ALPENA — Alpena’s Senior Night was one to remember, with the Wildcats leading the way with a 5-1 win over Petoskey, led by senior standout Keller Skiba.
Playing in front of their home crowd, the Wildcats put on a show from start to finish, with Skiba scoring four times to ensure the team’s victory.
Just nine minutes into the game, Skiba set the tone with a header that gave Alpena an early 1-0 lead. His second goal came in the 28th minute of the first half, again with a header that confused Petoskey’s defense.
By the 34th minute, Skiba had completed his hat trick, this time with an assist from fellow senior Garrett Soltysiak. Just before the half-time whistle, Skiba scored again. With two minutes left in the first half, he took advantage of senior Jack Sapiran’s corner kick to score his fourth goal, giving the Wildcats a 4-0 lead going into halftime.
Petoskey tried to fight back in the second half, with Tyce Melvin scoring the only goal early in the first half, but Alpena’s defense was solid. The Wildcats’ back line held Petoskey to just one goal the rest of the game.
With four minutes left in the game, Spillane hit the winning shot, scoring Alpena’s fifth and final goal and securing a 5-1 victory for the Wildcats.
Alpena head coach Greg Spillan praised the team’s performance and the efforts of the senior leaders.
“We’ve been working on flying balls for a long time,” Spillan said when asked about Skiba’s early header. “Jack (Spillane) has a great corner kick, but we don’t take full advantage of it. We worked on it and tonight it paid off.”
Petoskey scored early in the second half, but the Wildcats’ defense adjusted without changing its game plan.
“The last line played a great game,” Coach Spillane said. “They’re trained to problem solve, and that’s exactly what they did. They went ahead and solved the problem, and then they didn’t let Petoskey whiff in front of the basket.”
Coach Spillane was particularly pleased with the team’s chemistry, noting how everything came together on the field.
“We played well in the first half,” he said. “We knocked the ball around, found each other’s feet and moved off the ball. That’s why we were in their half a lot. We had a blast in the second half, but I think we took a little bit of a step back getting used to the lead, and the end goal was just the nail in the coffin. It was something we worked on every day in practice, so it was nice to see it pay off.”
Coach Spillan reflected on the contributions of his seniors and had high praise for them.
“They’re a great group of kids,” he said. “The seniors have been a mainstay for us this season. It’s been a lot of fun watching them grow as young men and football players. They keep the team together and are a lot of fun to watch. is.”
With this win, Alpena not only celebrates the victory, but also recognizes the accomplishments of seniors like Garrett Soltysiak, Keller Skiba, Jack Spillan, Caleb Wirth, Jared Johnson and Drake Wheelock.
News photo by Leslian Johns Members of the Alpena High School boys soccer team pose together after a 5-1 win over Petoskey in Alpena on Thursday. The victory took place on Senior Night, which honors the athletes of the Class of 2025.
News photo by Leslianne Johns Drake Wheelock kicks a ball during Thursday night’s game against Petoskey in Alpena.
News Photo by Leslianne Johns Mason Burns and Keller Skiba celebrate Skiba’s third goal of the game. Skiba finished the night with four goals, helping Alpena win 5-1.
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