Jere Bey, A.K.A. "Swami"

There have been a lot of questions of Swami over the last 42 years. One that is asked more than any other is why do you continue to write about high school athletes you really do not know? The answers will vary from time to time, but his honest answer is very self-apparent to him. Growing up, the All-Knowing-One tried out for various sports, only to see him come up one step short of making the team. One of the reasons, he answered himself, in his teen years, there was a lot more talent back then in numbers to choose from. That being said satisfied his thought of not being chosen. Now to the present, where there are so many avenues that the youth can go down, so every athlete is almost assured of making the team. That doesn’t really answer the question of why in writing columns?

OK, anyone that has attended any sports venue has seen athletes that only play a few downs in football, as well in any high school sport. But it was a new sports editor that came to Alpena four decades ago that saw the articles that were submitted in the sports section of The News. That person, Rodney Hart, came up to the booth at the football stadium, introduced himself and two started talking. Then the question was asked, would you like to do a weekly column on area football, yes was the definite answer and that is how it all started. Once he began writing, he put more into his thoughts, why not make everyone on the team feel good? They made the team, and eventually began including as many athletes into his column as he could, rounding out the entire team concept. That is the real reason why, to give recognition and to have an attachment to all teams in the area, if it is only through writing. So, let’s see if he can continue his ultimate goal this week…

SAULT STE. MARIE (0-6) at ALPENA (0-6) Tonight at 7 p.m.

Homecoming no better than now for the first win, let the celebrating begin. The Wildcats found out that Gaylord was for real, being ranked and heading up the Big North Conference. Two of Alpena’s first three drives ended up short of the goal line in the only real opportunities the Wildcats would have to score. The Blue Devils completely deflated any hopes the Wildcats would have for an upset, as the result of the use of the rush. Wearing down the Wildcat defense, is what Gaylord did rushing for more than 300 yards, add in the passing yardage. Alpena did have some success on the ground with Andrew Szymoniak breaking loose for 115 yards, in addition to completions for another 70.

Sault Ste. Marie was able to score late in the contest; Micah Aikens broke the plane avoiding the shutout loss. Aikens led the Blue Devils in rushing as well with 61 yards on 15 attempts. The Blue Devils as a team could only muster 105 rushing yards. The passing game was nonexistent with one completion for 15 yards. The second half was played with a running clock as Cedar Spring scored 42 over two quarters. The Blue Devils have been limited to a single score in four of their first six games. The porous defense has allowed the opponents to score an average of 43 points per contest.

The Wildcats despite being shut out over the last two weeks, average 11 points per contest, while giving up 34 per game. What Swami sees here, this could be a defensive affair, as both sides over the second half of the season, have a hard time finding pay dirt. The All-Knowing-One has to say, playing at home, in front of a homecoming crowd, will be all the incentive the Wildcats will need.

Swami Sez: Alpena 24, Sault Ste. Marie 6.

WHITTEMORE-PRESCOTT (1-5) at ALCONA (1-5) Tonight at 7 p.m.

Both Alcona and Whittemore-Prescott are looking for a win. A win will not turn around either’s season, but will give them hope for the final two weeks. Alcona took a loss at the hands of Charleton Heston, who has a chance of finishing above 500 which would be a first for the school. The Tigers gave the Patriots a game with the rushing game, led by Brandon Fogle’s 284 yards to go along with two touchdowns. Keegan Ritchie also lugged the ball impressively with 173 yards, adding two more touchdowns to Alcona’s total. The Patriots managed to break through the Tigers’ defense either with long pass plays or the rush, that kept Alcona off balance. The quick scoring plays kept the defenses of both sides off the field, but the Tigers would have wished just the opposite would have happened to tip the scales in their favor.

Whittemore-Prescott for the first time this season was shutout by the Mio Thunderbolts. The Cardinals attempted to go straight up on defense, but to no avail as the Thunderbolts used every offensive set to counteract Whittemore’s strategy, working it to perfection. All-purpose running back Bodie Lintz has been the leader on offense, as the Cardinal tend to rely on the ground game. Sophomore quarterback Hunter Clayton has a completion rate of 75%, with his main target being Kamryn Zilinsky. Even with this said, Swami can see the Cardinals have been scoring an average of 34 points per game, including the shutout by Mio. In looking at this game, he has to say, if the fans are looking for an offensive show this might be your night. Alcona has put together three straight games of 26 points, which is their season average. So, on paper, the Cardinals should have the advantage by 8 points. Looking at head-to-head competition, the Tigers have the edge in three comparable games. So, the All-Knowing-One has to say, he’s wondering which team will be on their game.

