MENOMINEE — Anyone hoping to get home in time to catch the second half of the Green Bay Packers game got their wish on Friday, as the Menominee High School football team quickly turned its West-PAC Conference opener against Hancock into a cakewalk.
Buoyed by a first quarter for the ages from Dawson Bardowski and a defense that refused to yield, the Maroons molly-walloped the hapless Bulldogs 63-0 to improve to 2-0 on the young season.
Last season, Menominee (2-0 overall, 1-0 West-PAC Copper) announced their West-PAC Conference arrival with a 46-6 beatdown of the Bulldogs in Hancock.
Friday’s game was an even more lopsided affair.
Menominee’s defense allowed a scant 58 yards to total offense, including minus-two yards rushing, while forcing two turnovers and collecting a pair of sacks.
As for Bardowski, the junior electrified the Walton Blesch Stadium crowd every time he touched the ball.
In the first half alone, Bardowski returned two punts for scores, ran for another and hauled in a 54-yard touchdown rope for good measure.
Bardowski finished with 180 total yards (88 return, 75 receiving, 17 rushing), both out-gaining and out-scoring Hancock by himself in just 24 minutes of action.
“He’s a very good athlete and we can use him in so many ways,” Menominee coach Chad Brandt said of Bardowski. “There’s a lot of God-given ability there, but beyond that, he works extremely hard to be a good football player. I’m very proud that he was able to show out tonight.”
Friday’s game started with a Hancock three-and-out, and Bardowski immediately jolted the Maroon faithful with a 38-yard punt return for a touchdown before Clayton Miller punched in the 2-point conversion run to make it an 8-0 game just two minutes and 11 seconds into the festivities.
Bardowski struck again on the Maroons’ next possession, capping off a five-play scoring drive by hauling in an over-the-shoulder throw from Tanner Theuerkauf for a 54-yard touchdown.
Theuerkauf connected with Aiden Nerat for the 2-point conversion to push Menominee ahead 16-0 midway through the first quarter.
Menominee forced the Bulldogs to punt for the third time in as many possessions to set up shop on the Hancock 41-yard line. Maverick Geniesse broke off a 23-yard gain before Bardowski weaved his way through the Bulldogs’ defense for a 14-yard touchdown run.
Blake Paasch managed to corral Theuerkauf’s 2-point conversion pass as the Maroons’ lead swelled to 24-0 with 3:39 still to play in the first quarter.
Menominee kept its foot on the gas to begin the second quarter, as a 10-yard scamper from Theuerkauf set up a 4-yard scoring plunge by Miller.
Hancock’s ensuing drive stalled yet again, which forced the Bulldogs to punt for the fifth time.
Apparently not learning their lesson from the first quarter, Hancock again kicked directly to Bardowski, who in turn rumbled his way for a 50-yard return touchdown. Paasch tacked on the 2-point run to nudge the Maroons ahead 38-0 with 9:21 remaining in the first half.
Miller scored on a 4-yard run before Bardowski intercepted a Ben Keranen pass on the first play of Hancock’s next possession.
“No matter who your opponent is, you have to try and get better on every play and our guys are committed to that,” Brandt said. “This was another game that we did well in terms of the scouting report. We communicated well, and if we continue to run to the ball and be aggressive, I like where we’re at with our defense.”
On the ensuing Maroon drive, Theuerkauf found Nerat for a 16-yard pickup before Geniesse polished matters off with a 24-yard touchdown run, which, coupled with a successful PAT kick from Miller, gave Menominee a 51-0 advantage at halftime.
With the clock running to start the second half, Menominee’s second stringers chewed up all 12 minutes of the third quarter with a 12-play, 62-yard drive that Dylan Beal finished off with a 1-yard dive into the endzone, making it a 57-0 contest in favor of the Maroons.
Beal scored again, this time on a 20-yard dash, for the final score of the night with 4:54 left to play before Keegan Wickstrom put an exclamation mark on Friday’s proceedings with another Maroon interception on Hancock’s final possession of the game.
Menominee piled up 403 yards of total offense, 230 of which came via the ground game, while Theuerkauf went a perfect 4-for-4 on passing attempts for 149 yards and two touchdowns.
Bell had one reception for 58 yards and three rushes for 34 yards. Miller five carries for 25 yards and two scores, Beal notched eight carries for 44 yards and two touchdowns, and Geniesse carried the rock twice for 25 yards and a touchdown.
Isaiah Odom and Cole Cooper both notched sacks for the Maroons.
Keranen was the only Bulldog to finish with positive yardage on the ground, finishing with one carry for 10 yards while going 3-15 for 75 yards and two picks through the air.
Cody Turner caught three balls for 73 yards.
Up next
Menominee: The Maroons travel to Westwood on Sept. 13 at 6:30 p.m.
Menominee 63, Hancock 0
Menominee 24 27 6 6 — 63
Hancock 0 0 0 0 — 0
Leading passers — Menominee: Theuerkauf 4-4-149-2TDs; Beal 3-3-36; Hancock: Keranen 3-15-75-2INTs
Leading rushers — Menominee: Miller 5-25-2TDs; Beal 8-44-2TDs; Bardowski 3-17-TD; Geniesse 2-25-TD; Jackson Myzak 7-16; Paasch 1-22; Bell 3-34; Theuerkauf 3-27; Odom 2-20; Hancock: Keranen 1-10
Leading receivers — Menominee: Bardowski 2-75-TD; Bell 1-58; Hancock: Turner 3-73
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