Calumet’s Ben Anderson (26) and Tyler Halonen (16) congratulate Oskar Loukus for his touchdown catch in fourth quarter of a game against Menominee Friday at Agassiz Field in Calumet. (Eddie O’Neill/For the Gazette)

CALUMET — It was the battle of the undefeated on the gridiron of Agassiz Field on Friday night as the Calumet Copper Kings football team welcomed the Menominee Maroons to their field. Long story short, both teams were not going to come out of Week Four of football at 4-0.

Unfortunately, for coach John Frantti and his Copper Kings, they suffered their first loss of the season as the Maroons (4-0) downed the Copper Kings (3-1), 25-15.

“I am not too disappointed,” he said. “That (Maroons) is a good football team. We battle and had our chances, but we did not play our best game.”

The Maroons wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard. In the opening minute of the game, Clayton Miller took it 79 yards down the field for six points.

However, the first quarter ended with Calumet in the lead at 7-6. Trent Anderson punched in a 14-yard run with four minutes left in the first and Ben Anderson made the kick.

The Copper Kings kept that lead well into the second, but could not outlast the Maroons to halftime. It was Miller again who capped of an offensive drive with a two-yard scamper to put Menominee up at 12-7 with less than three minutes to go in the half.

“They (Maroons) had a lot a of weapons,” Frantti said. “We struggled to gain yardage on their defense. We talked about that at half, but we just did not execute well.”

The Maroons seemed to wear the Copper Kings down with some hard-nose football. They were able to convert a Calumet fumble into six in the third and to draw some penalties from the home team as well. The Copper Kings had six penalties on the night.

The Maroons led now 18-7 with 12 minutes to go.

In the fourth, the Copper Kings got within three with less than five minutes to go as Oskar Loukus brought in a TD-pass for six from 22 yards away. The two-point conversion pass from Halonen to Loukus was successful, and they were now a field goal away from tying things up.

However, their hopes were quickly squashed as the Maroons scored on the second play after receiving the ball. Dawson Bardowski took a handoff deked left and went right to the tune of 91 yards less than a minute after Calumet scored, which put Menominee back up 10, 25-15, and sealed the deal.

“This is how we learn,” Frantti told his team after the game. “Let’s grow from this, and get better.”

Halonen finished his game 7-of-17 through the air for 131 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Ben Anderson had two catches for 56 yards while Loukus had two for 41 yards and a touchdown.

Trent Anderson led the Copper Kings ground game with 12 rushes for 56 yards and a touchdown.

Up next

The Copper Kings travel to Kingsford on Friday to face the Flivvers. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.