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

There is one word that can turn anyone’s world upside down, that being miscommunicate. Swami has seen it in action far too many times over the years, mainly because he has either read it or not into his mind. The most recent that comes to mind, the All-Knowing-One was to announce a sporting event. His thought process had it starting at 5 o’clock. After a few errands before, it put him at the game site about 45 minutes before the start. He nestled in, running through his pre-game ritual, now it is about a half hour before, still no teams. That in itself caused some alarm… was it the wrong time or better yet was it the wrong day? Surely, he could not be wrong having seen it in print? The only way to find out, if his mind had miscommunicated to him, was to text someone. Within seconds, the answer came back 6 not 5 and yes arriving home to find out that he miscommunicated to himself.

It can happen in any facet of life. Not to single anyone out, it can even play out on the football field. The playbook has additions to it every week, add in a new running or passing play, and in a split second the mind is scrambling, this is what was called. When it was not, the receiver goes for hook, the quarterback throws a streak, the line blocks one way and the back goes the other. Everyone has miscommunicated, no one is exempt, it is fact of life. Even the Swami as you have read, he is hoping it is not part of his column this week…

ALPENA (0-5) at GAYLORD (5-0) — Tonight at 7 p.m.

Life on the road has not been kind to Alpena this season. It was especially difficult losing to Petoskey last Friday, after the Wildcats were on the verge of victory the week before. A Northmen team that had lost three straight was looking to right the ship on homecoming. They did with a 24-0 win, but they did not blow out the Wildcats as the score might indicate. Alpena’s defense for the most part bent but did not break. A first quarter pass accounted for the first score midway through, giving the Northmen all the points they would need. The Alpena faithful were hoping for a repeat of the performance against Cadillac the week before, but it never came. The Northmen defense keyed on quarterback Andrew Szymoniak, pressuring the pass and concentrated on the run. The Wildcats changed up with Zach Orban at quarterback and Szymoniak going to wide receiver, with two pass completions, as Alpena was looking to score. But a fourth down defensive rush ended the hope and kept them scoreless.

Gaylord looked like they were in dog fight to remain unbeaten against conference foe Cadillac, trailing 9-8 at the end of the half. The Blue Devils left the Vikings in the dust, scoring 29 unanswered points in the second half. The first four wins for Gaylord were less than a six-point difference. But the Blue Devils left the odds makers at a loss. Swami is also looking at the point differential of the game, adding on the difference in the Wildcat loss, should give Gaylord plenty of cushion for a win. Once again, the Wildcats will face a nifty running game led by Kaven Cole, who rushed for 124 yards in addition to scoring one of six touchdowns. Finn Miller took advantage of a bad snap by Cadillac, to returning it 45 yards for the first touchdown of the night. Turnovers also played into the hands of the Blue Devils as Jaron Bensinger forced two fumbles that led to scores. Bensinger was also in the backfield all night long, recording nine tackles.

Swami cannot rule out the chance for an upset, but it will take a rock-solid defense, in addition to providing pass protection to allow the rushing game to do its thing.

Swami Sez — Gaylord 28, Alpena 12.

ATLANTA (2-3) at HILLMAN (4-1) — Tonight at 7 p.m.

After running off four straight wins, Hillman knew they were in a game against Inland Lakes featuring two ranked teams. The Bulldogs dealt the Tigers a 49-14 loss, and despite the outcome, Hillman had another impressive game from Eddie Prue both rushing and receiving. Defensively, Prue was the leader as well with nine tackles. Inland Lakes must not have had a memory loss, recalling the loss to Hillman back in 2017, as they have a perfect game plan this go around. The Tiger rushing attack, which is one of their mainstays, was limited to 77 total yards. Quarterback Xavier Nichols faced a secondary that allowed 131 yards, but had two interceptions that stalled drives. Evan Crane led the way in the receiving department with 49 yards. The Tigers just could not get untracked, recording the lowest total yardage of the year with 208 yards. Swami says the biggest test for the Tigers will be, can they block out this game and not let it destroy the momentum they had over the first four games?

