Comeback kids clinch conference

PALMER -- Cardiac kids?

How about the cardiac Moose.

For the third time this season, and second consecutive week, the Palmer Moose came from behind and won in thrilling fashion.

Palmer scored 18 fourth- quarter points to defeat the North Pole Patriots 18-15 at Machetanz Field in Palmer Friday.

Mike Weber scored the go-ahead touchdown with 54 seconds remaining to give the Moose the win.

Down 15-11 and facing fourth and three at the 4-yardline, Palmer quarterback Charlie Bentti took the ball around the left side of the massive Moose offensive line. Just as it appeared that Bentti would tuck the ball in his arms, the senior signal caller flipped the ball outside and Weber made a finger-tip grab and sprinted into the end zone.

The Weber score followed a roller-coaster of emotion for the Moose.

With 3:39 left in regulation, North Pole running back Perry Monzulla scored from three yards out to give North Pole a 15-11 lead.

Down four points with less than four minutes to go, Palmer began its drive on its own 32-yard line.

Two plays into the drive, Weber took a Bentti pass 68 yards to the end zone, but the score was called back due to a Moose illegal motion call.

Distraught and disappointed, Palmer was whistled with a delay of game penalty.

Following the pair of penalties, Bentti hooked up with Palmer wide receiver Sam Zimmer on a 50-yard completion.

The pass play put the Moose on the 23-yardline and six plays later, Weber scored the game-winner.

"When a big play gets called back we can't let it stop the momentum," Bentti said.

"It couldn't get more exciting," Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen said of the finish. "We were at second and five and it was only second and 10 after the penalty. Things were working, so we could still do it. My focus was to get the guys to believe."

A pair of North Pole, second half fumbles allowed the Moose to jump back into the game.

Holding an 8-0 lead midway through the third quarter, the Patriots drove 71 yards down to the Palmer 3-yard line.

As the Patriots were looking to put the game out of reach, North Pole running back Marcus Grohman fumbled and Palmer linebacker Steel Tubbs recovered.

Following the turnover, Palmer went nearly the entire length of the field, orchestrating a 14-play, 97-yard scoring drive that used 5:48 of the clock.

Palmer senior running back Harvey Kanayurak capped off the drive with a 5-yard scoring run. Bentti ran in the two-point conversion to tie the game at 8-8.

Kanayurak had replaced starting running back Allen Franklin, who was injured earlier in the drive.

North Pole junior lineman Jeremy Warwick twisted Franklin's leg on the tackle and Franklin was helped off the field.

The junior running back returned to action, but had a noticeable limp following the game.

"It got twisted and I fell back," Franklin said. "Right now I am just trying to keep pressure off of it."

Following the Palmer score, North Pole turned the ball over for the second time of the half, as returner Sean Ritchie bobbled the ensuing kick off.

Zimmer raced down the field for the Moose and jumped on the ball.

"It went right through his arms and I dove to get it," Zimmer said.

Zimmer made several key plays despite suffering from a case of the stomach flu. The Palmer coaching staff had to keep the senior hydrated between stints on the field.

"He was ill," Christiansen said. "He was going back and forth from the locker room."

Christiansen added that Zimmer's presence was noticed when he was able to get back on the field, healthy.

Zimmer's recovery set up a 22-yard Bentti field goal that gave the Moose a temporary 11-8 lead.

The Moose have come from behind to win in each of their four conference wins this season.

Palmer erased a 30-7 deficit to defeat West Valley 31-30 in its NRC opener in Fairbanks and used second half comebacks to defeat Lathrop, Colony and North Pole.

With the win, the Moose (4-0 in conference play and 5-2 overall) clinched the Northern Railbelt title. It is Palmer's first conference crown, since the school left the Northern Lights Conference. Palmer's last conference title was in 1996, when it won the Northern Lights Conference title for the second straight season.

Palmer also has clinched home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

The Moose will host either Colony or North Pole the weekend of Oct. 3-4.

Random ramblings … Allen Franklin rushed for 76 yards in the contest and now has 840 yards rushing this season. The junior is now third in the conference in rushing … Monzulla ran for 239 yards in the contest, elevating his state high to 1,337 … Zimmer's 50-yard catch was a career high. It was the senior's third catch of the season … Zimmer, Tubbs and Julius Draughon each had fumble recoveries for the Moose … The Palmer offense did not turn over the ball for the first time this season … Palmer senior Junior Aumavae was named homecoming king during halftime of the contest.