Tackle cancer: West shuts out Alpena ahead of conference move
Sep. 25—TRAVERSE CITY — As Traverse City West junior defensive back Cody Oaks sprinted 40 yards down the Alpena sideline for a pick six, he gave Alpena fans a clear look at a nameplate on the back of special Breast Cancer Awareness Month jerseys.
Some players donned names like "Grandma" or "Grandpa," but a few, like Oaks', were a bit more personal.
"Uncle Jim," it reads in honor of Cody's uncle Jim Borton, who recovered from throat cancer a couple months ago.
"I just wanted him to be on the back of my jersey," Oaks said, adding he had teammates ask him about the story behind his jersey. They all piled on top of him in the end zone as the Titans took a 27-0 lead into the locker room.
Traverse City West mercied Alpena Friday night at Thirlby Field, 40-0.
Michael Schermerhorn scored two rushing touchdowns on 82 yards; Oaks caught the pick six near the end of the first half; Parker Kirschner and Garett Schuler caught passes from Brandon Koncheck for scores; and a run from Reece Robertson pushed the game to a running clock.
It was the fourth West-Alpena game to end in a Titans shutout dating back to 2017. The only time Alpena has managed to score in that time frame was in a 37-6 loss to West in 2019.
And it may be the last battle between the Wildcats and Titans for the foreseeable future.
West and Traverse City Central are heading to the Saginaw Valley League beginning the 2021 season. The four remaining Big North Conference schools had interest in joining the Northern Michigan Football Conference, but an official move needs approval from the current NMFC superintendents.
Alpena coach Eric Mitchell said it's a tough question to answer, whether or not it was the last time the two schools will play.
The SVL move doesn't stop TCC or TCW from scheduling nonconference games against current members of the Big North. Alpena plays in Division 2 for the playoffs and could, in theory, be matched up with fellow D2 foe TCC in a geographic district draw. When all teams qualified for the playoffs in 2020, Alpena drew Midland in the first round.
In the 24 seasons where the TC West has fielded a football team, Alpena has not beaten the Titans. Before the Traverse City Central split, Alpena won 16 contests against the Trojans and five since. The school has an enrollment of about 500 students smaller than West and plays in a playoff division lower.
"Sadly, what people are missing is that Alpena and Traverse City schools have had a longtime rivalry," West coach Greg Vaughn said. "Those towns that have been interconnected if you're from up here — that they're not going to get a chance to play."
Alpena had a look at the end zone on its second drive of the night and even marched down to the Titans' 30-yard line. But they were unable to score, and the string of Titans shutouts continued as West rebounded from a 42-14 Patriot Game loss to rival Central last week.
West had the yardage advantage at 313-154.
"We started the game fine, it was the second quarter that really got away from us," Mitchell said. "Field position really hurt us in that second quarter, same thing in the second half. By the time we kicked off to them, they scored on a long one. At that point we've got to go."
Alpena (0-5, 0-3 Big North) plays at Gaylord, next Friday.
West is set to face a team from the Detroit Catholic League the final week of the season. Unless Warren De La Salle wins its side of the Catholic League, it'll be the Pilots. If De La Salle is playing in the Prep Bowl, West will play Detroit Catholic Central.
West (4-1, 2-1 Big North) plays at Petoskey next Friday.
Follow Andrew Rosenthal on Twitter @ByAndrewR
