Hawks in playoff mode

HOUSTON — As the Houston Hawks hit the practice field this week, head coach Norm Bouchard will have a simple message for his team that he’ll relay over, and over and over.

“This is the playoffs,” Bouchard said after his team’s 53-6 nonconference win over Delta on Saturday. “We’ve got three weeks of playoffs right here.”

Even though the postseason does not officially begin until Oct. 8, Houston (3-2 overall, 0-2 in Northern Lights Conference play) the Hawks could need wins in each of their final three games to secure one of the NLC’s four playoff spots. And if that’s not enough motivation, the Hawks’ three opponents (Skyview, Kodiak and Homer) are fighting for those same playoff positions.

“We want to make sure we’re one of those teams,” Bouchard said. “That’s what we’re fighting for.”

Houston’s quest for the postseason begins when the Hawks host Skyview (3-2, 1-2) at Houston High School Saturday at 2 p.m.

Following the Skyview match, Houston heads south to face Kodiak (2-3, 0-2) and Homer (2-3, 1-2) during the final two weeks of the season.

Soldotna (5-0, 4-0) and Kenai (3-2, 2-0) currently hold the top two spots in the NLC. Both of Houston’s losses have come to those NLC powers. After starting the season 2-0, the Hawks suffered a 44-14 loss to Kenai and a 70-0 loss to Soldotna.

Bouchard said the biggest accomplishment during the win over Delta, was simply rebounding from a terrible loss to the Stars.

“That really felt good for us, helped us get back into the proper mind set,” Bouchard said. “It really helps to have a game like this after the complete and total thumping by SoHi.”

Bouchard said the Hawks made a changes in the starting lineup and welcomed a few players back from injury. The combination proved to be key during the win over the Huskies.

Junior Tyler Barron missed much of the last two weeks, but returned to rush for more than 100 yards and three scores during the win over Delta. Senior Aaron Richardson also was back after missing three weeks due to injury.

The Hawks moved junior Colton Buzby and sophomore Charlie Buzby from the backfield to the left side of the offensive, which also helped, Bouchard said.

“It was a little bit of a change for us,” Bouchard said. “They’re so athletic. You hate to take the ball away from them, but they’re so darn competitive. They’ll do whatever it takes to get the job done.”

Kodiak will also be playing to stay alive in the playoffs when it hosts Kenai this weekend. Soldotna and Homer are suiting up for nonconference contests.

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