Wildcats push for win vs. Escanaba tonight

ALPENA -- After six straight losses, the Alpena High football team is looking to finish the season strong, heading into its second-to-last game of the year tonight.

The Wildcats (1-6, 0-5 Big North Conference) look to turn their season around by taking on a cold Escanaba team. The Eskimos (1-6, 0-5 BNC), similarly to Alpena, have yet to win a game since the season opener and are winless in the conference.

Game time is 7 p.m. at Park Family Field at Wildcat Stadium.

Over the past four years, Alpena and Escanaba have split the series, accumulating two wins each.

In its most recent matchup, the Wildcats suffered a 46-21 defeat as Alpena struggled to stop the Eskimos' offensive attack all night. Being unable to wrap up and tackle while struggling to stop Escanaba's screen passes proved a massive struggle last season.

Tonight, Alpena plans to limit momentum-shifting plays and prevent the Eskimos from scoring on huge plays down the field.

"We're expecting to see a lot of big shot plays," Alpena coach Eric Mitchell said. "Watching a lot of their film, I believe whichever team is more successful running the ball will be the winner of the game. (Escanaba) has very few red zone touchdowns this year, so limiting the deep plays will be key."

One obstacle that could stand in the path of both teams' offenses is weather. With rain and high winds projected, both sides expect to limit pass plays and rely on the run.

The Wildcats' main struggles over the past three weeks have been putting points on the board and developing a run game. Managing only 12 points over that stretch will not cut it, so Alpena's offense will have to come ready to play to stand a chance.

"Our blocking has to be better for this (game).," Mitchell said. "Establishing the run game has been a struggle for us all season long, but, after practicing our blocking and run attack for this game, we should be more efficient and ready to go on Friday."

With Alpena and Escanaba coming off double-digit losses in the last two weeks, both sides are searching for redemption before the end of the season. The game will also be the final conference game for both teams, leaving one team winless in the BNC.

"After watching the film on Escanaba, I see a very similar team to us that does many things well and poorly," Mitchell said. "As a team, we feel very confident in our abilities, and we're going to bring our best effort to them."