Nov 3, 2025
Iron Mountain’s Quinton Doty (4) hits the line looking for an opening Friday as L’Anse’s Daniel Connor (23) and Ty Lahti (66) defend at Mountaineer Stadium. (Terry Raiche photo)
IRON MOUNTAIN — In the storied history of Iron Mountain High School football, the Mountaineers have never started two freshmen running backs.
But with a limited pool of players heading into the 2025 season, IM didn’t field a junior varsity team, so Quinton Doty and Gavin Winters jumped right into the deep end of varsity football.
And in the first district football game of their careers, the rookie backs shined, combining for three touchdowns and 260 yards rushing as the Mountaineers knocked off visiting L’Anse 31-15 on Friday in a MHSAA Division 8 District Semifinal No. 114 matchup on a cold rainy night at Mountaineer Field.
“The defense was better this time around,” IM coach Kyle Johnson said, referring to his team’s 30-26 win over the Purple Hornets in the regular season. “Last time we played them we gave up too many big plays, so we limited those, we held them to zero at the half and that’s huge in a playoff game.
“But I was proud of the way we grounded and pounded the ball with some freshmen running backs …. They did a nice job, the line did a great job blocking for them, so I’m just happy that they didn’t shy away from the moment of being in a playoff game. They were ready to go, so super proud of those guys.”
Doty opened the scoring with a 3-yard run with 8:32 left in the first half. Sophomore Ethan Davis added the extra point to give IM a 7-0 advantage.
Three minutes later, junior do-it-all Brayden Kassin returned a punt 59 yards for his team’s second score.
“I picked up the ball, took it left, lot of great blocks from the guys and they just led the way to the endzone,” said Kassin, who was a Mid-Pen Conference first-team pick at quarterback, linebacker and kicker after the regular season.
“So, the punt return was huge because we’re either up 13-0 or 7-0 and that’s a big difference in a playoff football game,” said Johnson, who added that his players were especially thrilled with the TD because they will be treated with pizza Monday for scoring a special teams’ touchdown.
On the first play from scrimmage of the second half, Doty burst free for an 85-yard TD run which, after Kassin’s pass to Charles Anderson for the 2-point conversion, put the Mountaineers (6-3) in control at 21-0.
Doty, who recorded 148 yards in 18 carries, broke through the line and just outran the L’Anse defenders for the score.
“It’s for my teammates, the big men up front,” Doty said. I can’t do anything without them. I followed the blocks, found the hole and it was electric.”
L’Anse (5-5) pulled back into the game five minutes later when sophomore Vinny Seratti ran in from the 6-yard line to cap off a 10-play 67-yard march that pulled the Purple Hornets to within 21-7.
But the Mountaineers put the game out of reach when Winters powered in from the 1-yard line with 8:03 remaining in the contest. The scoring drive featured a heavy dose of the 5-foot-8, 200-pound freshman, who finished with 114 yards on 17 carries.
“The difference between a freshman and a junior or senior is big, physically and mentally,” Johnson said. “But they’re fearless. And they’re tough players, so kudos to them.”
Davis kicked a 22-yard field goal with 1:12 left to lift his team to a 31-7 edge before L’Anse senior quarterback Keegan Davidson connected with sophomore wide receiver Reese Laitila for a 73-yard score against the IM second-team defense with 51.9 seconds remaining.
Davidson hit senior Daniel Connor with a 2-point conversion pass to account for the final score.
With the win, the Mountaineers advance to the District 57 championship game against Bark River-Harris (7-1), which beat West Iron County 54-6 Friday to earn its spot in the final.
It will be the third time the Mountaineers and the Broncos will tangle this season with BR-H winning the first two. The Broncos defeated the Mountaineers 30-22 in overtime on Sept. 5 in IM and then powered to a 38-14 win Oct. 10 in Harris.
“It’s tough to beat a team three times in a season, but we respect Bark River,” Johnson said. “They can run the ball, there’s no doubt about it. They’re big, they’re fast, they’re physical, so we’ve got our hands full in that regard, but we’re going to bring everything we’ve got and try to get a victory.”
Until then, the Mountaineer players can enjoy the fact that a team with just 12 upperclassmen has an opportunity to play for a district championship.
“Man, it’s exciting,” Doty said. “I’m happy to be with this squad and to make it this far. It’s a dream come true.”
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