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ALPENA -- A frustrating season will end tonight for the Alpena High football team, but the Wildcats hope to do all they can to go out winners.
"I think they don't want a sour taste in their mouth to end the season," Alpena coach Eric Mitchell said. "It should be a close game and it will be a battle of who wants it more."
The Wildcats (1-7) close the 2022 season on the road tonight against St. Johns (2-6) with game time slated for 7 p.m.
Alpena hasn't won its season finale since 2018 and would love nothing more than to end the season on high note.
Tonight's game marks the fourth consecutive year the two teams have played one another. The Redwings have won the three previous matchups, but two of the games have been decided by less than 10 points, including the 2018 game where St. Johns made a red zone stand against the Wildcats in Alpena to seal a win.
The Wildcats are hoping for another close game tonight, especially since they know exactly what to prepare for.
"It's going to be a grind," Mitchell said. "They run a single-wing, so we don't need to try and decipher where they're going with the ball."
The Wildcats will attempt to stop a St. Johns squad coming off of a 28-26 win over Ionia last week. Quarterback Carson Pieters passed for 79 yards and a touchdown, running back Mark Bendele ran for 107 yards and a touchdown and Jackson Ballard caught three of Pieters' passes for 79 yards and a score.
On the flip side, Alpena will try to generate enough offensive consistency to give itself a shot at winning. The Wildcats have battled injuries for the last month, but have shown some offensive life in spurts.
Alpena found some second-half success in a loss to Escanaba, but is still averaging just 10 points per contest. With one more chance to win this season, Mitchell said play calling may get creative if need be.
"You have to," Mitchell said. "With the players we have out, you have to get creative. We've been banged up by injuries, but we've still had our chances and we've just missed some opportunities."