Atlanta is back on the winning track, after suffering a setback, and they did it in a big way against Forest Area. The Huskies were able to score at will, resulting in a running clock. Brett Culham made the best of his six rushing carries with going for scores, in addition to picking up 147 yards. Culham is working on his scoring ability, breaking into double-digit rushing touchdowns on the year. Eli Hagemeister also made large contributions in the receiving department, gaining large chunks of yardage after numerous receptions. Looking at the points given up by Forest Area, shows they have not faced the caliber of the Husky offense to this point of the season. The Huskies added to the points given up by Forest Area, by over a quarter of the total points scored against in one game. The question is can the Huskies do the same to Hillman and get back into the North Star Conference race? Both teams have big questions to answer, but only one will walk away with a win.

Swami Sez — Hillman 40, Atlanta 20.

ROGERS CITY (4-1) at INLAND LAKES (5-0) — Tonight at 7 p.m.

Toughness of schedule has its value, and Inland Lakes is proof of this as they maintained a stronghold in second in the latest rankings. Playing Hillman last weekend who is also ranked, add in a lopsided win, helped them out. Quarterback Ty Kolly to a wide-open Mason Green started off the scoring for the Bulldogs. Kolly read the Tigers defense to free himself for touchdowns, breaking through the middle of the line, then following blockers down the sidelines, while mixing in touchdown tosses. The defense of Inland Lakes pursues the ball very well and when it appears the opposition broke down, they make the adjustments to hold teams to minimal gains. The offense plays every possession one down at a time, and eventually wears down opposing defenses to gain the upper hand and long drives.

Rogers City visited unchartered territory as the Hurons failed to put points on the board. In the winning streak, the Hurons averaged 30 points, but they ran into an upset-minded Charleton Heston and their defensive plan worked to perfection. The bright spot for the Hurons was the play of freshmen Sam Whitford rushing for 113 yards, in addition to 33 receiving yards that accounted for two-thirds of Rogers City’s total offense. Quarterback Bryan McKinstry put the ball in the air 21 times, completing 12 for 122 yards, which was subpar for the first half of the season. The Patriots’ game plan was to shut down the rushing game of the Hurons, which they did to perfection. The rushing trio of Nolan Lesko, Justin Romel and McKinstry were held to negative yardage, which is another first. Swami says how do you correct the problem, that is the big question, as the only points the Bulldog defense has given up were 14 points to Hillman over the first five games.

Swami Sez — Inland Lakes 48, Rogers City 21.

MIO (4-1) at WHITTEMORE-PRESCOTT (1-4) — Tonight at 7 p.m.

Mio is working its way to the postseason, which would be back-to-back seasons. The Thunderbolts came one step closer with a win over Alcona, 40-26. Mio has used game plans to their perfection — if the run is to their advantage or if the pass is a better route, it is used. In the latest win, it was the rushing game. Gauge Spitzer used 21 rushes to gain 119 yards good for three touchdowns, and Atreyu Burden was close behind with 116 yards and two TDs. Quarterback Brody Fox used the pass to gain 89 yards, spreading the defense out to give the rushing game the advantage.

The first half, Whittemore-Prescott matched the offensive output of AuGres. The game took a turn towards AuGres on the last play of the half, as Cole Dewald found pay dirt from 22 yards out. Despite being on the losing end of a 60-36 score, Aiden Bell had an exceptional rushing game with 229 yards in garnering three touchdowns. Quarterback Blake Miller had an off night, completing only two passes for 27 yards, with both receptions to Bodie Lintz. Tyler Schliep led the Cardinal defense with nine tackles, Lintz added seven, in addition to Travis Marr and Silas Williamson each recording six. The Wolverines put the game away in the second half, taking advantage of turnovers, in addition to the aerial game that found their mark. Swami has to say, the Cardinals have to find a way to get the defense off the field and to have a more consistent offense. It is games like this that bring out the best in players, which were not seen before. The Cardinals are hoping they can plug those changes into this week’s game.

Swami Sez — Mio 38, Whittemore-Prescott 6.