Frustration and blood pressure were two items that affected Swami this past week. His beautiful 2001 GMC pickup had issues with the door locks, especially when both doors locked with the keys in ignition. His blood pressure went up, knowing that he had to meet someone in 15 minutes. Luckily his grandson Carter Rospierski was close by to help and Swami made his appointment only a few minutes late.

The moral of the story? Take your keys out of your ignition anytime you stop.

Some area teams have had everything going for the them, then something happens to frustrate them. But such is life, sometimes frustrating things happen.

Let’s see if Swami can enjoy the outcome of tonight ‘s games.

PETOSKEY (1-3) at ALPENA (0-4)–7 p.m.–Friday–Both teams are looking for a break. Petoskey and Alpena have run the gauntlet against the top teams in the Big North Conference, but it’s been a tough going. The Northmen were run over by Cadillac, while the Wildcats were just steamrolled by Traverse City Central.

Alpena was unable to score on Cadillac, while Petoskey was able to come up with two scores.

The Northmen raced out to a 14-0 lead against the Vikings and looked unbeatable. Then momentum shifted quickly. Cadillac erased the lead, scoring 27 unanswered points and won the game. Swami can say the effort, intensity and chemistry was there; but it was the execution that did them in. Quarterback Gavin Wargel scored on runs of 10 and 36 yards, and was on target 13 times for 105 yards. Petoskey’s back field of Bryce Beck and Rippin Vining only rushed for 59 yards.

The Wildcats were non-existent on the field against Traverse City Central. The uptempo offense of the Trojans kept Alpena’s defense on the field way too long. In addition, the Wildcats could not move the ball as Kadyn Budnik was limited to 64 yards. The Trojans’ defense kept quarterback Ryan Voltz in their sights and bared down on him forcing two interceptions.

Swami Sez: Alpena 20, Petoskey 14.

HILLMAN (2-2) at PELLSTON (4-0)–7 p.m.–Friday–It looked like a defensive struggle in last week’s Hillman-Posen game.

Swami says the Tigers needed to show they are a complete team, not just great athletes. London Achatz made his 29 carries count for three touchdowns, picking up 144 yards while doing so. Sean Henigan added 111 yards and a single score. Sebastian Greene was big on defense with nine tackles and a sack.

Pellston kept its record clean in a battle of unbeatens, managing to earn a 34-28 win over Gaylord St. Mary. The Hornets stung the Snowbirds in retaliation for last year’s playoff loss. Pellston took advantage of five forced turnovers, turning them into five scores. Trailing 16-6 at half, quarterback Isiah Crawford went to work, passing for 201 yards, rushing for another 87 yards and accounting for two of the Hornets five touchdowns.

Swami thinks the Hornets are in good position for a Ski Valley conference title. The Tigers cannot think ahead as they have a tall task against Pellston. Putting an L on the Hornets would be monumental, going into the final week of the regular season.

Swami Sez: Pellston 48, Hillman 12.

OSCODA (4-0) at ALCONA (0-4)–7 p.m.–Friday–This is exactly what the Tigers do not need; facing a high-octane offense again. The Tigers are still searching for a win, despite some improvements last week against East Jordan.

Zach Stephenson added to his rushing total with 78 yards and a touchdown in the game. Gavin Walker and Jacob Sytek also added touchdowns. Swami believes Stephenson is gaining confidence in the passing game, and helping to open up the rushing game. The Tigers’ defense is rounding into shape, even though they are giving up more points then they want to.

The Owls refuse to slow down their offense, which is not a good sign for the Tigers. Oscoda’s defense also remains perfect, which has been demoralizing for opponents. Oscoda has racked up 212 points and not given up a single point.

Swami has to take all statistics into consideration while making his prediction. At this point, Oscoda has everything to gain if they continue to win, or they could lose rankings and a chance for home field in the playoff game.

Swami Sez: Oscoda 45, Alcona 6.

HALE (3-1) at POSEN (2-1)–7 p.m.–Friday–The Vikings saw their chance for a perfect record ended with a loss to Hillman. After playing a sluggish first half, a 78 yard kickoff return was what Posen needed to kickstart its offense. The Vikings’ momentum lasted a short period of time as Hillman answered with 20 straight points while keeping Posen’s offense in check. Chase Dubie rushed for a touchdown, while gaining 102 yards. Lucas Stone was able to come up with 75 yards. Double digit tackles came from Logan Timm with 12, while Ben Romel and Stone each contributed 11.

Hale sputtered out of the gate in the first two games. Since then, it has put together an offense that has scored 112 points in two games.

Swami has taken a good look at all the games and admittedly the competition doesn’t seem to be the toughest, especially when you consider teams like Au Gres and Mio. The All-Knowing-One has to say the deciding factor was the loss to Hillman last Friday by Posen.

Swami Sez: Hale 28, Posen 20.