FLYING HIGH AGAIN: After trip to title game in 2016, Hawks are ready for more

HOUSTON — Last season, the Houston Hawks made school history, advancing to a state final for the first time. Houston finished as Alaska’s runner-up in the small-schools class. Now, the Hawks have their sights set on the next step.

“They’ve got a little bit of a chip on their shoulders,” Houston head coach Glenn Nelson said recently. “They feel they missed an opportunity, have some unfinished business.”

And the Hawks believe they can fly right back into the title game. But there are a few big games along the way, particularly on the road. Houston is at Eielson in Week 5 and at Barrow two weeks later.

“We’ve never beaten Eielson and we’ve never come close to beating Barrow on the road. We have to beat one of those teams to try to get into the playoffs,” Nelson said.

But the Hawks are up for the challenge, Nelson said.

“We’ve got a good senior class. A bunch of them were starters last year,” Nelson said. “We’ve got a good core mix of juniors and seniors.”

Two of Houston’s top players are coming off injuries. Senior Reed Graham, a starter since his freshman year, suffered a major knee injury during the prep basketball season last year. Senior Noah Plumb broke his collarbone on the first day of football practice last season. Nelson said both players are back and ready to play, and the head coach expects both to make an impact.

Graham was named first-team All-Aurora Conference at both offensive guard and defensive line last year.

“It’s huge,” Nelson said of Graham’s return from injury. “He’s a big anchor on the line for us.”

Nelson said Graham will be surrounded by a group of young offensive linemen this year, and the Houston coaching staff will look for Graham to be a leader on the field. Graham could also help fill a void at linebacker, a big team need after losing much of that group to graduation last spring.

“We lost all of our linebackers,” Nelson said.

Plumb could make an impact in a variety of ways, Nelson said. Plumb will also be among the players filling the holes at linebacker, but could also play defensive end. On offensive, Plumb will move to the backfield.

Nelson also noted seniors Tiai Sasiu and Will Croghan. Saisiu will play fullback and defensive tackle. Croghan will be at fullback and linebacker.

The Hawks will have a new player behind center. Terry Hershman has stepped in to play quarterback, Nelson said. Nelson said with Hershman’s speed, athletic ability and offseason work in the weight room, the senior could be a threat in an option-style game plan.

Isaac Goodman will also have a running back role in Houston’s offense, Nelson said.

Up front, the Hawks have a group of juniors — including Jaydon Elson, Shawn Graham and Elias Edwards — who are battling for starting roles. On defense, Warren Baird and Dylan Jackson are among those who could step up on the line.

Houston’s participation are down this season, despite its appearance in the small-schools state title game last year. The Hawks currently have 39 players on the practice field, down about a third from this time last year. Nelson attributes the change to the recent rise in student activity fees. Individual programs are also responsible for travel costs as of this school year, which has added another cost for families of his athletes.

Despite the drop in participation, Nelson said the coaching staff feels good about what the Hawks have on the field.

“We’ve got a good senior class. A bunch of them were starters last year. We’ve got a good mix of juniors and seniors,” Nelson said. “We have a lot more speed this year. We’re a little smaller, but a lot faster.”

Houston begins its 2017 season against a medium-schools program, Juneau-Douglas, in a nonconference game Aug. 11 at 7 p.m. at Houston High. The Hawks also host Voznesenka in Week 2, Monroe Catholic in Week 4 and Valdez in their homecoming game Week 6.

Houston travels to Seward in Week 3, Eielson in Week 5, Barrow in Week 7 and Redington in Week 8.

*** Editor’s note: This is the first piece in a five-part series previewing the seasons of the Valley’s five prep football programs. For features about the Redington Huskies, Wasilla Warriors, Colony Knights and Palmer Moose, see upcoming editions of the Frontiersman. Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.