s momentum, but it did not work out as they hoped.

“On the next drive, they stripped the football out and got a takeaway, and it came down to a field goal,” Driscoll said. “I felt like we had a good rush on the attempt; we got people to jump with their hands up, and it seems the ball went in between a couple of hands.”

Frantti explained the decision to kick and when to kick it.

“Our sophomore, Ben Anderson, who had just recently started kicking because our regular kicker is out, has been doing great, and we had full confidence in him,” he said. “I knew as soon as we got that third down, were kicking it. We were not running a play and then trying to kick on fourth down. We just lined up and let them play and have fun.”

Cam Anderson had a strong game: 17 carries for 119 yards rushing and two touchdowns, with one reception for 31 yards. Ted Loukus threw for 86 yards, rushed for 53 yards, and a touchdown. Garrett Peterson ran for 60 yards on 14 tries.

Oscar Petersen led the Gremlins with 38 yards in the air, 109 yards on the ground, and a touchdown. Jay Halonen chipped in with 69 yards on ten carries and a touchdown.

COPPER KINGS CONTROL FIRST HALF

Calumet won the coin toss and chose to receive. A short drive and a punt came from the first possession. Like the Copper Kings, the Gremlins moved the ball a small distance, but also punted. On the next Copper King drive, Calumet’s offense look stymied at midfield. Facing a fourth-and-seven, Cam Anderson took a handoff to the left, hit full speed, and brought it 51 yards into the end zone. After a successful point-after-attempt, it was 7-0 Calumet.

The Gremlins were driving on the Copper Kings when the quarter ended. The Houghton drive continued until a turnover on downs. It was only a short time before the visitors regained possession after a turnover on downs by Calumet. Houghton knocked on the door, Inside the Copper Kings 30-yard line with 27 seconds before half time. However, a failed attempt at a fourth-and-five kept the Gremlins scoreless as Calumet took control of the ball.

The half ended 7-0 in favor of the home team.

HOUGHTON ANSWERS IN SECOND HALF

The Gremlins came out on fire. A quick drive took Houghton to the Copper Kings’s 38-yard line. Petersen had the ball going down the left side; after breaking a few tackles, he plunged into the end zone, finishing the 38-yard run, with 9:09 left in the third. Both squads threw punches when the third quarter ended, but the defenses were up for the challenge.

Houghton led 8-7 heading into the fourth.

The Copper Kings continued a drive from the third; however, it did not last long as Calumet turned the ball over on downs. On the next Gremlin drive, with just under seven minutes left in the game, they extended their lead with a 19-yard TD run from Halonen. The two-point try was good, and with 6:57 on the clock, Houghton was up, 16-7.

Things were looking rough for the Kings, but the Blue and Grey answered with seven points via a Cam Anderson run just two minutes and five seconds after the last Gremlin score.

Houghton got the ball on their 10-yard line. They were looking to run out the clock, but on a run play, the Copper Kings forced a fumble to get the ball back on their 45-yard line with 1:24 remaining in the game.

The Copper Kings worked their way down the field in a hurry-up offense. On a second down play, Calumet picked up enough yards to put Ben Anderson in position for a field goal. With 20 seconds to go, Ben nailed the 25-yard attempt and gave the Kings a late 17-16 advantage.

The Gremlins got the ball back with 13 seconds left but could not score, and Calumet won 17-16.

UP NEXT

Calumet plays Hancock at home on Friday at 7 p.m.

Houghton will be traveling to Gladstone for a game Friday at 7 p.m.