So it’s back to the Superior Dome for Martin, which next Saturday will be defending its eight-man football state championship.
The Clippers earned another berth in the finals Saturday afternoon by getting past Kingston on the road, 42-34, in the semifinals. They have been to at least the semifinals four times now since switching to eight-man football, losing twice to Adrian Lenawee Christian.
The only opponent now standing in the way of back-to-back state titles is Indian River Inland Lakes, which shut out Pickford 12-0 to improve its overall season record to 11-1. The Bulldogs’ only loss this fall was 30-28 to St. Ignace, but they avenged the defeat in the state quarterfinals, 40-36, much like what Martin did with Gobles, and much like what Kingston did with Brown City.
Martin broke an 8-8 tie with a touchdown and two-point conversion in the second quarter and then managed to remain between 8 and 16 points ahead of the Cardinals the rest of the way.
The Clippers led 22-14 at intermission and matched Kingsford’s scoring the rest of the way. They were up 42-28 late in the fourth period when Kingston once again pulled to within eight as the final score.
The state finals contest will get under way at 11 a.m. next Saturday in the Superior Dome at Northern Michigan University, Marquette. The Clippers have fond memories of the place because it’s where they defeated Merrill a year ago to claim their second state championship.
