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SAULT STE. MARIE -- Senior running back Andrew Szymoniak rewrote the Alpena High School record book Friday night, scoring six touchdowns and accounting for 38 points as the Wildcats rolled to a 40-0 Big North Conference victory over the Sault Area Blue Devils.
"It was a great team win at Sault Ste. Marie," Alpena coach DJ Szymoniak said. "The boys played hard."
Alpena, 2-6, 1-5 Big North, started with the ball and needed little time to score. Szymoniak broke free for a 59-yard touchdown run, and the extra-point kick was good for a 7-0 lead with 11:08 left in the first quarter. The Wildcats forced a punt on Sault Area's first possession and took over at the Blue Devils' 43-yard line. Szymoniak later scored on an 18-yard run, and Alpena led 13-0 after the first quarter.
Alpena again forced a punt and carried the ball into the second quarter. Brody Misiak took a toss sweep from the Sault Area 35-yard line down to the 3. Szymoniak scored on the next play, but the two-point attempt failed, leaving the score 19-0 with 10:37 remaining in the half. Szymoniak added another rushing touchdown, and Misiak scored the two-point conversion to push the lead to 27-0 with 1:14 left before halftime.
Sault Area was forced to punt again on their ensuing possession, but a low snap gave Alpena the ball at the Blue Devils' 40-yard line with 27 seconds remaining. Quarterback Cash Moughon threw to Szymoniak, who took the pass about 40 yards for a touchdown. The two-point try failed, and Alpena led 33-0 at the break.
Szymoniak scored his final touchdown with 7:14 left in the third quarter. The extra point made it 40-0, triggered a running clock and sealed the shutout.
Szymoniak finished with 25 carries for 224 yards and five rushing touchdowns, plus one receiving score. He broke Alpena's single-game records for most touchdowns (previously five by Dave Szejbach in 1991) and most points (previously 32 by Szejbach).
The win came a week after a 35-0 loss to Petoskey. Szymoniak said he was proud of how the team responded.
"I'm proud of the fact that they were able to bounce back after a tough loss the week before," Szymoniak said. "It just goes to show the resilience of this team this year and how they continue to fight, just like their town does. Not everything always goes well, but just like Alpena, the town has always found ways to bounce back. I think this year's team exemplifies that in a lot of ways. I'm very proud of how they were able to pick themselves up off the ground and go fight," Szymoniak added.
The Wildcats return home on Friday for Senior Night against Ogemaw Heights.
"I'm looking forward to hosting Senior Night," Szymoniak said. "It's the last chance for our seniors to go out and improve. What they've done for this program, the work that they've done, and how they continue to leave that legacy for Team 122 is the pivotal point in turning our program around."