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Sooner or later, is a common thought that can apply to a vast number of events. Take our seasons; Swami has his own thoughts on them. Summer can come a lot sooner, whereas winter would be its best coming later, and for a short period of time as well. When the All-Knowing-One was in his youth, the thought of snow could not come soon enough. Being able to see how high, he could make the banks. Upon completion he would work on his mountain slide, sometimes it worked its way out into the street. Not such a good idea, but back then it was fun. On the other hand, summer was too short, getting out of school one day, and it seemed like the next he was back in it.
Putting it in perspective, summer can be compared to high school football, in his eyes, nine short weeks and it is gone. Players look forward to getting pads, being at practice, then the first game. Before you know it, this week is the end, especially for the seniors. Some teams are fortunate to have next week, for the majority it is over. Everyone, including Swami,i feels that day will be so much later. One must realize, high school is only four years, multiply it by the number of games, equals out to only being roughly three quarters of a year total. With that said, Swami says best of luck to the seniors, in whatever endeavor life leads you down. Let’s see in this final week, if the All-Knowing-One can send them out on a winning note…….
OGEMAW HEIGHTS (6-2) at ALPENA (2-6) – Friday – 7 p.m. – Alpena left the shellacking at the hands of Petoskey go and worked to improve with hard work during the week, leading up to the contest against Sault Ste. Marie. It worked to perfection. The Wildcats took control of the game early. The defense of the Wildcats enabling them to record the shutout, was amazing. The offensive line should have been given the MVP’s award as a unit, giving senior Andrew Szymoniak the blocking to become a touchdown machine on the night. Then when they were not blocking on rushing plays, they switched gears giving quarterback Cash Moughon the time to connect on passing routes. It was the best night overall as both the offense and defense did not commit the errors that could have given the Blue Devils life. With that said, the offense rolled, especially on the ground, as Szymoniak had 25 carries for 225 yards, enroute to a total of 5 touchdowns on the ground. Then hooking up with Moughon on a 41-yard pass play that found the endzone as well. In doing so, breaking two long time records set by Dave Szejbach in 1991. Szymoniak set the new standard of most touchdowns scored in a single contest, in addition to the most points in a game.
The offense of the Wildcats will have to duplicate their effort this week against Ogemaw Heights. The Falcon defense has done a yeoman’s job in controlling offenses, in turning the ball over to the offense that has led them to six wins. The dual of Brenson Keith and Corbin Kanitz have combined for at least 200 yard nights on the ground. Keith in addition to his rushing statistics, has led the way in scoring. All three levels of the Falcon defense have been very active. The defensive secondary has been a magnet for interceptions for the 4 some of: Gage David, Logan Raymond, Eli Smith and Keith have had a least one per game. Another proof the secondary is very active;, safety Jackson Ziegler has average double figure solo tackles, while middle linebacker Kanitz has taken matters seriously with double digit tackles per outing as well. The combination of defensive end Marcellous Rogers, nose guard Jake Fernelius and linebacker Trent Sutherland have made their presence felt as well. The offensive line has opened holes over the last five games to make the rushing game furious in terms of yardage and scoring.
Swami feels for the Wildcats to come out on top; it is going to take another exceptionally played game. It is his hope that both lines will not get burned out in the first half on this senior night. The Falcons do have more weapons especially on offense, then the Wildcats have seen this deep into the season. The six wins the Falcons have produced came by a 40-point average; overall Ogemaw Heights have inflated their numbers. The two latest wins have been against teams that have a combined five wins between them, thus raising the average significantly, with the Falcons scoring 60 points against both Farwell and Standish Sterling. Taking everything into consideration, the All-Knowing-One has to say the Falcons are not a team to be taken lightly. By the same token, he feels they are not invincible. If the Wildcats play the game with the emotion of the night, it can be done.
Swami Sez: Alpena 28, Ogemaw Heights 24.
