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The weather so far this football season, has been spot on, with very little rain. Swami can remember back to his high school days, even though it has been many years, rain was a part of the game, so many times. Now the All-Knowing-One does not have to worry about it, if indeed it does. Getting up to the press box and down to his vehicle at the end of the game, are his only concerns. He does remember being in the elements for an entire game. It was a Friday night game, an away game in Barryton, Michigan. That week rain was in the forecast for most of the duration. As the bus entered the stadium grounds, you could see it was not going to be good. Not only was the weather against us, they had played a JV game the night before. The parking lot was not bad, but upon stepping onto the field the quagmire went over your shoes and that was before the game had started. As the night went on, conditions only got worse, if they could have. The All-Knowing-One doesn’t remember who won the game, his only concern was to get on the bus, in hopes the heat would allow his clothes to dry out and the mud could be gotten off his shoes, before returning home.
Things have certainly changed in some 60 years, turf fields for some venues, and grass fields that certainly have better drainage, not allowing them to be cut up as easily as back then. All in all, conditions have improved immensely. Another plus, there is not such a chance of injuries, as there were in muddy conditions for players. In a sense, it does take away from the game, mud wise anyway, as Swami’s mother would say, boys are attracted to mud and the more the better. Hopefully, the thoughts of Swami does not get left in the mud, but come across as clean and clear……
ALPENA (1-6) at SAULT STE. MARIE (0-7) – Friday – 7:00 p.m. – Alpena had to surmise that the cards were not stacked in their favor against Petoskey. The truth of the Northmen came in their first two drives to open the game, taking a 13-0 lead after the opening 12 minutes. The Wildcats on the other hand, had no success in piecing together a drive. Basically, the only bright spot was a defensive stand in the second quarter, as Petoskey was on the verge of putting touchdown number three on the board. The stand forced the Northmen to go for a field goal, instead of the six points, which went wide. The Northmen seemed to have every offensive play snuffed out before it took place. Even a change of quarterbacks did not help the Wildcat offense. In simple terms, nothing went the Wildcats way. The offensive components of quarterback Cash Mohon, running backs Andrew Szymoniak and Brody Misiak could not gain momentum. If there is a bright spot in the Wildcat schedule, it is this week, traveling to Sault Ste. Marie. The Blue Devils had their major point explosion against Escanaba, garnering 34 points in the contest. Looking at the entire schedule of the Soo, depicts lopsided losses, with the Blue Devils only putting up a single score effort for the majority of the season. The Wildcats in contrast, have been in every outing except for the game against Petoskey. So, the All-Knowing-One has to say a major check should be on the side of the Wildcats.
The Blue Devils basically play a 4-3 defense for a majority of the sets; the two downfalls are when it is a passing situation, a defensive back will blitz from the outside, leaving the quarterback to roll away from the pressure and complete passes. The other problem is on the defensive line, where the offense overpowers, creating holes that go for good yardage. Swami feels the Wildcats will be able to take advantage of both situations, working them to their advantage. Sault Ste. Marie likes to go with two backfield rushers, for one giving quarterback Mason Garlinghouse more time to pass, in addition to having one more blocker on rushing plays. Sophomore Kanyon Peller has been the Blue Devils’ leading receiver, who caught a 40-pass for a touchdown against Escanaba. Dane Armentrout is another reliable back, whose main duty is returning kickoffs, in addition to giving a blow to the backfield.
Overall, Swami feels the Blue Devils do not have the containment to take away the backfield of Alpena. If by strange set of affairs, they do, the Moughon to Gavin Ross, MacGregor McClintic or Greyson Srebnik, in addition Misiak and Szyminiak give him a variety of pass receivers that Sault Ste. Marie will not be able to cover. The All-Knowing-One says the Wildcats defense and offense will be too much for the Blue Devils to coop with.
Swami Sez: ALPENA 35, SAULT STE. MARIE 6.
ROGERS CITY (6-1) at INLAND LAKES (4-3) – Friday – 7:00 p.m. – Rogers City takes to the road for the final game before returning home to close out the season. The Hurons have taken a liking to the road, with a 3-0 record. It has been the direct opposite for Inland Lakes supporting a 1-3 home record. The Hurons travelled to Alcona last week, coming away with a 51-22 win. While, Inland Lakes was taken in a double overtime loss to Pickford 36-30. This was not the only loss the Bulldogs suffered, in week 3 they suffered a triple overtime game to Rudyard. Making the contest with the Hurons very important, not that they are taking on another team with a better record, but in terms of securing a playoff bid. With only two games remaining, the Bulldogs are running out of time; that is why Inland Lakes need to pull out a victory. Senior quarterback Landon Fenstermaker let his legs do the talking, churning for 195 yards on 44 carries, which is amazing. Thus, scoring three touchdowns, with one being in the first overtime frame. Senior Alyx Willis managed to squeeze in a five-yard touchdown run, keeping the Bulldogs close in the second quarter. Senior Landon Perkins and sophomore Christian Copeland were instrumental in the game as well.
Rogers City showed no signs of overlooking Alcona, towards this game. The Hurons, who have outscored opponents over the last three games by 27 points, went to work early. Quarterback Bryan McKinstry started the ball rolling in the Hurons favor, with a rushing touchdown, one of three he would have on the night, in the rushing department. For the game, McKinstry rushed for 238 yards on 14 carries, and accounted for two more scores through the air, that amounted to 84 yards. Four of the receptions went to Eli Banttari, who came up with both TDs. Sam Whitford and Daryl Hawley, also accounted for a reception each. Ethan Spens got into the act with a touchdown, going with his 129 rushing yards. Patrick Talaska made it hard on the offensive line of the Tigers, recording 2 sacks of the total of 5 on the night. Defense is where, the Hurons put the game away with a team high 50 tackles, with 18 different players having a hand in the defensive gem. Talaske led the way with 7, Whitford and Hayden Moltane were close behind at 6 and 5. Also, Aiden Kowalski and Vincent Mansfield filled out the defensive categories with fumble recoveries. The Hurons need the same intensity they showed against Alcona, for if they don’t the Bulldogs still have life and they will pounce to place themselves into the post season shuffle going into the final game. Swami feels the Hurons will be up to the task, and pass with flying colors.
