Bartlett backs overbearing in win over Warriors

WASILLA — There wasn’t much thunder, but there was plenty of lightening.

Bartlett running backs Cyrus Chenault and Jamal Hale combined for 387 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Golden Bears to a 39-0 win over the Wasilla Warriors at Veterans Memorial Field on Friday.

“They’ve got good speed. We had size,” Wasilla first-year head coach Glenn Nelson said after the loss. “This time, speed beat size.”

Chenault, at 6-foot the taller piece of Bartlett’s two-headed rushing monster, burned Wasilla for a game-high 207 yards and a pair of scores. Hale, more compact at 5-9 but just as quick, sprinted for 180 yards and three touchdowns.

Chenault and Hale routinely broke through the Bartlett offensive line and to the sidelines to stake a 19-point halftime lead and 31-point advantage through 3 1/2 quarters. And while one back of that caliber would give most opponents headaches, the combination of Chenault and Hale gave the Warriors migraines.

“Sometimes you can lock into one guy, but it’s really hard to lock into two,” Nelson said.

Hale used a burst through the middle to score from 10 yards out to give Bartlett the early 7-0 lead in the first. He scored again two minutes into the second, when he scampered to the left corner of the end zone to give Bartlett the two-touchdown lead.

Chenault posted a 12-yard rushing score late in the first half, and sprinted down the right sideline 63 yards for the score in the third.

While Chenault and Hale combined for nearly 400 yards by themselves, the Golden Bears held the Wasilla offense to only 130 total yards.

Senior quarterback Cody Pfeifer, who led the Warriors in nearly every passing statistic as a part-time starter last season, finished the game with five completions for 77 yards, but was picked off twice.

“You can’t win games when you throw picks,” Nelson said.

Both interceptions led to Bartlett scores. Senior Jacob Yates swiped a pass early in the second quarter, and three plays later Hale collected the second of his three scores.

Late in the third, Bartlett senior defensive back Jordan Blake O’Conner grabbed a Pfeifer pass and returned it 38 yards for a score.

Pfeifer did find a couple of potential weapons in the Wasilla passing game. Senior Chris Bydlon caught a pair of balls for 26 yards early in the game. Pfeifer also found 6-3 tight end David Green three times for 51 yards. A highlight for Wasilla came on Green’s fingertip grab over the middle in the second half, a play he took for 30 yards.

It was one of two catches for the big tight end on, arguably, Wasilla’s best drive of the night. With the 30-yard catch and ano ther reception for 14 yards, Green was able to help the Warriors get to the Bartlett 20. But facing 2nd-and-1 at the 20, Bartlett’s Junior Tufuga recoved a Warrior fumble to kill the scoring drive.

Senior fullback Tony Lapiz led the Warriors with 17 yards on the ground.

Despite the 39-point loss in the opening week of the season, Nelson did see a few positives.

During the final minute of the first half, senior Pat Chafin — with a little help from sophomore Devon Teeling — blocked a Bartlett punt and returned it to the Golden Bear 20.

“One of our goals is to block punts,” Nelson said. “So we hit one of the goals.”

That set up a field goal attempt on the final play of the half. Junior kicker Paul Sliwa showed plenty of leg on the 39-yard attempt, but missed just left.

The Warriors also showed the ability to get to the quarterback. Sophomore Jeff Scott recorded a sack for the Warriors.

“There are some bright spots,” Nelson said.

Bartlett entered the season as the second-ranked team according to the first installment of the Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network prep football poll, and things do not get any easier for the Warriors in the coming weeks.

On Friday, Wasilla hosts Juneau-Douglas, ASBN’s No. 3 team, at Veterans Memorial. The following week, the Warriors travel to the Interior to play top-ranked North Pole.

“We like it that way,” Nelson said. “We want to play the toughest teams right off the bat. It’s a character-building thing. It helps us with condititiong. There are so many positives to playing the good teams right off the bat.”

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

Bartlett 39, Wasilla 0

Friday, Veterans Memorial Stadium

First quarter

Bartlett — Hale 10 run (Dunn kick) 5:11.

Second quarter

Bartlett — Hale 13 run (kick failed) 10:16.

Bartlett — Chenault 12 run (run failed) 4:46.

Third quarter

Bartlett — Hale 13 run (run failed) 9:57.

Bartlett — Chenault 63 run (run failed) 6:24.

Bartlett — Blount-O’Connor 38 interception return (run failed) 0:04.

Fourth quarter

Bartlett — Safety, Daly tackled Weston in end zone,