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It was something Swami thought he would never see, especially at a high school football game. He has seen some strange happenings in his time in the booth above Wildcat Stadium. One time an opposing team tried to plant a flag in the middle of field, shortly after it became turf, instead of grass. Needless to say, that did not go over well with the athletic director, nor the Wildcat team.
Homecoming Friday, a night filled with excitement for all that attended, an exciting game that was not decided until the final second. That is not what the All-Knowing-One called out of the ordinary. It was after the teams had completed handshakes; the visiting Flint Powers team came over to Alpena’s student section, and began waving bye to them. It did not end there; some of the players started yelling at the students, to the point, the referees of the game, put up a wall and turned the team back towards the sideline, with the help of coaches. Swami has seen this on TV, outbursts in the NFL and college teams, but never from a high school. The Powers coaches had them gather under the far goal post. It was at this time; Swami experienced the head coach give them the riot act. When he was done, a considerable time later, he singled out the captain of the team, speaking to him privately, then he instructed him to go over to the Alpena bench and apology for his team’s behavior. To that I say coodells to the coach, because some teams would have just swept it under the rug. Swami says no, it is not. You play the game to the best of your ability, whether you win or lose, you hold your high because you know you gave it your best. Not to show the students that we really did something great. No, it is poor sportsmanship and now the All-Knowing-One will get off his soap box and swing into this weeks picks….
MARQUETTE (3-2) at ALPENA (1-4) – Friday – 7:00 p.m. – This game is the tale of two seasons; Alpena cannot get over the hump from their opening night win. Marquette on the other hand, has improved weekly, after suffering two one-sided losses. The Sentinels with a three-game Big North Conference winning streak, have done it in grand style, propelling them into the top spot in the conference. The Wildcats seem to lose their steam coming out of half time. It is either the oppositions’ offense finally figuring out where the weakness is in the defense in the second half. Or the Wildcat defense loses containment, leading to a fresh set of downs or eventually an important scoring drive, at a critical point. The speed and the drive from halfback Andrew Szymoniak produced a 12-0 lead at halftime. Two big plays in the second half, by Flint Powers changed the outlook of the contest, going 79 yards with the combination of pass and rushing plays. The game breaker, which Swami feels swung the game in the Cougars favor, a 71-yard break away run gave Flint Powers the lead for the first time at 14-12. With time running out on Alpena, they had to go for it, on a fourth down play, wound up short of the sticks, the Cougars capitalized. The no-quit attitude of this year’s Wildcat team bounced back, using the short clock, scored on Szymoniak’s third rushing touchdown. But, recovery of an onside kick, gave Powers the ball. The Wildcat defense responded, giving Alpena one last chance, with a shade less than two minutes to work with. A critical fourth down pass from quarterback Cash Moughon to Gavin Ross, gave Alpena a chance with 11 seconds left on the clock. One last play, just came up short, on homecoming night. The All-Knowing-One has to say this team, makes games very interesting with the determination, the only thing that is needed, is a boost to get on the winning side of the ledger.
Marquette did not let a 7-0 deficit to Escanaba stand in their way of a third straight win. The Sentinels responded with quarterback Winston Leonard hitting halfback Skyler Blackburn on two quick scoring passes. Add on another Blackburn short touchdown run and Marquette was on its way to an easy win. Leonard has the attitude he will take whatever the defense gives him a short out or the deep six ball. Such was the case with a short touchdown pass to Wes Robinson. That duo also works well on pitch outs that have gone for scores. On defense, Clayton Edwards and Rocky Scholl have been the mainstays, but do not count out Aiden Plantenga, or Brody Clements, to provide a healthy number of tackles. The Wildcats will have to have a variety of defenses to defend against the Sentinels. The offense of Alpena will also have on top of its game, as the Marquette defense has only given up single touchdowns during the streak. If scoring in like competition, the Sentinels have a large advantage. But if the Wildcats come out with the same mindset, as they have been playing with, there could be an upset looming.
Swami Sez: MARQUETTE 35, ALPENA 20.
PELLSTON (0-5) at ROGERS CITY (4-1) – Friday – 7:00 p.m. – On paper, Rogers City will have an opportunity to coast against Pellston. But paper does not have any bearing on the outcome of the game. Charleton Heston provided stiff competition, in a game with Hurons, that was predicted as easy on paper. The Hurons did prevail 37-19, for back-to-back wins, after getting shock by Copper Island Academy. Quarterback Bryan McKinstry provided the firepower to put the Hurons out front. On the night, McKinstry threw for 277 yards with 3 touchdowns, while rushing for only 19 yards, but was enough to score one more time. In the rushing category, the Hurons had five players that contributed to another 153 yards on the ground. So, with both aspects of the offense, Rogers City combined for a 420-yard night. Ethan Spens led the ground attack with 100 yards, with a TD. Daryl Hawley was on the receiving end of 7 passes, to lead the way with 115 yards and two touchdowns. Nick Lesko was not far behind with 6 good for 100 yards and a score; Eli Banittari had a good game rounding out the McKinstry 17 completion night, with four to go along with 62 yards. The defense of the Hurons also shined, with 14 players getting in on tackles. Levi Flemming was the leader with 12 tackles, including a sack. Patrick Talaske and Spens were in on 6 each. Stefano Ticali booted an extra point to round out the scoring for Rogers City.
