Escanaba defenders take down Kingsford quarterback Jack Kriegl on Thursday at at Escanaba Athletic Field. (Adam Hinch/Daily Press photo)

ESCANABA — Opportunity knocked and Escanaba answered with an exciting 21-18 season-opening football triumph over the Kingsford Flivvers here Thursday.

The Eskymos recovered two of their own kickoffs in the fourth quarter, but it was senior linebacker Keagan Braun who sealed the verdit in this non-conference contest.

After forcing the Eskymos into a three-and-out, Kingsford started the last drive on its 10-yard line.

The Flivvers quickly moved the ball downfield and reached Esky’s 27-yard line before Braun intercepted a pass in the end zone with 38 seconds remaining, enabling the Eskymos to line up in victory formation.

“I saw the quarterback (senior Jack Kriegl) roll out and made a B-line for where he threw it,” he said. “It’s good to beat Kingsford. It was a dogfight, but we came out on top. They’re a very solid team.”

The Eskymos were trailing 18-7 before senior QB Nolan Bink found senior tight end Alex Stahlboerger open in the right corner of the end zone for a 12-yard touchdown, shaving the deficit to six points with 8:50 left.

On the ensuing kickoff, the ball bounced off a Kingsford player, enabling the Eskymos to recover it on the Flivvers’ 37-yard line.

Two minutes later, junior Brody Ison tossed a six-yard jump pass to Stahlboerger for a score and suddenly the Eskymos were ahead 21-18.

On the following kickoff, the ball again bounced off a Flivvers’ gridder and the Eskymos set up shop at midfield.

“The first one was more planned,” Esky coach Bailey Lamb said. “The second one was even better. Recovering that kickoff was very important because it enabled us to eat up the clock. Our line play and Keagan’s interception were huge. The guys really turned it on in the second half.”

Esky opened the game with a time-consuming drive, marching 61 yards in 14 plays.

Ison concluded the eight-minute drive on a two-yard run up the middle for a 7-0 lead.

Kingsford responded, climbing within 7-6 on Kriegl’s QB sneak less than two minutes into the second stanza.

Kriegl scored again on a 15-yard dash around right end, providing the Flivvers with a 12-7 lead at 4:47.

“Every game he plays hard,” Kingsford coach Mark Novara said. “He really goes after it.”

The Flivvers added another score on Kriegl’s nine-yard pass to senior wide receiver Owen Olkkonen for an 18-7 cushion just 12 seconds before halftime.

“Everything was going well,” Novara said. “We had momentum. We needed to execute better, especially on special teams. We have to know when to call for a fair catch. We’re the type of team that needs to play hard in every game.”

Beside the fumbled kickoffs, the Flivvers missed two extra points and failed to convert on a two-point conversion.

“At halftime, our message was ‘we shouldn’t be in this spot,”’ Lamb said. “We made some adjustments on defense and the kids responded. They put it all together which was special. Their defense was tough. Their defensive coach (Chris Hofer) is a Hall of Famer for a reason.”

Esky outgained Kingsford 267-235. Its short passing game became effective in the second half when Bink completed 14-of-15 aerials. He finished 16-of-21 for 119 yards and a touchdown through the air and ran for 70 yards on 19 carries. Ison carried the ball 10 times for 50.

Kingsford rushed for a 181 yards, led by Kriegl who got 94 yards and a TD on 15 attempts and was 5-of-12 passing for 44 yards, a TD and an interception.

Area veterans were honored for their service in a pre-game ceremony.

The Eskymos host Cadillac in their Big North Conference opener Friday. The Flivvers begin WestPAC Copper Division play at Houghton Friday.