A look back at Week 3: Eagle River win could make NLC more interesting

Let’s face it folks. For the four teams in the Northern Lights Conference not named the Soldotna Stars, it’s been a race for No. 2. The five-time defending medium-schools champion Stars have not suffered a loss since 2012. And this year, Soldotna is up to its same old tricks.

The 3-0 Stars beat their first three opponents of the season — West, Dimond and South — by a combined score of 137-13. Assuming the trend continues, and it probably will, the other four teams in the conference could once again be in a race for No. 2, and the NLC’s only other state playoff berth. And if that’s the case, after the third week of the prep football season, things in the NLC got a bit more interesting.

We’re looking right at you Eagle River.

The Wolves are now off to their best start in school history, 2-1, during the first three weeks. Eagle River opened the season with a lopsided win over Ketchikan, and last Saturday, the Wolves knocked off Division I Dimond 13-12.

With the win over the Lynx, ERHS now has as many victories it had during the previous three seasons combined. Prior to the 2017 season, Eagle River posted an 11-69 record during its first 10 varsity seasons. Eagle River had only won two or more games three times, prior to this season, and had a program-best three wins in 2009.

And for whatever reason, Eagle River’s greatest success has come against Dimond. Saturday’s win was the third in school history against the Lynx.

Eagle River’s success against a Dimond team that opened with a win over Lathrop before falling to Soldotna in Week 2, could lead to a more interesting race for No. 2 in the NLC. Since Eagle River and Palmer were added to the conference prior to the 2015 season, the NLC’s second playoff berth has come down to the Palmer-Kenai game.

In 2015 and 2016, Kenai and Palmer were a combined 4-0 against Kodiak and Eagle River. Kodiak is 2-0 against Eagle River, and the Wolves are still looking for their first NLC win.

Eagle River opens its NLC schedule against Kenai Saturday at 2 p.m. at ERHS.

Kodiak also had an intriguing outcome in Week 3, falling at home 27-7 to defending small-schools state champion Eielson. Palmer (0-3) opens its NLC slate Friday against Kodiak at PHS.

Speaking of Soldotna

With their 52nd straight victory, the Soldotna Stars helped their head coach, Galen Brantley Jr., join a very exclusive club in Alaska. Soldotna’s 52-7 win over South Anchorage Aug. 25, was Brantley’s 100th career victory as head coach of the Stars. He’s just the sixth person to hit that mark in Alaska.

Former North Pole and Eielson mentor, the late Buck Nystrom, currently holds the career mark with 150 wins. Longtime Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen is within reach of the all-time record, with 148 wins. Bruce Shearer (Kenai, East and Chugiak) is third at 130 wins. Bob Boudreaux (Soldotna, Kenai, Service) is fourth at 105. Former Kenai head coach Jim Beeson is fifth at 103.

Brantley, now in his 11th season, boasts a career record of 100-5. Only three coaches have beaten Brantley. Two of them, Christiansen and Beeson, have beaten him twice. West Anchorage head coach Tim Davis is the only other head coach to lead a team past Brantley’s Stars.

Railbelt standouts

A pair of Railbelt Conference standouts each used big days to help their respective teams improve to 3-0.

Colony senior Jon Pomrenke used 275 total yards of offense and a pair of rushing touchdowns to help the Knights beat rival Palmer 39-8 in a nonconference game at Colony High. Pomrenke rushed for 174 yards on 10 carries, and added 101 receiving yards.

Chugiak senior Deryyk Snell also produced big numbers, 152 yards on 10 carries.

Another senior, Wasilla quarterback Aeron Milliron, also had a big week, tossing four touchdowns during a loss to North Pole.

CIC showdown

West hosted Bartlett in the first big Cook Inlet Conference showdown of the 2017 season.

West jumped out to a 19-0 lead, but Bartlett scored four times during the final three quarters en route to a 34-26 win over the Eagles.

The rivals are accustomed to putting together memorable matches. In the state semifinals last season, West edged Bartlett 28-27.

Thursday night football

Southcentral Alaska prep football fans will have a rare Thursday night this week. Colony makes the trip into Anchorage to face West Thursday at 6 p.m. It’s Colony’s third contest against an Anchorage squad this season. The Knights scored wins over Service and Bartlett early in the year.

ASBN poll

There’s no change at the top of the latest Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network prep football polls.

Colony (3-0) is ranked first in the Division I poll and Soldotna (3-0) continues as the top squad in the Division II/III poll. Another undefeated Railbelt squad, Chugiak, is listed second, and is followed by the CIC’s Bartlett (2-1), East (2-1) and West (1-2) in the Division I poll.

North Pole, 3-0 after a 50-34 win over Division I Wasilla is second in the small-schools poll. Homer (2-1) jumped to third, and is followed by Eielson (2-1) and Kenai (2-1).

Barrow, Thunder Mountain and Juneau-Douglas also received votes in the Division II/III poll.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.