Hawks bounce back with big win over Kodiak

A small Houston squad, young at the varsity level, was dealt a tough hand during the opening week of the 2024 prep football season. Eagle River, a top-4 team at the Division II level in two of the last three years, handed the Division III Hawks a 42-14 loss.

But the Hawks regrouped and bounced back.

Houston used a huge first half to bury Division III foe Kodiak 52-0 Friday night at Houston High School.

“It was very nice to bounce back,” Houston head coach Jared Barrett said after the win. “We got back to practice and said we’ve got to pick up our physicality.”

Barrett said “physical” was the word of the week. And the Hawks did not disappoint their coaching staff.

On offense, Houston averaged more than 8 yards per run. On defense, the Hawks held Kodiak to -14 yards in total offense and picked off four passes.

“We had a game plan and they executed it on both sides of the ball,” Barrett said. “All three phases.”

The Hawks also blocked a punt on special teams.

Barrett said it’s a much-needed lift for a team that has another date against a Division II team next week in North Pole.

“We’re a small group right now, so this is great confidence,” Barrett said.

Barrett said the Hawks have four or five kids with experience as a starter at the varsity level. They came into the season with only about six substitutes. And kids have had to make the jump from junior varsity to prominent roles on varsity.

An example is junior quarterback Blake Baskett.

“Blake came in and has done amazing. We started camp and we were like, who are we going to put back there?” Barrett said.

Baskett, a 6-foot-3 athlete, was a JV wide receiver last season.

“You can’t teach 6-3,” Barrett said.

Baskett completed 3 of 5 passes for 117 yards and a touchdown. He now has two touchdown runs and two touchdown passes in his first two games as the starter. In the first half Friday, Baskett connected with Aiden McDonnell on a 66-yard scoring pass.

Junior Elias Johnson paced the Houston running attack with 111 yards on 11 carries and three scores. Johnson broke free for scores of 27, 17 and 29 yards in Houston’s I-formation.

The Houston defense also contributed to the scoreboard. The Hawks returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns. McConnell had a 31-yard score off a pick late in the first and Terje McClurg returned a pass 21 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Barrett also praised his staff, and said his assistants played a big role in preparing the Hawks during the week following the tough loss to Eagle River.

“I’m proud of my coaching staff, just getting stuff back together after taking a loss like that,” Barrett said.

Barrett’s staff includes Norm Bouchard, who has returned to the team to be Barrett’s top assistant coach and run the offense. Bouchard is a former Houston head coach, activities director and longtime assistant in several sports.

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