MIO (5-3) at ROGERS CITY (6-2) – Friday – 7 p.m. – Neither Mio nor Rogers City wanted to enter the final game, coming off losses, but they did. This game is very crucial for both. A win by either, assures them of being North Star League Big Dipper champs. Also, a win by the Hurons assures them of a higher ranking in the post season, likewise the same for the Thunderbolts. Their situation is a little different, for Mio it is a must win game to get in, as there are only sixteen slots in 8-man. The Hurons were on the short end of 38-16 score against Inland Lakes, who are also fighting for the playoffs. Meanwhile, Merrill proved to be too much for Mio, with the win the Vandals held onto the number two position in the playoff system.
Mio has not had any luck, with non-conference teams as all three losses have come at the hands of them. The Thunderbolt lone touchdown came out of the wildcat formation, with Garrett Fox taking the direct snap, finding the endzone from 20 yards out. Fox did have an exceptional game passing completing 10 of 14 attempts, but the Vandals limited the yardage to only 93 yards. Injuries in the game, did not help the Thunderbolts, with two quarterbacks in the contest. The Thunderbolts high powered offense, was held in check as Atreyu Burden had six catches for 76 yards, but could only muster 14 on the ground. The majority of Garrett Fox’s rushing yardage came on the touchdown run. Starting quarterback Logan Fox was 5 of 9 for 63 yards, before leaving the game with an injury. Landon Fritz led the receiving department with for 23 yards, while Noah Boright hauled in two. The Vandals offense in the passing game was too much for the Thunderbolts in wearing down the secondary with long pass plays, then wore down the defensive line with the rushing game.
Rogers City saw its four-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of the Bulldogs. The Hurons points came on a rushing score from Ethan Spens and pass reception by Sam Whitford and Ethan Spens. The Huron’s passing game led by Bryan McKinstry was grounded, as the Bulldogs corralled four interceptions. McKinstry had 13 completions, but it is a low from his season rate. It caused the Hurons to go to the rushing game, that had some success, after a change in defensive alignment limited their game as well. Rushing wise, the Hurons have not seen numbers like this all season long, McKinstry with 9 carries only for 53 yards. Eli Banttari and Whitford combined for 39 rushing yards. Whitford led five receivers with 46 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, only Aiden Kowalski and Daryl Hawley recorded double digit tackles with 15 and 10 respectively.
Playing at home should give the Hurons the advantage. There variables that could change the outcome, one being if the Thunderbolts can get their two quarterbacks healthy to play. The other is, the Hurons will have to get their offense in motion, pass and rushing wise. Defensively, the All-Knowing-One believes they are comparable, with the advantage to neither. Mio can say, their three defeats, have been to teams that are deeply imbedded in the playoff picture, not only team makeup, but the quality of competition they have played. The winner of this contest is assured of playing one more game, while the other sees its season come to a close.
Swami Sez: Rogers City 32, Mio 30.
CHARLETON HESTON (2-5) at HILLMAN (4-4) – Friday – 7 p.m. – Hillman seems to be building a pattern throughout the season, lose two go on a winning streak. In the game against AuGres-Sims set the tone for their finale, by scorching the Wolverines. A win against Charleton Heston, would assure them of a winning season. But it is believed, if the Tigers could wipe one of their four losses off the books, they would have been in contention for one of final post season spots. As of now, it is hindsight, what the Tigers must do, is take care of business tonight against the Patriots. Senior Eddie Prue only put up six passes in the lopsided win, but he let his legs do the talking, rushing for 327 yards, which included six touchdowns. His longest jaunt was for 56 yards, to account for one of his scores. AuGres-Sims did not have an answer for the Tigers powerful offense, on this night. Hillman amassed the highest team total yardage for the season at 469 yards. Also contributing heavily in the rushing game were Ethan Schulze with 70 yards, while Cameron Nowak and Jaden Purol each finished with 30 yards. Part of Purol’s yardage included a TD run. The defense played an outstanding game, only allowing two touchdowns for the entire game; Greydan Klein recorded 12 of the 55 tackles on the evening. While Robby Olschanski cleaned up on seven more, JD Post also made his presence known recording five, as 13 players had a hand in the defensive masterpiece.
