Wildcats fall 29-12 at Escanaba
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ESCANABA - Escanaba junior Bryce Bichler ran for four touchdowns Friday night, and the Alpena Wildcats came up short in a 29-12 Big North Conference loss at Escanaba Athletic Field.
Escanaba improved to 1-2 overall and 1-1 in the league. Alpena dropped to 1-2 and 0-2.
"I have to do a better job simplifying things," Wildcats coach DJ Szymoniak said. "We need more effort and that's on me."
Alpena's best early answer came from senior quarterback Andrew Szymoniak. After junior Cash Moughon broke up a fourth-and-7 pass and forced a turnover on downs, Szymoniak kept on an option and went 64 yards for a touchdown. The extra-point kick missed, and Escanaba led 7-6 after one quarter.
That was as close as the Wildcats would get for a long time.
Escanaba scored twice in a span of less than three minutes in the second quarter. Brody Levesque's catch-and-run set up a short Bichler touchdown, making it 14-6 with 10:15 left in the half. After an Alpena punt, Bichler broke free again -- this time for 45 yards -- and the extra point pushed the lead to 21-6 with 7:35 remaining.
The Wildcats still had life. Senior Brody Misiak ripped off a 40-yard run that moved Alpena to the Escanaba 21. The drive died when Szymoniak was stuffed on fourth down. Escanaba then drove for a 46-yard field-goal try as time expired in the half, but Alpena blocked it and went to the locker room down 21-6.
The third quarter followed a familiar pattern. Alpena punted on its first possession. Bichler scored again, and a 2-point conversion made it 29-6 with 41 seconds left in the period.
Alpena did respond with its best sustained drive of the night, reaching the Escanaba 9 as the third quarter ended. Facing fourth-and-7 to open the fourth, the Wildcats threw. The pass was intercepted, and Escanaba took over at the 16 with 11:54 to play.
Szymoniak later scored from 11 yards out, reaching the pylon to make it 29-12. The 2-point try failed. Escanaba did not score in the fourth quarter.
Szymoniak finished with 162 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries. Misiak added 54 yards on five attempts. Senior Greyson Srebnik caught three passes for 29 yards.
Bichler also completed 4 of 11 passes for 79 yards. Escanaba rushed for 307 yards as a team.
The loss closed a three-game road swing that began with a 27-8 win at Boyne City and a 34-21 defeat at Cadillac. Friday was the kind of night Alpena had marked as a chance to get back to .500 before coming home.
That home stretch starts Friday, when the Wildcats host Gaylord at 7 p.m. at Park Family Field at Wildcat Stadium. The game is listed as Valor Night, the program's annual tribute to veterans and first responders - a tradition Szymoniak brought with him from Gaylord.
Friday's game is also scheduled to feature an F-16 flyover, a fitting backdrop in a city that shares a runway with the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center.
Gaylord has owned the recent series, including a 41-0 win a year ago. After Friday's trip to the Upper Peninsula, Alpena will have a week on its own field.
"We will get better," Szymoniak said. "We don't have any other option."