Pellston has very little to show for its offense, on crossing the plain three times. Defensively, it is hard for the Hornets to stop opposing offenses, giving up an average of 50 points per outing. The last meeting of these two teams was in 2012, in that game Pellston was able to garner a tight 7-6 win. There is really no connection for this game, other than it will be played in Rogers City. Senior Brett Bonner is the Hornets quarterback, this not a year that will mark an upswing in Hornet victories. For the most, he has been the leader on both offense and defense, but at this point he just doesn’t have a bulk of seniors, that can mold a young team into a winning one. To this point of the season, the Hornets have been only able a total of 20 points over the five-game period. The Hornets had hoped that this would be the season to get close to the 500 mark. Pellston would have to win out over the final four games, just to have the best season in the last three years, and even if they were to do, it would be one game short of breaking even. Pellston, as a whole, just doesn’t have the talent to be a consistent winner. Swami has to say Rogers City at 4-1 almost assured themselves of the post season, but a win tonight would cement it, with three games to go. The Hornets made the choice to not join the Bridge Alliance Conference, instead to stay as an independent, which gave them a chance to play different teams and teams that will help the program down the road.
SWAMI SEZ: ROGERS CITY 48, PELLSTON 12.
CEDARVILLE (2-3) at ONAWAY (2-3) – Friday – 7:00 p.m. – Onaway is working towards the 500 mark with wins over Forest Area and Bellaire on back-to-back weekends. Cedarville is looking to do the same, also putting together a two-game winning streak against the same competition, as the Cardinals have done. Surprisingly, the points scored as those given up are almost identical, so this contest could come down to the final snap. The Cardinal start against Bellaire, was not the one they had hoped for. The Eagles scored the first points, before the Cardinals defense could get set. The lead did not last long; sophomore quarterback Chris Pauly made short work of the lead, with a rushing touchdown of his own, with the 2-point conversion put the Cardinals up for good. An onside kick by Phineas Benson, surprised Bellaire, Kayson Jarvis add insult to injury, with a touchdown, putting the Cardinals safely ahead. The score kept mounting on a rushing touchdowns from Jackson Green, Pauly, Jarvis, and Zach Hartvigson, in addition to a toss by Green to Jack Hartvigson, lifting Onaway to a 52-12 win. Cedarville took a 42-12 win over the Eagles as well in the third game of the season.
Quarterback Trevor Barr, is a one-man wrecking crew, with his first option being the run, then can come back to the pass. In particular in a win over Fife Lake, Barr rushed for 153 yards, in addition to passing for 66 yards on nine completions. In the win, Barr accounted for four touchdowns in all, three by the run and one with a pass. Cedarville overall seems to like the rush over the passing aspect. Defensively, the Trojans have a solid core, led by Landon Barr, Steven Lohff and Mac Galarowic. Judging by the way both teams like to rush the ball has the makings of a quick game, as the number of incomplete passes will be nil. Swami has other ideas, that link the game to a shootout. The All-Knowing-One tends to believe, which of the defenses that can represent itself, will come out with the win. Back-to-back wins by Onaway can wipe away those three straight loses a the start of the season, building confidence for the remaining games. Swami has to go back to his thought process, with equal number of points scored, almost identical as to what the defense has given up. What does it come down to? Homecoming and home field advantage, he is going with that and nothing more.
SWAMI SEZ: ONAWAY 28 , CEDARVILLE 24.
HILLMAN (2-2) at WHITTEMORE-PRESCOTT (2-3) – Friday – 7:00 p.m. – Both Hillman and Whittemore-Prescott need this win to have any chance at the post season. The Tigers are coming off their highest point production of the season, in a win over Alcona. The Cardinals faced the same Tiger squad last week, with a decisive win. Hillman quarterback Eddie Prue had an off night in passing the ball; one of his completions did hit the mark for six, as Masion Tracy hauled it in from 10 yards out. He more than made up for it, on the ground. Rushing just 11 times, but picking up 138 yards and three touchdowns. Eli Schulze took rushing honors with 146 yards, to go along with two touchdowns. The run took precedent with 354 yards. Combined with passing yardage, the Tigers were just a shade shy of a 400-yard night. It was a complete defensive effort that turned Alcona away from the goal line. Freshman Jaden Purol led with 12 tackles, including the long sack of the night, while Prue and Tracy were close behind with eight each. Freshman Robby Olschanski also contributed with seven of his own. All totaled the Tigers had nine players make the defensive stats. Hillman is infusing more and more players into key spots, which is helping both sides of the ball, as to rest for players going both ways. This is something Swami has picked up on over the last couple of weeks. Hillman is becoming a team and that is what it is all about.
Whittemore-Prescott’s senior Aiden Bell, a 5-9 human bowling ball, has been mowing down the opposition. He is leading the way on the stat sheet in all-purpose yards, as well as rushing. His ability to bounce off defenders and to side-step them is amazing. Last Friday night’s win was no exception, in 15 rushes Bell accumulated 211 yards, four touchdowns and a kickoff for a TD. By himself almost accumulated half of the Cardinal total points. Fellow senior Blaine Zuchnik is close behind Bell in rushing, which gives the Cardinals a one-two punch in the backfield. Whittemore-Prescott does have the luxury of seven backs that can give them a rest. Zuchnik is capable of putting up numbers in the passing department, but the Cardinals have not taken advantage of that weapon, so far this season. Quarterback Scout Holshoe has a better completion rate, than senior Carson Vohwinkle, but the attempts are just not there. Opponents have been keying on the rush, but the running of Bell have trashed those defensive tactics. On the defensive side of the ball, Holshoe leads in tackles, while Zuchnik and Emerson Sheehan are close behind. Bell and Tyler Page, also have been an intracule part of the defense. What this game comes down to, will the one-two punch of Hillman be enough to hold off Bell? Hillman in their last two wins, have been more productive on the road. Another key stat to look at is the comparison of points for against points given up. At this point, the Tigers are even on that point, whereas the Cardinals have a commanding lead in the points for. That point, plus playing at home, is that enough to swing the game in the Cardinals favor? Forty-eight minutes of play will give us the outcome.
SWAMI SEZ: HILLMAN 30, WHITTEMORE-PRESCOTT 28.