Bartlett too much for Wasilla in Warriors’ return to state playoffs

ANCHORAGE — Back in the state playoffs after a winless 2015, the Wasilla Warriors faced one of the state’s biggest, strongest and fastest teams in Bartlett High.

And though the Warriors weathered a couple of early knockout punches, the Golden Bears’ firepower eventually overwhelmed in a 62-12 win for the Cook Inlet Conference champions, who move on to the Class 4A semifinals against West, a 28-21 winner at Colony Friday night.

Wasilla closes its first season under head coach Will Stout at 2-7.

“Our goal at the beginning of the season was to improve week by week,” Stout said. “Bartlett is a great team and we’re happy with our progress, thus far. We have a lot of work to do, but the boys are excited and ready to put in the work we have to do.”

Perhaps nervous at the outset, the Warriors found themselves down 14-0 early before a 1-yard plunge by Nicholas Alexander cut it to 14-6.

Bartlett responded with a long and methodical drive featuring the powerful between-the-tackles running of Jontay Edwards, who took it in from 8 yards out to make it 22-6 with just under three minutes to play in the first.

Wasilla’s last chance to keep pace came two possessions later, when after stopping Edwards a yard short on fourth down at the Warrior 10, the visitors marched it all the way to the Bartlett 27 before Alexander was stopped in the backfield on a fourth-down run.

The drive was aided by three offsides penalties, one pass interference penalty and a personal foul against the Warriors, but it did chew nearly 7 minutes of the clock.

Bartlett got the pace back up just over a minute later when Latravius Kingsland broke loose for a 42-yard touchdown run that made it 30-6 and a 16-yard touchdown pass from Aaron Egoak to Kingsland made it 36-6 at the half.

“They’re a big, strong team and they wore us down as the game went on,” Stout said. “It’s evident we have to hit the weightroom and get stronger.”

Bartlett scored twice in the first 2:19 of the third quarter to make it 49-6. Wasilla finally answered on the final play of the third quarter as Caleb Drumm ran off tackle and shed a pair of would-be tacklers on his way to a 32-yard touchdown that cut it to 55-12.

Stout who arrived on the job in June is looking forward to his first full off-season with Warrior football.

“(Off-season) starts in a couple of weeks. We want to build on what we did this year, so the first game next year, we figure we’re better than this,” Stout said. “We need to get something established. From what I understand, they haven’t had real off-seasons here in quite some time, so it’s about getting in the weight room, bonded as a team, chemistry, and get going from there.”

Stout said the high point of his first season at WHS wasn’t necessarily any tangible moment.

“The high point was the kids’ attitude,” Stout said. “You could see it at the end of this game. We didn’t give up; our spirits were high. Even down 50 points, the kids didn’t hang their heads. They fought through and had a good attitude.”