Petoskey comes out of lengthy weather delay more than ready against Alpena

PETOSKEY — The Petoskey football team spent much of Friday night just hoping to get the chance to meet Alpena on the field at Northmen Stadium.

Once they finally did, after a more than three-hour lightning delay, the Northmen spent the rest of the night running away from the Wildcats.

A long night turned into a quick game on the field when the two finally did kick off in their Big North Conference clash, as Petoskey hit big play after big play in a 56-0 blowout.

By the time the two took the field, it almost felt like a normal night around Petoskey.

“I give the fans credit, we had more people come back than I thought after more than two hours and a downpour,” Petoskey coach Jim Webb said. “It was nice to see the Blue Crew came back out and supported the guys.”

Just like the last time Petoskey (3-2, 2-1 BNC) took the field at home – a 50-0 win over Escanaba two weeks prior – everything clicked for the Northmen, as they hit on plays of 24, 37, 51, 56, 79 and 98 all in the first half.

Led by another big night between quarterback Joe McCarthy and wideout Seth Marek, the Northmen totaled 535 yards of total offense.

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They led in a 12-0 game after one, then brought a 36-0 advantage to the half, getting there on a 32-yard field goal by senior Charlie Smith.

Lengthy weather delay 

The toughest part of the night for the Northmen was the waiting.

Every coaches nightmare is a weather delay and Webb had to deal with it while trying to keep his team focused after a loss.

Some Petoskey players grabbed some food in the locker room, players listened to music and just generally tried to stay engaged and focused on the task of the night.

“Our guys were ready to play,” said Webb. “I wouldn’t say what we did was textbook as far as focus, but they were able to regroup in that last 30 minutes and before they took the field.

“It was kind of a reminder, ‘Hey guys, we still have to play a football game.’ Fortunately they did a really good job focusing in.”

Record setting night, again 

It’s be pretty clear that the Northmen like playing in front of their home fans, especially quarterback Joe McCarthy and wideout Seth Marek.

For a second straight home game, the two were back setting Petoskey football records.

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McCarthy finished the night 8 of 10 passing for 327 yards and four touchdowns, making him the all-time leader in career passing touchdowns (27), passing Toby McFarland and Evan Whitmore.

For Marek, the night came with three catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns. The numbers helped him reach the career receiving yards record as a junior (916) and move to the top of the career receiving touchdowns list (12).

“It’s the team,” said Marek. “I couldn’t do any of it without them. Everything was just clicking tonight and that’s what we needed.”

For Marek, the season has come as a record-breaker, as he also owns marks now for career receptions (49), single game yards (204), touchdowns (3) and receptions (10).

Certainly he knows having a quarterback like McCarthy and the connection they’ve built helps.

‘It’s another level,” he said. “We’ve just got to get it going every game. That’s the biggest thing is getting it every game.”

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Also Friday night, CJ Hibbler totaled 94 yards on five touches, adding a touchdown, Brendan Swiss had 78 yards rushing and two touchdowns, Lucas O’Donnell caught a touchdown, Mitch Eberhart had two catches for 130 yards and a score and Justin Kline added his first varsity touchdown.

Home shutout, again 

While the offense has been good at home, the defense has been stout all season long, with just nine points allowed over the last three games and an average of just 9.8 points allowed through five games.

The Northmen have played two games at home and allowed zero points.

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“This is great, especially coming after the tough loss against Gaylord,” senior Brody Shaw said. “To be able to put up another zero points is amazing.”

The Northmen had four takeaways against Alpena, with Brandon Klingelsmith intercepting a pass and Shaw, Devin Marvin and Kadyn Ecker all recovering fumbles.

The Northmen will try to make it three shutouts next week, though it’ll be their toughest test at home yet with Cadillac (3-2) making the trip up for a Friday, Sept. 29 Big North showdown.

Note: Check for more on a Petoskey senior who missed last season and is shining in 2023 early next week. 

Contact Sports Editor Drew Kochanny at dkochanny@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DrewKochanny, and Instagram, @drewkochanny

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey football adds another Big North, home win over Alpena