Iron Mountain running back Alex Jayne (24) crosses the goal line for his first of three touchdowns on the night in a game against Houghton Thursday at Alumni Field in Houghton. (Levi Erkkila/For the Gazette)

HOUGHTON — As you might expect, the first game of the football season, at any level, will have its fair share of sloppy play and penalties, but the rust created by the nine-month offseason did not lower the entertainment value of the contest. Both squads put in admirable effort and displayed extraordinary fight during the four quarters. The visiting Iron Mountain Mountaineers managed a 26-16 victory over the Houghton Gremlins despite trailing 16-14 at halftime.

“It was a four-quarter war,” said Iron Mountain coach Robin Marttila. “Our kids hung in there and believed, and we started to run the ball more effectively in the second half; we passed just enough to keep them on their toes.

“We played better defensively in the second half; we made a couple of adjustments that put kids in a little bit better position and that led to us shutting them out in the second half.”

Despite the loss, Houghton coach Tim Driscoll liked his team’s play.

“I was happy with the way we competed,” Driscoll said. “I love how we did not back down; even after we went down by ten late in the game, we still competed and moved the ball.”

Driscoll spoke on the number of penalties in the game.

“It has a lot to do with it being the first game of the year,” said Driscoll. “To be honest, it surprised me that our kids were lining up offsides and doing things that were not characteristic of us; that did not happen in our scrimmage last week, but a lot of it could be due to a different atmosphere; it’s game time.

“We need to learn from that and clean it up.”

Robin Marttila had similar thoughts on the penalty issues.

“It’s the first game of the year, and you’re not in good enough shape yet, which leads to mistakes and penalties,” he mentioned. “Both teams played extremely hard, and then you get a little tired, which is just part of an early season game. We want to clean up those mistakes and move on to our next game.”  

Alex Jayne led the Mountaineers with three touchdowns; Ian Marttila added one.

Ian Marttila, the Mountaineers’ quarterback, is the son of Robin. Prior to their opening game, it was announced that Robin would retire after the season.

“He’s a great kid who’s all in and believes in his teammates,” Robin said of his son. “I’m extremely proud of him.”

“I’ve had this planned for at least five years now,” Robin said, when asked if his son’s being a senior has anything to do with his retirement. “I’ve been coaching football for 23 years, and I want to get into the officiating world. I just think it’s the right time.”

The Gremlins’ Jay Halonen rushed for a touchdown, and Jace DeForge caught a 75-yard TD pass.  

Houghton received the opening kick and began their first drive of the season at their 22-yard line. The Gremlins put the ball in the air to overcome a third-and-eight, fourth-and-three, and fourth-and-13 en route to a touchdown on their first possession. With 7:40 left in the quarter. Halonen punched one in from the five to give the home team a 6-0 lead. After a false start on the two-point attempt, the Gremlins crossed the line on a 7-yard pass, putting them up 8-0.

The Mountaineers’ first try with the ball ended with a punt following a sack on third-and-six. It did not take long for Iron Mountain to get the ball back. The Mountaineers forced a punt, which set them up at their own 34 just under 10 minutes into the game. The Iron Mountain drive continued into the second quarter.

It took 3:45 before the visitors found the endzone; Ian Marttila ran one from six yards, the two-point try was successful, and the game was tied, 8-8. Iron Mountain forced another punt on the next Houghton possession and took the ball 75 yards for a TD. The Mountaineers came away with just six for a 14-8 advantage.

The Gremlins got the ball with 53 seconds left in the half. Quarterback Oscar Petersen hit DeForge on a slant route, who then took it 75 yards for a touchdown, and only 13 seconds after Houghton fell behind, they tied it 14-14.

The Gremlins took the 16-14 lead after a tricky reverse pass worked on the two-point try. With 40 seconds left in the half, Iron Mountain was content to see the game into halftime down two, 16-14.

A couple of big runs set the Mountaineers up deep into Gremlin territory, but the home team grabbed an interception with 6:18 left in the third. However, Houghton couldn’t capitalize on the turnover.

Three plays later, Iron Mountain returned the favor with a pick of their own. With excellent field position, the Mountaineers scored again, but like the first TD, the away squad failed to make it eight on the two-point try. The fourth was 46 seconds away, and Houghton trailed 20-16.

Both teams struggled to produce any offense for the majority of the fourth. It wasn’t until 3:46 left in the game that more points went on the board. Iron Mountain ripped off a 43-yard run that made it a two-possession game, 26-16. They tried to kick a PAT, but it was blocked. However, the deficit was still too much for Houghton to overcome in the final minutes, and the Mountaineers won 26-16.

UP NEXT

Houghton will travel to Kingsford on Friday, Sept. 6. Iron Mountain will be on the road in Bark River-Harris on Friday, Sept. 6.