Petoskey still has shot at BNC; Charlevoix, Boyne City meet in 5-0 battle

NORTHERN MICHIGAN — Conference games around the area are well underway, but week six will bring out some clear favorites and even wrap up one title.

From the Big North Conference to the Legends and Legacy Divisions of the Northern Michigan Football League, there’s some key games going down Friday night.

We’ve got a matchup everyone looks forward to every year and this season it comes as a 5-0 Charlevoix meets a 5-0 Boyne City. There’s some history in this one.

Petoskey actually has a chance Friday to grab a share of the Big North title when Cadillac is welcomed in and East Jordan, they’ve got the opportunity to strengthen their chances for a repeat Legacy title when they hit the road to Frankfort.

Here’s what to look for across all the matchups:

Cadillac at Petoskey

PETOSKEY — Nothing has come easy for the Northmen this season.

From the season opener, which ended with an overtime goal line stand, to last week’s win over Alpena, when Petoskey needed to thwart multiple Wildcat shots to the endzone in the game’s final seconds, there’s been many 'backs up against the wall' moments.

That’s not a bad thing early in the season. Learning some lessons, having to persevere and overcome tough situations. You don’t want to be the team late in the season trying to figure out how to do that or if you've got it in you.

Speaking of perseverance, the Northmen have had to do that and then some with the amount of injuries they’ve had to go through, with the recent loss of CJ Hibbler against Gaylord essentially changing the offensive look.

The Northmen ran for just 82 yards a week ago, becoming more of a passing offense behind Joe McCarthy under center, who threw for 190.

Petoskey has the receivers in Brian Pike, Seth Marek and Aaron Sysko to go that route, while Trevor Swiss has the ability to line up in the backfield and outside.

There’s a committee of backs now in Swiss, Mark Ledig and Adam Jackson, with the carries likely going to the hot hand.

For the Vikings, wins over the last two games have come against Alpena and Gaylord, holding the Blue Devils to just nine points in a homecoming spoiler a week ago.

The Vikings took advantage of Gaylord turnovers a week ago to find points, so taking care of the ball is priority No. 1 for the Northmen.

While it’s odd to have BNC play wrap already, Petoskey can’t argue with being in a positon to share a title when Friday comes.

Charlevoix at Boyne City

BOYNE CITY — Talk about some anticipation.

It’s always anyone’s game when these two meet on the field, but that’s never more true than this Friday.

It’s 5-0 Charlevoix heading to 5-0 Boyne City, which adds to the importance of this one with an undefeated season on the line.

Believe it or not, this could be the very first time the two head into a meeting at at least 5-0. Heck, it’s the first time the two have even gone into a matchup both sitting at 3-0 since at least 1950.

That makes for a pretty special moment come Friday night.

For the host Ramblers, an unwanted bye week came last Friday when Kalkaska backed out just hours before their meeting due to a lack of players.

Boyne likely needed a bit of rest, with so many of the players going both ways, though nobody ever wants a week off when they could be playing. Practices during the week are too tough and long to not get to enjoy Friday night.

Charlevoix will head in off a fourth consecutive shutout, which came as the first time since 1958 that they’ve done that.

While the competition hasn’t been stiff, it’s impressive either way to not let in a single point four straight weeks on the football field.

It’ll be a bit tougher this week to do that, as the Ramblers are averaging just over 46 points a game.

This one puts the two hottest players in the area up against each other on opposite sides of the field in Rambler quarterback Jack Neer and Charlevoix wideout Patrick Sterrett.

Sterrett has accounted for 14 touchdowns in just the last three games, scoring on punt returns, rushing, receiving and passing. For Neer, it’s been a season of consistency, spreading the ball among his favorite targets to the tune of 16 passing touchdowns in four games.

The game will also feature two of the best linebackers in the area, in Charlevoix’s Landon Swanson and Boyne City’s Joey McHugh.

Any way you look at this one, it’s an exciting game to attend.

East Jordan at Frankfort

FRANKFORT — After not earning a conference championship in decades or earning a trip to the postseason in nearly 20 years, the East Jordan football team is flirting with going back to back on both.

The season’s been saved for the Red Devils with Legends Division play opening up, with EJ starting off 3-0.

Last week, just the second-ever win came over Glen Lake, with the Red Devils now bringing in victories of 49-7 and 35-9 over the last two weeks.

This week will bring their toughest test yet, with a 4-1 Frankfort team welcoming East Jordan into town.

The Panthers lone loss came just a few weeks back as conference play began against St. Ignace, the other team that sits unbeaten within the Legends. So, Frankfort can’t afford to drop another.

When these two met a year ago, a win for the Red Devils handed them the title in a close battle, something the Red Devils haven’t had since week two.

They’ve been rolling behind a young, but talented group of skill players, led by a career-best game from sophomore Logan Shooks at running back a week ago.

The offensive line also stepped up last week, as it wasn’t just Shooks. Along with the 157 from Shooks, the Red devils had both Braylon Grybauskas and Dawson Carey run for over 75 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

That kind of production would go a long way Friday night at Frankfort once again.

Harbor Springs at Oscoda

OSCODA — Last Friday was going to be a tough one for Harbor Springs any way you look at it.

A four-hour bus ride to a Division 5 foe that now sits at 4-1 on the season, even some really good Ram teams from recent seasons would have had a tough time walking into that one.

The offense is still trying to get going for Harbor Springs, as they were shut out a week ago and haven’t scored more than a touchdown in a game this season.

In fact, dating back to last season, Harbor hasn’t put more than a touchdown on the board in 11 of their last 14 games.

If there’s good news on the horizon, it’s that they’ll be up against an Oscoda team that heads in just 1-4 on the season and has also struggled to find the endzone.

The Owls took a 33-6 loss against St. Ignace last week and have started off Legacy Division play 0-3, so one way or another, someone is getting their first conference win Friday night.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey still has shot at BNC; Charlevoix, Boyne City meet in 5-0 battle