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Memory has a way of leading you in the wrong direction.
Swami relied on it to find his truck keys. He thought he knew exactly where they were. That was not the case. After hours of searching, he gave up on his memory, only to hear his wife say, "Come here. I found them."
The lost was found in a jacket pocket of a coat that had not been worn in over seven months.
There is still time that teams can will themselves to wins in the last two weeks. Let's see if Swami can find his way in this week's column.
ESCANABA (1-6) at ALPENA (1-6), TODAY, 7 p.m. -- Alpena was able to walk away with a positive in a 21-6 loss to Sault Ste. Marie last week. The Wildcats were able to control the passing game of the Blue Devils, allowing just 51 yards through the air, including an interception by Easton Srebnik as the Sault was looking to add a fourth touchdown. Swami says there was a remarkable improvement over the first six weeks, with the defense spending a majority of the time on the field. The anemic offense saw numbers continuing to fall to 128 total yards. Quarterback Jake Zann hit John Eaton for the only points the Wildcats could muster late in the fourth quarter.
Likewise, Escanaba was held to only 131 yards as Gaylord rolled to a 38-8 win. The Eskymos avoided a shutout with a garbage-time touchdown by Chase Cloutier, in addition to the two-point conversion. Escanaba has dealt with the same problems as the Wildcats. Quarterback Nolan Bink has been instrumental in the offensive scheme. The offense is primarily rush, which Bink has led. Ben Johnson is the lead back of the two-back system. Cloutier is the best bet to break through the line with his speed.
If this game follows the script, it very well could be a defensive struggle to see who will break first. Both lines are equal in size. Last week, the Sault definitely had the advantage in size. Swami thinks that, if the offense of Alpena can get off to a fast start, especially in the passing game, it might bode well for the Wildcats.
Swami Sez: Marquette 28, Alpena 18.
ONAWAY (3-4) at PELLSTON (1-6), TODAY, 7 p.m. -- Onaway had hoped to get above .500 and ride that momentum into the final two games. Central Lake had other ideas, and it worked in a 52-40 homecoming win. After a tremendous start, the Cardinals are in the midst of a three-game losing streak. It has been the defense not being able to come up with the big stop, in addition to turnovers, that has led to the downfall. In the loss, quarterback Jackson Chaskey had another big night in the rushing category, with 222 yards on 27 attempts, including three touchdowns. He was dead on, with 10-of-12 night in the passing department, including touchdown tosses to Justin Kramer and Luke Lovelace. On defense, it was Lovelace leading the way, with help from Lelin Splan, Gavin Green, and Brendon Brewbaker, in addition to a quarterback sack recorded by Levi Rigot. Overall, the defense played well. It was just lapses on kickoff returns and a couple of turnovers that swung the game to the high-powered Central Lakes.
Pellston had very little go right in a 48-0 loss to Inland Lakes. The Hornets managed a meek 67 yards of offense. Three fumbles and four interceptions did not help their cause. The only bright spot on both sides of the ball was Brach Taylor, with 16 tackles and a fumble recovery. Graduation has really hurt the makeup of the Hornet team. They are learning the hard way, but Swami says taking their lumps this year will help in future years.
Swami Sez: Onaway 35, Pellston 9.
ROGERS CITY (4-3) at ALCONA (6-1), TODAY, 7 p.m. -- Alcona handled the pressure of a high-stakes game with AuGres, and their rewards were two-fold: First, it assured them of a playoff game, in addition to valuable points toward a possible home game. Rogers City managed to squeak by Mio -- it was not pretty, but it was a game the Hurons had to have, moving them above .500 for the first time this season. The pressure is still on the Hurons, as they need at least one of the last two games to have a chance at the postseason. Two wins would almost assure them of getting in. This game has some extra incentive -- with the win, the Hurons could claim the Big Dipper conference title, or, if it does go the way of the Tigers, then they would lay claim to it.
Against the Wolverines, everything went through Alcona quarterback Garrett Somers, to make him the MPV of the game. Somers had two touchdown tosses to Jeremiah Bullis and Collin Walker, to go with his 200-yard night. In addition to having three interceptions on defense, two were returned for touchdowns and set up the Tiger offense for an easy score. Alcona took advantage of the Wolverine defense to put points on the board, either by some shoddy tackling or blown coverages in the secondary. The Tigers would amass 353 yards when all was said and done against a defense that grudgingly gave up points. Alcona is building momentum at the right time of the season, since a loss to St. Ignace in week three, in addition to scoring at least 40 points per game. Defensively, it was Evan Borsvold and William O'Neill, besides Somers, who stood out.
Rogers City did not have an easy time with Mio, with a come-from-behind 36-28 win. The Thunderbolts played their best game of this 2023 season by matching the Hurons point for point before Rogers City came up with two touchdowns in the second half.
Swami Sez: Alcona 40, Rogers City 14.
ATLANTA (3-4) at POSEN (6-0) -- TODAY, 7 p.m.
The march is still on for Posen to continue toward a perfect season. The Viking defense has given reason why they are perfect, only allowing approximately nine points per contest. Offensively, there hasn't been a team that can stack up against them. Scoring an average of 53 points per contest, it would take a miraculous scoring output just to put Atlanta in contention for a win. The Vikings did it their way in the latest win over Rock-Mid Peninsula, 58-12. Posen used the ground game to get out front early as Jack Romel, Ethan Romel, John Ennest, Alex Soik, and Colton Paull all scored. Quarterback Jack Romel had an easy afternoon, going one-of-two for 25 yards and a touchdown, before giving way to Grayson Hincka, who went four-of-six for 68 yards and a touchdown toss. Logan Timm and Alex Soik were both on the receiving ends. Two interceptions by Jack Romel and Eli Chojacki handing out tackles led the Viking defense.
Atlanta with back-to-back wins over Charlton Heston and Hillman gave the Huskies an opportunity to get to the .500 mark. Quarterback Jace Cheedie will have to be on his game with tosses to Brett Culham, Blake King, and Landon Galea to make a dent in the Viking defense. The Husky defense, led by Culham, Cheedie, and Cohen Armock, cannot afford to misread the Vikings offensive scheme. If they do, they will be chasing from behind. If Atlanta is able to spring the upset, the Huskies could finish above .500, as their last game is against Hillman.
Swami does believe anything is possible, but Posen just has too many offensive threats for Atlanta to cover one-on-one. It is his hope they give the Vikings a game. Time will tell, but do not expect the upset.
Swami Sez: Posen 48, Atlanta 8.