GRIDIRON GRIND

WASILLA — The West Anchorage Eagles flew into Veterans Memorial Field with the state’s top-ranked passing attack. But it was the West Anchorage running game that carried the Eagles into the state semifinals.

Nathan Sailele rushed for a game-high 193 yards and notched two of West’s six scores on the ground as the Eagles earned a 59-36 victory over the Wasilla Warriors during the large schools quarterfinals at Wasilla High on Saturday.

“We weren’t expecting to run the ball as much as we did,” West junior quarterback Conor Feckley said. “For our line to step up and prove we’re not just a passing team means a lot.”

Sailele and Feckley each scored twice in the win as the defending state champions returned to the semifinal round. Lincoln Tulimasealii added 81 yards rushing and a score in the win.

West, the Cook Inlet Conference No. 4 seed, scored 21 first-quarter points and 35-first half points to upset the Railbelt Conference champion Warriors.

“They’re a well-coached team,” Wasilla head coach Kent Rilatos said of the Eagles. “They did things they need to do to win, and they did them right.”

Despite facing a lopsided margin at the intermission, Rilatos’ Warriors battled in the second half, putting up 20 points in the second quarter.

“Those guys have nothing to hang their heads about, about their effort,” Rilatos said of his squad.

Junior quarterback Ben Fielder, who finished with a game-best 360 yards passing, threw for three of his four touchdown passes during the final two quarters.

Senior Zack Adair, who finished with a game-high 159 yards receiving and two scores, caught his second touchdown pass of the game — a 12-yarder — late in the third quarter to pull the Warriors within five points.

In the fourth quarter, a 67-yard Adair catch and run set up Tyler Anderson’s 25-yard scoring grab.

“We knew what we had in him all year,” Rilatos said of Adair. “He’s a great player. He works hard.”

Wasilla also used the strong second half from freshman Dane Kuiper to try to stay in the ballgame. Kuiper snagged a 36-yard touchdown grab, his first career varsity catch, to put the Warriors on the scoreboard early in the second half.

Fielder, who completed 17 of 30 passes in the loss, found five different receivers. Senior Braydon Kuiper had a team-high five catches for 79 yards. Dane Kuiper added four catches for 64 yards, all in the second half.

Adair also had a 65-yard touchdown in the first half.

Wasilla senior Devon Teeling helped give the Warriors an early lead in the first quarter. After Feckley snuck in for a 1-yard score to give the Eagles the 7-0 lead on West’s first drive of the game, Teeling used a 5-yard run to tie the score at 7.

Teeling finished with 50 yards, giving him a state-best 1,331 for his senior season.

After the Teeling score, the Wasilla defense pinned the Eagles deep, forcing West to punt from its own 14-yard line. The Warriors blocked the punt, and tackled the Eagles punter in the end zone to get the safety.

Wasilla kept the ball after the free kick, but on the Warriors’ next offensive play, Tulimasealii intercepted a pass and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown to give the Eagles the advantage once again.

“Lincoln’s pick-six definitely gave us all hope,” Feckley said.

West head coach Tim Davis agreed it was a turning point in the game.

“It was huge. High school kids physiologically are very fragile, both ways,” Davis said. “Football teaches these guys how to react in situations. A positive situation like that brought us up and kept us mentally in the game.”

West Anchorage was able to snag three interceptions during the win.

“Coming into this game, the defense was trying to make a statement, trying to let people know it’s not all about the West High offense,” Feckley said.

Feckley added another 1-yard sneak for a score at the tail of the first quarter, and connected with Eric Vandervort on a 6-yard pass midway through the second.

Sailele scored on a 41-yard with 3:40 left in the second quarter.

“The line opened huge holes,” Davis said. “We saw that a few things on the inside run game were open. We just kind of kept going at it.”

West was also able to take advantage of a battered Wasilla defense. Dakota Hermans, a standout in the middle of the Warriors defensive front, missed the game due to injury. Defensive end Nick Parks was taken from the sideline from the field on a stretcher during the contest. The Warriors also lost standout James Moriarty late in the game with an upper-body injury.

“In our situation, no excuses, we played with everything we had,” Rilatos said. “But the injury bug caught up with us today.”

Teeling, Wasilla’s workhorse on offense, was also hurting, with injuries to his hand and ribs, Rilatos said.

But despite all of that and having to play catch-up for three-and-a-half quarters, Rilatos said he is proud of the way his team performed.

“Like I told the kids, it’s not a matter of effort,” Rilatos said. “I wouldn’t trade this team for everything.”

Wasilla enjoyed its best season in recent memory. The Warriors earned their first conference title since 1999 and entered the playoffs for just the fourth time since that season. Wasilla also scored its first Potato Bowl win since 2007 and third since 2001.

“It’s been a great season for Wasilla,” Davis said. “What an awesome job they’ve done turning things around, making the playoffs and winning the Railbelt. It’s been fantastic to watch them from Anchorage.”

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

West Anchorage 59,

Wasilla 36

Saturday, Veterans Memorial Field

First quarter:

West — Feckley 1 run (Troxel kick) 10:33.

Wasilla — Teeling 5 run (Perry kick) 5:22.

Wasilla — Safety, 4:22.

West — Tulimasealii 55 interception return (Troxel kick) 4:08.

West — Feckley 1 run (Troxel kick) 0:29.

Second quarter:

West — Vandervort 6 pass from Feckley (Troxel kick) 6:28.

Wasilla — Adair 65 pass from Fielder (Perry kick) 4:57.

West — Sailele 41 run (Troxel kick) 3:40.

Third quarter:

Wasilla — D. Kuiper 36 pass from Fielder (Perry kick) 9:28.

Wasilla — Adair 12 pass from Fielder (Perry kick) 1:55.

West — Tulimasealii 12 run (Troxel kick) 0:07.

Fourth quarter:

West — Sailele 26 run (Troxel kick) 10:14.

West — Holtman 6 run (Troxel kick) 7:19.

West — Troxel 34 field goal, 3:04.

Wasilla — Anderson 25 pass from Fielder (kick blocked) 2:39.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — West: Sailele 15-193, Tulimasealii 6-81, Feckley 6-6, Dion 1-9, Holtman 1-6, Tui 1-5; Wasilla: Teeling 20-53, Rilatos 10-82, Fielder 7-4.

PASSING — West: Feckley 17-25-0—217, Bozzini 1-1-0—1; Wasilla: Fielder 17-30-3—360.

RECEIVING — West: Dion 6-63, Lawrence 4-38, Vandervort 3-39, Brown 3-31, Buster 1-36, Tulimasealii 1-11; Wasilla: B. Kuiper 5-79, Adair 4-159, D. Kuiper 4-64, Anderson 2-34, Rilatos 2-24.