LINCOLN - Sep. 3, 2009 - For most of the game it looked as if the team that had the ball last would win.

That almost proved to be true.

A game filled with big plays turned in the final minutes as  Alcona took control the old fashioned way, ramming the ball up the middle for an 80-yard drive that culminated in Kevin Fettes' 5-yard touchdown run with 49 seconds left. That and Chris Stewart's 2-point conversion proved to be the difference in the Tigers' 35-28 victory over AuGres-Sims.

The Tigers ran the ball on 10 straight plays to cover 55  yards in just 2:30 after the Wolverines had taken a one-point lead. Fettes, who finished with 317 yards on 36 carries, had eight carries on that drive alone.

"What a great game," said Alcona coach Terry Franklin. "This is a (Thursday) night game that needs to be on the highlight films."

Fettes' monster game was just enough to offset an equally impressive performance by AGS quarterback Travis Byard, who rushed for 167 yards on 23 carries and threw for another 181 yards on 17-of-31 passing.

Despite scoring 28 points, including the go-ahead touchdown with 3:30 left on a 9-yard Byard-to-Tomas Smith pass, it was the Wolverines' inability to take advantage of two other trips inside the Alcona 20 that proved to be the difference. The Tigers picked off a pass on their own 10 yards line on the Wolverines' first drive and stopped the Wolverines in the fourth quarter after AGS had a 1-and-goal at the 3-yard line.

"My defensive coordinator did a great job of making them guess with our coverages," Franklin said. "He had a great game plan. We wanted to bend but not break, and we did just that.

"They made some big plays, though. They're going to win a lot of games."

Alcona led 21-20 at the half and kept the ball on the ground the entire second half, feeing it to the powerful Fettes with just enough of the speedy Stewart to keep the Wolverines off balance.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Tigers consumed the first six minutes of the fourth quarter with a 10-play, 80-yard drive -- 59 yards from Fettes and 21 from Stewart. Fettes scored the third of his four touchdowns on a two-yard dive, but the Tigers missed the PAT to keep it at 27-20.

The Wolverines responded with a seven-play, 54-yard drive of their own, taking just two minutes as Byard completed passes to Colton Liddell, Derrick Stanley, and a a 13-yard pass on 4th-and-11 to Connor Pendred on the drive. After Smith scored the touchdown, AGS went ahead on Byard's 2-point run.

Alcona kept it on the ground again, getting a big kickoff return from Stewart, who was handed the ball on a reverse play. The Tigers quickly moved into AGS territory, but faced a 4th-and-3  at the AGS 20 with 1:30 to play.

"The kids said 'let's go' (rather than try a long field goal)," Franklin said. "They called the play."

Stewart took the ball on a delayed handoff and popped through for a 4-yard gain, and three Fettes runs later the Tigers were in the end zone and again had the lead.

The Wolverines, with just 40 seconds left, weren't able to mount a last desperation drive.

"This is a big win for these kids," said Franklin, whose team hasn't been 2-0 since 2001. "But tomorrow we start getting ready for Rogers City. We can't be looking past anyone. Without a league, each game is like a playoff game for us."

The teams traded scores through the first half as Fettes put the Tigers on top with an 8-yard run, but the Wolverines responded with an 8-yard pass from Byard to Jon Miller on the first play of the second quarter. Fettes struck right back with a 74-yard scoring run. AuGres-Sims took the lead after Connor Pendred scored on a 2-yard run, the Tigers fumbled on their own two-yard line, and Byard followed with another short run two plays later for a 20-14 lead.

Alcona scored again with 2:07 left in the half on a 40-yard bomb from sophomore quarterback Spencer Ellis to Stewart, who made a leaping catch at the goal line for the score.

Stewart finished with the one catch and 58 yards rushing on 12 carries.

Pendred finished with 30 yards on six carries for the Wolverines (1-1). Liddell led the receiving corps with five catches for 62 yards, with Pendred gaining 30 yards on five grabs and Stanley catching three balls for 47 yards.