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LINCOLN -- Sometimes a one word answer says it all.
"Mistakes," Alcona football coach Jason Somers said as to what led to their 42-24 home loss to St. Ignace Friday.
The Tigers and Saints squared off in a much talked about battle, with both teams entering with undefeated records through two weeks, and neither squad had really been tested to this point. Four second half touchdowns for St. Ignace proved it was the better team this night however.
"I thought we played well at times, but in the end we just had too many mistakes that cost us," Somers said. "The first half we played nearly mistake-free football and it showed on the scoreboard. I thought we executed well on both sides of the ball."
Alcona was able to take a 16-14 lead into the half, getting a pair of Garrett Somers to Jeremiah Bullis touchdown passes. That quickly disappeared once the second half kicked off.
About a minute into the third quarter, St. Ignace running back Kordell KillsCrow broke free for a 56-yard touchdown run and 20-16 lead. The Saints followed that with a touchdown pass from Ethan McLean to Owen Lester, who made a nice leaping grab over a pair of Alcona defenders for a 28-16 advantage.
KillsCrow also ran in from 45 yards out to allow St. Ignace to all but ice the game, with a 34-16 lead.
Bullis did add a touchdown for the Tigers, as the teams traded a score each in the final minutes.
"I thought we played well at times, but in the end just had too many mistakes that cost us," Somers said. "They are physical and have good speed. They presented us with some challenges at certain positions. I thought there were some bright spots on both sides of the ball, however we need to put plays together in order to sustain drives or get off the field."
Somers finished 13-of-21 passing for 131 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran 18 times for 114 yards. Bullis finished with 26 yards and a touchdown on six carries and he had three receptions for 14 yards and two touchdowns. Collin Walker had seven receptions for 68 yards and he also had 67 yards rushing on 19 attempts. William Liebler had three receptions for 49 yards.
On defense, Evan Borsvold had 11 tackles and one sack, Walker had nine tackles and William O'Neill had seven tackles and two sacks.
For the Saints, Ethan McLean was seven-of-11 passing for 73 yards and two touchdowns and he also had 54 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. KillsCrow finished with 197 yards on the ground and Garrett Martin had two rushes for 35 yards and a score. KillsCrow was also big on defense getting 11 tackles and Lester was able to get 10 tackles.
Alcona (2-1 overall) looks to get back on track on Friday, when they head up to Hillman (0-3). The Tigers, while a historically solid program, have struggled so far this season. They've yet to score a point in blowout losses to Whittemore-Prescott (42-0), Mio (50-0) and Posen (46-0).
"They have struggled a bit this year, but they will be at home and their coaches will have them ready," Somers said. "I feel as though they are always a good second part of the season team and we will have to prepare well and then follow it up with a good showing on Friday."