Swami got quite the surprise last week.

Opening up the sports page last Friday, Swami was shocked to read about how he suddenly had another daughter, who’d gotten married no less. His youngest daughter has in fact been married some 16 years and there’s been no extra children added to the family.

The real reason Swami missed Alpena’s game against Gaylord was to attend his wife’s 50th class reunion.

The All-Knowing-One spent a good portion of the day and night explaining to folks where he was and why they had never heard of Swami’s (apparent) other daughter. It was all taken in stride and he had fun with it.

Let’s get down to some serious business and pick this week’s games.

ALPENA (2-2) at TRAVERSE CITY WEST (2-2)–Saturday–Alpena ventures to Traverse City after having three straight home games. The Titans are coming off a disastrous loss to Traverse City Central and would like nothing better than to beat the Wildcats. Alpena cannot rest on its laurels for this contest. The Wildcats have visited Thirlby Field too many times and lost. To change that, they’re going to need to overcome the Titans and playing on the road.

Lots of people thought the West-Central Patriot game would be close and go down to the wire, but Central had other plans. The Titans were held 142 total yards, evenly split at 71 yards on the ground and through the air. West was led by Christian Boivin with 33 yards on seven carries and Chase Tyson with 24 yards.

The Wildcats had a more entertaining contest, but the last five minutes had the Alpena faithful holding their breath before Alpena hung on for the win.

Eli Winter had another big game–192 yards on 31 carries with three touchdowns–and Jordan Schultz did a good job blocking and opening holes for him. Quarterback Ryan Voltz turned in another solid start, connecting on 9-of-13 attempts including a beautiful 65-yard TD strike to Kelley Stark.

The Titans came out of Friday’s game with some injuries. They lost starting quarterback Andy Soma with a hairline fracture in his throwing hand and right tackle Caleb Hippensteel missed the contest too.

The Wildcats must continue improving to make a statement, if only because the Titans will be hungry and eager to bounce back from last week.

Swami Sez: Traverse City West 24, Alpena 18.

MIO (3-1) at HILLMAN (4-0)–Friday–Old time North Star League rivals will play each other in an eight-player game. Does it take away from the rivalry? Swami says no: the rivalry is as intense and both teams are aiming for another win to bolster their resume.

The Tigers were put to the test in the first half against Au Gres last week, before quarterback Nash Steinke, Caleb Sanders and Gunner Mellingen took matters into their own hands.

Steinke threw a strike to Isaac Morrison, while Sanders rushed for four touchdowns and Mellingen provided three more. Sanders led the ground attack with 192 yards, while Mellingen worked his magic on offense and defense and Steinke took command of the offense.

Swami says the Tigers have to make a statement early and play strong defense this week.

Mio could be considered a breakout team this year, sitting at 3-1 after a long string of 11-player football losses. Quarterback Brendan DeFlorio continues to make believers out of defenses, River Waisanen has turned into the go-to receiver and the backfield has been taken over by the play of Pete Socia. All three of them were stellar last week against Charlton Heston.

Offense will set the tone in this game.

The Tigers have Sanders and Mellingen in the backfield, while the Thunderbolts mainly ride on the arm of DeFlorio. Which team has the best offense? Swami says it is difficult to say and there are many variables in play: weather, defense and the ability to capitalize on turnovers. 

Swami Sez: Hillman 28, Mio 27.

ROGERS CITY (0-4) at OSCODA (4-0)–Friday–The Hurons are still looking for a breakout game, while the Owls are still flying high.

The Hurons only scored a single touchdown in each of their first three games and came up empty against Mancelona. In Swami’s eye, a team that can only score a single touchdown per game isn’t going to win too many games, unless your defense can play shutout ball. The Hurons have not been able to do that.

Oscoda continues to soar to new heights. Last week, the Owls showed no ill effects from a 500-mile bus trip, racking up 501 yards of offense in the easy win. Quarterback Bryden Mallak threw for another 116 yards, while Andy Dault came up with three big plays, going for another 128 yards. The defense only allowed Unity 76 yards of total offense.

Rogers City’s defense will be put on notice from the outset. The Hurons are going to have to play mistake-free ball to give themselves a chance. The All-Knowing-One just has bad vibes about the Hurons’ chances. The Owls have too much going for them: excellent offensive schemes and a rock solid defense.

Swami Sez: Oscoda 42, Rogers City 14.

WHITTEMORE-PRESCOTT (1-3) at ALCONA  (1-3)–Friday–This is a game about getting back on track since both teams have lost three straight contests.

Last week, the Tigers had turnover problems and couldn’t convert on third down in a loss to Oscoda. Swami says that’s something you can ill afford to do if you want to come out with a W.

The Tigers’ best drive was the opening series, but the inability to convert on fourth down gave the Owls all the momentum they needed. Alcona had very little success from that point on.

To make matters worse, Alcona starting quarterback Gavin Walker was forced to the sidelines early in the second half and did not return. At press time it’s unknown if he’ll play and if he doesn’t Alcona’s offense will be under further strain.

The lone bright spot for the Cardinals has been the play of Dakota McKuen, who rushed for 151 yards on 26 carries, including a 96 yard streak to the end zone. He also had an interception. Outside of McKuen, the Cardinals have had very little to cheer about on offense.

This might be a game with very little scoring. The team that crosses the goal line first might take the win. 

Swami Sez: Alcona 12, Whittemore-Prescott 8.