Stars hand Hawks first loss

SOLDOTNA — In its first game against Soldotna as a member of the Northern Lights Conference, Houston apparently angered the two-time defending small schools state champs by opening Saturday’s game with a surprising onside kick.

And after recovering the ball, the Hawks paid dearly.

Stopping that drive rather easily, the Stars piled on 22 first-quarter points in remaining undefeated with another convincing win, a 65-6 thrashing of previously unbeaten Houston on a rainy homecoming afternoon at SoHi.

“For them to come in and do that, they’re kind of challenging us. They’re saying that they’re going to get the ball from us and they have confidence in their defense,” said Soldotna coach Galen Brantley Jr., who is still undefeated as a head coach. “It was definitely a wake-up call. I think it woke up our whole sideline. It was like, ‘Hey, wait a minute here. It’s supposed to be our ball.’ Things worked out obviously.”

They usually do for SoHi.

Anthony Griglione scored four times, three on rushes, quarterback Zayan Aberkane accounted for three, two on the ground, and freshly-minted fullback Braden Price added 118 yards and a touchdown on just six carries in propelling the two-time defending small schools state champion Stars to their 23rd consecutive victory dating back to 2006.

Earlier this week, Brantley said Houston would be his team’s toughest test thus far this season.

If that’s the case, Soldotna (4-0 overall, 2-0 NLC) is on pace to match last season’s team, which romped its way to a perfect 10-0 campaign, the first such feat in the school’s 27-year history.

“I think we passed with flying colors,” Brantley said. “It’s a team that has two conference wins already. I think we’re definitely in the driver’s seat. ... We can only beat ourselves at this point. It’s all about making good decisions on and off the field, in the classroom. If we can take care of those things and continue to progress, I think we’re in great shape.”

As for which team is better, last year’s or the current squad, Brantley’s just glad he doesn’t have to choose.

“I think it’s a different team,” he said. “I think the team with the most talent or the best athletes doesn’t necessarily make the best team. I would put this year’s team up against last year’s and roll the dice and see what happens.”

A member of last year’s team but starting behind center for the first time this season, Aberkane marched Soldotna down the field following the Hawks’ opening possession, which resulted from the gutty and successful onside kick attempt, and capped the 63-yard drive with a one-yard TD plunge for a 6-0 lead.

 “We always talked about it,” Houston coach Norm Bouchard said of catching SoHi offguard. “If we could get an extra possession against them and put some points on the board early, it might shock them and maybe get them reeling a little bit.

 “We got it. We didn’t get the first down that we were hoping to get and do some things.”

 Soldotna responded with some chicanery of its own, recovering the ensuing onside kick and needing only three plays to extend the lead to 14-0, a perfect pass by Aberkane lofted over a pair of defensive backs before finding its way into the outstretched arms of Griglione for a 34-yard touchdown.

 “That’s the thing that I’m the most impressed with Zayan is how he manages the game,” Brantley said. “He knows when it’s the end of the half, when we can roll the dice and throw it up. He does a good job placing his throws, he’ll put them on the outside shoulder where we catch it or nobody does.”

Again limiting Houston (4-1, 2-1) to seven plays before the Hawks punted, SoHi capitalized on a 54-yard touchdown run by Griglione, who darted up the middle, shook a tackler and broke outside before walking into the end zone.

Griglione, who carried the ball 11 times for 196 yards one week after taking only four carries in totaling 132 yards and three touchdowns, made it 30-0 with a 53-yard touchdown jaunt with 9:31 to play in the first half.

“They hung around a little bit early on so it was nice for him to get a few more touches than last week,” Brantley said.

A two-yard run by Phillip Bennett stretched the Stars’ lead to 38-0 before Houston finally got on the board with 31.5 seconds left in the half, a tough 12-yard run by Kyle Sumner — who amassed 87 yards on 33 carries — capping a 17-play, 77-yard drive in trimming the deficit to 22 points entering halftime.

“Coming in we thought if we could move the ball a little bit and keep their offense off the field and put a couple points on the board that that would help us. And if we could score 25, 30 points maybe we could not give them so many possessions and not so many opportunities to score. We just didn’t do that,” Bouchard said. “We weren’t able to maintain the ball and with that they got a lot of possessions and with that they got a lot of points.”

Soldotna didn’t stop there, though, with Price’s 68-yard touchdown run and a seven-yard keeper by Aberkane ballooning the lead to 52-6 with under four minutes remaining in the third.

An interception by Bennett then set up Griglione’s fourth score of the afternoon, an untouched, 20-yard run with a minute left in the quarter, and another pick by Aaron Gordon allowed Tate Syverson to find the end zone on a 15-yard scamper in finishing off the 65-point assault.

 “I think that the kids head were kind of reeling a little bit because they haven’t been hit this hard yet,” Bouchard said. “So, now they know and they know what they need to do.

“We know where we belong. We know where we need to get to now,” he added. “We’re going to work hard together and hopefully get a chance later on in the year to meet them up on more time in the playoffs, whether it be here or (Anchorage Football Stadium) or wherever else.”

Brantley and the Stars would probably welcome that with open arms.

“I think a lot of people thought that we were going to come into the season, have this big letdown and kind of get beat on a little bit,” he said. “Our kids just weren’t going to have any of that.”

Stars 65, Hawks 6

Saturday, Soldotna High School

First quarter

Sol — Aberkane 1 run (pass failed), 7:56.

Sol — Griglione 34 pass from Aberkane (Griglione from Aberkane), 7:03.

Sol — Griglione 54 run (Wood run), 3:21.

Secnod quarter

Sol — Griglione 53 run (Wood run), 9:31.

Sol — Bennett 6 run (Price run), 7:57

Hou —Sumner 12 run (kick failed), 31.5.

Third quarter

Sol — Price 68 run (Koch kick), 9:36.

Sol — Aberkane 7 run (Koch kick), 4:48.

Sol — Griglione 20 run (kick failed), 1:00

Fourth quarter

Sol — Syverson 15 run (Koch kick), 5:00.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing — Houston: Sumner 33-87, Contreras 11-37, Origer 3-16, Ranum 2-6, Webb 1-4, No. 23 1-2. Soldotna: Griglione 11-196, Price 6-118, Wood 5-32, Zay. Aberkane 2-23, Syverson 3-18, Bennett 2-35, Gordon 1-17, Zac Aberkane 1-5..

Passing — Houston: Webb 7-27-2—62. Soldotna: Zay. Aberkane 3-8-0—92.

Receiving — Houston: Sumner 2-14, Stinson 1-10, Mason 1-4, Munoz 1-4, Origer 1-17, Contreras 1-13. Soldotna: Griglione 2-68, Stilchen 1-32.