Szymoniak: Alpena seniors changed the trajectory of the football program
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ALPENA - The Alpena Wildcats finished the 2026 football season 2-7, but second-year head coach DJ Szymoniak said the year marked clear progress for a program that has not had a winning season since 2004.
"We just got better as a program," Szymoniak said. "There's been tremendous growth and more of a dedication to the football program. More buy-in, more kids in the weight room, more kids working and striving toward making the football program viable again, competitive again. And, that's exactly what they did this year."
The Wildcats opened with a road win at Boyne City and later posted a 40-0 Big North Conference victory at Sault Area. In between, they stayed competitive against a difficult schedule that included five playoff teams. They were within a score late against Marquette, Gaylord and Flint Powers Catholic.
"We were in it to the last minute with Marquette, with Gaylord and with Flint Powers," Szymoniak said. "All playoff teams that, if a few calls went one way or the other, those games could have been ours and we could have been in the playoffs. We were three touchdowns away from being a playoff football team this year. That's pretty remarkable."
The senior class played a major role in the shift. Many of those players had combined for just one win from seventh through 10th grade. Rather than check out, they responded when the new staff laid out its vision.
"They could have just kind of cashed it in," Szymoniak said. "But we sat down and had conversations. We took a hard look at where we were and explained the vision of the program. It's going to be dependent on Team 122 to show these younger generations what hard work looks like and what it looks like when it pays off."
The offensive jump illustrated the point. The program scored 26 total points the season before the current staff arrived. In 2026 the Wildcats put up 177 points while breaking six school records.
Senior running back Andrew Szymoniak accounted for a large share of that production and was named Big North Conference Athlete of the Year as a first-team all-conference athlete. He finished with 1,295 rushing yards, 20 touchdowns, 121 receiving yards, 173 passing yards and 1,589 all-purpose yards for 134 points. His season included a six-touchdown, 38-point performance against Sault Area.
He set or tied six Alpena records: most points in a game (38), most points in a season (134), most points in a career (232, breaking the previous mark of 211 held by Dave Kaiser), most touchdowns in a game (6), most touchdowns in a career (36) and a share of the single-season touchdown mark (20, tied with Dave Szejbach from 1991). His varsity career totals include 3,073 rushing yards, 50 touchdowns, 306 points, 1,014 passing yards, 240 receiving yards and 4,364 all-purpose yards.
"It was huge," Szymoniak said of Andrew's impact. "He came in his junior year as a new student, but with his work ethic and attitude he earned the respect of his teammates through hard work, discipline and accountability. He played quarterback, wide receiver, defensive back, running back and kicker - wherever we needed him. By putting his nose to the ground and doing whatever his coaches asked at 100%, he earned that respect right away."
Szymoniak noted that the individual recognition also reflects the group around him.
"None of those awards are won by yourself," he said. "But it also sets a benchmark for the little kids in seventh, eighth and ninth grade who watched him play. They're going, 'OK, that's the standard. I want to go beat that.'"
Other Big North Conference honors included second-team selections for offensive linemen Drew Meyer and John Dargis, specialist Eli Werth, linebackers Xavier Szymoniak and Brody Misiak, and defensive lineman Henry Wirgau. Honorable mention went to offensive lineman Simon Duthler, punter Cash Moughon and defensive lineman Westin Mitchell.
Looking ahead, Szymoniak pointed to continuity and resources. The coaching staff is returning for a third consecutive year - a stretch of stability that has been uncommon at Alpena. A new school weight room is available, and the middle-school program now runs the same offensive and defensive systems as the high school.
"The ball is in their court," he said of the returning players. "We've got a coaching staff coming back for a third year. We've got a brand-new weight room, and they must take advantage of it this winter. We were weaker than a lot of teams, but we've got the tools now to catch up and get as strong or stronger."
Szymoniak's message to the community and younger players emphasized perspective over the final record.
"We can't always judge everything by records," he said. "Understanding where the program started and where we're going, we've got a middle school program tied to the high school now, so we're running the same offense and defense from seventh grade to 12th grade. The school is behind the program, and we've got a coaching staff that's here to stay. We're making progress, and the only thing we must do is move onward and upward."