Swami Sez: Alcona 30, Whittemore-Prescott 28.

ROGERS CITY (4-2) at MIO (5-1) Tonight at 7 p.m.

What is at stake between Rogers City and Mio? The Hurons need a win to almost assure they will be in contention for a post-season bid. Whereas, Mio would secure a playoff game with the same. The Hurons face an uphill battle having lost two straight, with a strong Inland Lakes last week, then what Swami calls an upset at the hands of Charleton Heston. The Hurons basic offense against the Bulldogs was quarterback Bryan McKinstry to Sam Whitford. McKinstry was only able to complete five of 18 attempts against the top secondary. Forty of his 66 yards went to Whitford. The ground game was limited to 54 total yards, with basically only having a shade over 100 yards of total offense, made it extremely hard to reach the red zone. The Bulldogs held Rogers City two main receivers Austin Lesko and Nolan Lesko in check with a tight defensive coverage. In addition, Clayton Rhode was limited to carries and yardage, when the game swung in favor of the Bulldogs.

The Thunderbolts completely dominated the Cardinals of Whittemore-Prescott from the opening kickoff. Guage Spitzer had the Thunderbolts striking quick early in the first quarter. The remainder of the quarter was spent in the trenches, with no more scoring. Spitzer would go onto lead the rushing attack with 151 yards on 15 rushing attempts, to go with three touchdowns. Quarterback Brody Fox threw for 80 yards on five completions, in addition to running for 104 yards including a touchdown. The rock-solid defense of the Thunderbolts was led by junior Hunter Nichols recording 12 tackles and a sack, Atreyu Burden was close behind. The defensive charge did not end there, Brock Stewart had six tackles, including a fumble recovery, Logan Fox and Landen Fritz also got into the action with solid contributions.

The All-Knowing-One sees the Hurons have almost lost their defensive advantage in points given being shut out while the opposition has scored 87 points over the last two outings. On the other side of the coin, the Thunderbolts have only given 94 points over the season to this point. Swami figures defensive strategy will make a difference of these two North Star teams. This conference game could have a definite change in the standings. It remains to be seen.

Swami Sez: Mio 42, Rogers City 32.

HILLMAN (5-1) at CHARLETON HESTON (3-2) Tonight at 7 p.m.

Hillman bounced back nicely against Atlanta, after a loss against Inland Lakes. The Tigers went with a balanced attack of the run pass offense. Evan Crane became the focal point for quarterback Xavier Nichols with 220 receiving yards and four touchdowns, giving him a career high. In addition to rushing for another 51 yards on only five carries. Nichols had a nice game passing completing 10 of 16 attempts for 248 yards. The rushing game did not take a back seat either. Eddie Prue led the way with 111 yards on 16 carries, and even had time to throw a 25-yard TD. Pass. The rushing attack almost matched the passing attack with 245 yards on only 42 rushes. Eli Schulze and Ethan Deville also got in the action with 40 and 16 yards respectively, as Crane and Nichols picked up the remaining yards.

Hillman’s points against rose with the last game as Atlanta put up 34 points as the defense collapsed after only allowing two touchdowns in the previous three games. The Tigers do have a commanding advantage as points scored, doubling the output of the Patriots. The Patriots have a chance of making it to the postseason, even playing an eight-game schedule, instead of nine.

Charleton Heston has a two-game winning streak and looking to make it three. The Patriots have been riding high on the arm of Dylan Cichowski, but has the vision to pull the ball down, and look for openings in the opposition’s defense with a run. Tiernan Hinmon and Deslyn Klumpp have been Cichowski’s main go to targets, who are also the one two rushing punch. Defensively the duo consisting of Corbin Greenless, and Owen Romancky have been the leaders.

Swami thinks this game could be a defensive battle, or a high scoring affair it all depends who lights the fuse first. A low scoring affair if both teams return to their defensive capabilities. Only time will tell here.

Swami Sez: Hillman 48, Charlton Heston 24.