Charleton Heston has struggled this season to find wins, after having a winning record last year at 6-2, in addition to capturing the North Star League Big Dipper Division crown. The Patriot offense has also struggled averaging a shade over 12 points per game and are in the midst of a four-game losing streak. The season for Charleton Heston started out on the right foot, with the Patriots averaging 32.5 points per game, but quickly changed with the losses mounting. Injuries have the Patriots scrambling to pull the holes on defense and offense. The opposition having known where the weaknesses on offense and defense, have exploited those areas on both sides of the ball. Another negative for the Patriots, is that they were young when they had a full complement of players. Now there is even less experience to handle the opposition. This game will play on the minds of the Tigers, as payback for last season’s loss, it was one that prevented Hillman from going 7-3. Even if is not for the revenge factor, the Tigers want to send the seniors out with a win, in addition to a winning season. If only Hillman could turn back the hands of time, to reverse the two opening losses, they would be in the drivers seat now. But according to the All-Knowing-One that is the reason why they play the games.
Swami Sez: Hillman 42, Charleton Heston 18.
SUTTONS BAY (0-7) at ALCONA (1-7) -Friday – 7 p.m. – It has been a discouraging year for both Suttons Bay and Alcona. Suttons Bay was only able to play a varsity schedule thanks to the co-op with Northport and Lake Leelanau St. Mary’s. The Norsemen have only strung together 40 points for the season, while giving seven times as many points to the opposition. Needless to say, there have not been many happy moments on their sideline. Making things even worse is the fact; they are called the Traveling Norsemen this season, as their stadium undergoes a complete rebuilt, that includes a new surface. With that, Suttons Bay plans to have football for many years to come. The Norsemen entered the season with Eathan Sams being the only senior on the team, who has held down starting positions on offense and defense as a lineman. The Norseman do have help from the junior class consisting of, Azzy Shananaquet at quarterback, with Easton West starting at running back, in addition to Elijah Kiessel at wide receiver. On defense, it is lineman Juju Sanchez and David Anderson that have experience, meaning that five younger players have filled in the holes. The Norsemen were looking to bounce back from a 2-7 season a year ago, but that did not happen. Graduation took its toll on Suttons Bay as the senior class was the center of the football team. Down the road, athletes will not dwell on a winless season, but with the memories of playing the games, in addition to teammates that made this season.
Alcona is in the same predicament, as to lack of wins. But to their credit, a couple of plays in at least three games, could have turned their season around. The Tigers’ point production per game is nearly 20 points per outing, while the Norsemen stand at a touchdown for the season average.
Even though it has not made a difference in the amount of wins this season, Alcona has almost the entire team returning next year, which is a good sign. A year of experience is a great advantage, by means of player performance and work ethic to make the team stronger in all aspects of the game. Quarterback Grady Goddard has the passing and rushing ability that is needed for the Tigers to go forward. Running back, Adalai Lieber has the ability to follow the blocking of the line, as well as breaking outside for huge runs. Quarterback Michael Burnett has created the ability to keep defenses alert with his options when called upon. Zachary Hall, Lochlin Gordy and Kameron Owens at wide receivers give both quarterbacks a variety of passing rroutes to advance the ball down the field. On defense, Ryan Bartz and Gavin Bittman have been seen on video clips as forces in making critical stops. Swami believes the Tigers have learned how to play the game this season, and have advanced in their style of play, that can only help them next season. The All-Knowing-One says Alcona will go out on a winning note.
Swami Sez: Alcona 30, Suttons Bay 12.
Alcona seems to have the makings of an excellent group of athletes that will shape the football team for years to come.