Swami Sez: ROGERS CITY 28, INLAND LAKES 14.
MIO (5-2) at MERRILL (6-1) – Saturday – 2:00 p.m. – A Saturday game for Mio, who are not accustom to playing. Playing a day game, takes some adjustment, it is as different as night and day. Over the last two games, the Thunderbolts have found a groove, with the defense only allowing a touchdown, while the offense has found the 50-point plateau. It was a perfect ending to the Thunderbolts homecoming week. In terms of a Big Dipper conference championship, it was big, moving closer to the title. The final game will be the biggest in terms of the conference against Rogers City. For the moment, Merrill is the next obstacle the Thunderbolts must get over. The Vandals were hoping to leap frog over Montabella, who were ranked number one in the state in their division, and are again this week after a 60-20 drubbing of Merrill. Quarterback Harry Ayotte did everything in his power, to pull out the win, but it wasn’t enough. Ayotte on the night, lite up the sky, completing 27 of 46 attempts for 303 yards. Three of the completions went for touchdowns. Hunter Wiley was on the receiving end of 155 yards. The game came down to mistakes on direct snaps and missed opportunities to score. Merrill has a high-power offense, in wins over Coleman and St. Charles, they put 66 points on the board in the two wins. So, the defense of Mio has to be ready for a run and gun affair from the Vandals. Merrill’s Colin Buckley has made valuable contributions at wide receiver; Tristan Ringle is also a valuable part of the offense, in doing a yeoman’s job blocking and receiving from the tight end position. While Jackson Garchow is more than a formable running back.
Mio in their win over Charleton Heston made it look easy in a 54-7 win. The Bolts made it look easy going up 14-0 after one, then putting up 34 in the second. Looking at the score, the Patriots did have a clue how to stop the high-powered Mio offense. Multi players had a hand in the win; quarterback Cory Fox had a nine for 14 night, good for 152 yards, including two touchdown throws. In addition, to rushing for 35 yards with a score. Logan Fox shared the spot light with two touchdowns on 77 yards rushing. Noah Boright was the leader in the receiving department with five. Atreyu Burden the usual overall leader in the rushing department, finished 31 yards, while Hunter Nichols contributed 37 yards. On the defensive side, Logan Fox led the way as well with 11 tackles, in addition to a fumble recovery. Landen Fritz had a complete night, tackling, two tipped passes and a sack. In Swami’s eyes it could be the night of all nights in the scoring department. There should be no running clock here, as both offenses will be on high alert. It might just come down to which team has the ball at the end of the game. Any time you get two of the top teams in the state playing, you know you are in for a good game.
Swami Sez: MERRILL 45, MIO 42.
ENGADINE (3-4) at ONAWAY (3-3) – Friday – 7:00 p.m. – For Onaway it is an all-to-short season, only playing a seven-game schedule, to this point of the season. With a win they assure themselves of a winning season, regardless the outcome of the eighth game against, a tough Pickford team. A good showing against the Panthers, then comes the waiting game to see if they have accumulated enough points to get into the post season. Engadine is in search of two wins, one tonight and another against Brimley, in hopes of getting in as well. The Cardinals going into this contest, are on a three-game winning streak. It has been a streak that has seen the Cardinals combine for 131 points over the stretch. In comparison to only 20 over the first three. One might say why the drastic change both offensively and defensively? It is easy when both sides come together. The offensive line blocks extremely well for quarterback Chris Pauly to be able to connect with receivers, in addition, to opening holes for the rushing game. Defensively, Onaway has come to grips; they can go full bore, when points are on the board in their favor. With a constant rush and slowing down the rushing game, Onaway has played with more confidence. The offense has a variety of backs, besides Pauly, who can lug the ball. The backfield of senior Kayson Jarvis, junior Jackson Green and senior fullback Zach Schmoldt have provided the offensive punch that was missing over the first three games. Green, a two-position player on offense, has had a chance to improve on his quarterback skills working with sophomore Jack Hartvigson on pass routes.
Engadine has put together drives, but the problem is to get points out of them. The Eagles offense is primarily a run type, led by Coleman Loebach, with Jaydon Pollaski and Beau Briggs contributing heavily as well. A problem that poses trouble on both sides of the ball, is the inability to have a completely healthy team. It seems it is a major contributor that goes down one week, then when they recover, it is someone else, so in essence it is a domino effect. Loebach is the leader on defense as well, which has taken a toll on his offensive ability time to time. Overall, the defense has been solid the only drawback is the stiffer competition, tends to wear them down early. The defense of the Eagles, has not been hit by the injury bug, besides Loebach, Kaiden Boone, Pollaski, Briggs, Archer Nelson, Ian Edwards and Sawyer Swan have been on cue when called upon to make those all-important tackles.
The All-Knowing-One has visions of how this game should go, but the end is still up in the air. One has to look at the plus and minus for both teams. They have played four common opponents; three have been competitively close, only the game against Bellaire is a mystery. Engadine lost by 10 to Bellaire, Onaway on the other hand, took a win by 40 points. Swami is still looking deep into the disparity. Was it with the health of the Eagles, or is that the Cardinals found their niche in the winning streak? It will have a bearing on the outcome.
Swami Sez: ONAWAY 24, ENGADINE 18.