A new era will begin for the Alpena High football team tonight.

Tonight the Wildcats open their season at home at 7 p.m. against rival Escanaba with new coach Aaron Sims making his sideline debut for Alpena. If the last few meetings between the two teams are any indication, the Wildcats are in for a close game and a physical battle.

Both programs are familiar with one another, having played each other every year since 2003. Escanaba has dominated since then, going 10-3 overall against the Wildcats in the past 13 years. Though the Eskymos have come out on top throughout the rivalry, the margin of victory in the past three meetings has been two touchdowns or less.

Alpena’s most recent victory was a 15-7 win over the Eskymos was in 2013. After dropping the last two games against Escanaba, the Wildcats are focused and ready to start this new era of Alpena football off with a win.

“There is a cautious optimism right now. We’re excited about getting back on the field after our scrimmage last week and see where we’re at. I think our kids are ready to go out to play and test themselves,” Sims said. “I try not get myself overly excited and ride the waves, but I know the kids are ready to go, they’re excited and ready to make plays, execute and hopefully come out with a win.”

Alpena will be at full strength heading into tonight’s game and the Wildcats have had an interesting summer with Sims being hired, a new coaching staff being assembled and an ethusiastic buzz generated around town. Fans in attendance will see Alpena’s new scoreboard and some different looks on the football field as Alpena as overhauled its playbook.

“Escanaba is a big, strong, physical team. As far as what we do to prepare, we have our base sets, schemes and principals and we stick to them no matter who we’re playing and we’re not going to pick up special defenses or offenses, we’re just going to get better at what we do and that’s how we’re going to approach every game,” Sims said.

Sims is a master of the Wing-T offense and that is what Alpena will feature in the opener. Defensively, the Wildcats will feature a 4-4 in hopes of shutting down the Eskymos. During his short time with the program, Sims has simplified the playbook with the hopes of getting the team to run that short list of plays to perfection.

The Wildcats know they will have to execute and avoid making mistakes against an Escanaba team that is determined to come into Wildcat Stadium and spoil a much anticipated home opener.

“We are expecting a dog fight. We know Alpena has a lot coming back from last year, including most of their offensive line, their quarterback and a talented group of skill players, so we know they will be ready to go,” Escanaba head coach David Howes said. “We need to focus on fundamental football, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I respect coach Sims and what he has accomplished and I know he will get the best of the kids in Alpena. They will be ready to go and fired up. The past couple meetings have been very close and I expect this one to be no different.”

The Eskymos are hoping to pick up right where they left off from last year as they rallied to win their final three games to secure a playoff spot, while Alpena is ready to prove that its ready to take a step in the right direction and begin a program turnaround, starting with a Week 1 win.

“We need to play with fanatical effort every single play. We are going to look at it one play at a time and not to look at things as a whole. We’re going to be looking for everyone to come out playing with their hair on fire and that’s the plan for everyone to see as well. I’m not going to make any guarantees about outcomes or anything like that. We’re going to work to play with fanatical effort one play at a time,” Sims said.

Jonny Zawacki can be reached via email at jzawacki@thealpenanews.com or by phone at 358-5690.