News Photo by Leslianne Johns Wildcat Brady Chapman reaches up to catch the football just before the goal line on Friday night.

ALPENA – The Alpena Wildcats showed grit and determination in front of their home crowd, but a slow start ultimately cost them in a 48-39 loss to Cadillac on Friday night in Big North Conference play. The defeat drops Alpena to 0-4 on the season, while Cadillac improved to 2-2.

Cadillac wasted no time establishing control. Quarterback Domenic Wing opened the scoring on a one-yard sneak, then later connected with Johnnie Daniels for a 29-yard touchdown strike. Running back David Nobles added a two-yard touchdown run, and Wing capped off a dominant half with another one-yard rushing score. By halftime, the Vikings had surged to a commanding 35-7 lead. Alpena’s lone bright spot in the first half came when quarterback Andrew Szymoniak broke free for a 43-yard touchdown run midway through the second quarter.

Despite the large deficit, Alpena refused to quit. The second half began with a long kickoff return by Thorin Rogers that set up another Szymoniak rushing touchdown from three yards out to cut the score to 35-13. Just a few minutes later, Szymoniak showcased his breakaway speed, racing 92 yards down the sideline for his third touchdown of the night and bringing Alpena even closer.

Momentum continued to swing as Alpena’s defense held Cadillac scoreless on four consecutive drives. The Wildcats capitalized when Szymoniak connected with Eion Eades for a 13-yard touchdown pass, narrowing the score to 35-25 with just over eight minutes to play. Cadillac responded quickly, putting together a three-play, 56-yard drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown run by Nobles. Another Cadillac score extended the lead to 48-32, but Alpena continued to fight. Szymoniak added his fourth rushing touchdown of the night from 12 yards out with just 42 seconds remaining, capping an incredible individual performance that included five total touchdowns, 225 rushing yards, and 172 passing yards.

The Wildcats recovered an onside kick in the closing moments, and Aiden Aube capped off the night with a final touchdown to bring the score to 48-39. Although the comeback ultimately fell short, Alpena’s 39 points marked their highest offensive output since 2019 and showed signs of progress heading into the second half of the season.

After the game, Szymoniak credited his teammates for the offensive spark in the second half.

“It was with the help of my offensive line and the running backs and receivers helping set the blocks and help set the edge for our team to be successful in the second half,” he said.

He described his 92-yard touchdown run in detail.

“I just ran to the outside and my line and receivers executed their blocks perfectly,” he said. “I saw one defender and tried to beat him to the outside, and once that happened I just saw green grass and ran.”

Szymoniak noted that the team’s strong finish boosted confidence moving forward.

“We feel more confident in our personnel and we feel like we can compete for all four quarters and move the ball,” he said. On the comeback push, he added, “We just thought about taking it one touchdown at a time and build from each possession and then on defense doing our jobs and making big plays.”

Looking ahead, Szymoniak believes the Wildcats can build on this effort by “playing all four quarters and playing for each other like we have been doing all season and knowing our assignments.”

Next up, Alpena will travel to Petoskey on Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff, as they continue searching for their first win of the year.