Alpena football falls to Petoskey
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ALPENA -- The Alpena Wildcats fell 35-0 to the Petoskey Northmen on Friday night at Wildcat Stadium in a Big North Conference game on Cancer Awareness Night.
Petoskey opened in no-huddle tempo and scored on its first possession. Jace Shaw ran 42 yards for a touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, leaving the Northmen ahead 6-0 with 9:10 remaining in the first quarter.
Alpena's first drive started at its own 35-yard line. Facing fourth-and-3, the Wildcats attempted a fake punt that failed. Petoskey took over on downs at the Alpena 40-yard line and converted the short field. Keaton Pethers caught a touchdown pass, and the extra-point kick was good. Petoskey led 13-0 with 4:02 left in the first quarter, and that was the score at the end of the period.
The Northmen added two more scores before halftime. They scored midway through the second quarter to make it 19-0, then forced a Wildcats turnover. Alpena's defense held on the following drive, and Petoskey missed a field-goal attempt. The Northmen scored again with 21 seconds left in the half, making it 27-0 at the break.
Alpena managed no first downs in the first half. The Wildcats punted on all four possessions and rotated quarterbacks without establishing a consistent rhythm. They did not record an offensive first down until less than three minutes remained in the third quarter, and they never advanced the ball past midfield.
Petoskey scored once more in the second half and converted a two-point try to reach 35-0 with 7:15 left in the third quarter, forcing a running clock. The remainder of the game moved quickly. Alpena picked up a few first downs late but could not threaten the Northmen's lead.
The shutout loss drops Alpena to 1-6 overall and 0-5 in the Big North. It was the Wildcats' sixth straight defeat and their most lopsided result of the season after they had stayed competitive in several earlier losses, including a 34-21 defeat to Marquette the previous week. Alpena's only win remains its 27-8 season opener at Boyne City.
Petoskey improves to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in the league. The Northmen remain in the Big North race and strengthened their position for the Division 3 playoffs. They continued an offensive pace that has seen them average more than 30 points a game this season.
Alpena travels to Sault Ste. Marie next Friday. The Blue Devils are 0-7 and 0-6 in the Big North. The Wildcats close the regular season at home against Ogemaw Heights on Oct. 23 for Senior Night.