A special season came to an end on Saturday, as the visiting Merrill Vandals upset the Munising Mustangs 22-20 in Mustang Stadium.
Despite the snow and the cold, the Munising defense couldn’t have started any hotter, forcing a fumble and a threeand- out in the first two possessions. Unfortunately, the Mustangs spent most of the first quarter figuring how to move in the snow as well. Continuing the game plan from the second half of the quarterfinal against Newberry, Josiah Peramaki took most of the snaps from the wildcat formation, with the Vandal defense able to crash the box and stop any progress.
Munising quarterback Kane Nebel, who had injured his shoulder in the Newberry game, returned on the third drive and occasionally ran the ball to give the Mustangs the offensive wrinkle necessary to move down the field. He handed the ball off to Peramaki for an eight-yard touchdown with 1:08 left in the first quarter for the 6-0 lead.
After a goal-to-go stop by the Mustang defense in the second quarter, Peramaki once again broke through the defense for a 63-yard rush down the home sideline for a score. Merrill held once again on the two-point conversion attempt to keep the score at 12-0. The Vandals scored late to make it 12-8 at halftime.
With an easy five-yard scamper, Peramaki scored his third touchdown of the game late in the third quarter to give the Mustangs a 20-8 lead. Jamisen Ake recovered the ensuing kickoff and sent the contest into the final quarter with a 12-point hometown lead.
Merrill’s all-conference quarterback Joel Tack cut the lead to 20-14 after a 27-yard run with 7:03 remaining. The Vandals were able to get the ball back with no timeouts remaining, but Tack was sacked by Cully Trezciak to force a fourth and 20. Tack threw up a Hail Mary that looked like it was destined for a Munising defensive back, but he stumbled backwards. The ball bounced off the Munising shoulder pad and fell right into Merrill wide receiver Denver Coty’s hands for a 65-yard completion. Kaleb Walker caught the tying pass on the next play and converted the two-point conversion for the 22-20 victory.
Merrill will play in the eight-man Division 1 finals this weekend in Marquette at the Superior Dome against Martin.
For Munising, the team ends the season with an 11-1 record with numerous accomplishments and accolades. The Mustangs outscored their opponents 580-105 with five shutouts. They set a school record for most points scored in a game with 92 against Brimley. Josiah Peramaki set a state record for rushing attempts in a game against Newberry in the playoffs. They received their highest rankings by the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association (1) and the Upper Peninsula Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association (2) since moving to eight-man football. The team won the Great Lakes Eight-East Conference with numerous individual awards for players and coaches.
