Homer boys knock Palmer out of tourney

WASILLA — After spending time indoors earlier this week, forced inside by the smoke that continues to fill the Southcentral Alaska sky, the Homer Mariners were happy to be outside Thursday afternoon.

The Mariners are also thrilled to be moving forward in the Northern Lights Conference Championships.

Homer posted a 3-0 win over Palmer to advance to the semifinal round, where the Mariners will face host Wasilla Friday at WHS.

“It’s always nice to get through the first game,” Homer head coach Warren Waldorf said. “(Palmer) had a pretty good season, but now they go home and that’s hard. Their kids fought well today, and now they’re going home.”

Drew Brown, Filip Reutov and Max Mangue each scored to help Homer’s season stay alive, and move the Mariners within a win of the state tournament.

Homer’s first two goals were set up by corner kicks. After a Homer corner kick in the 12th minute, Brown knocked in a loose ball in front of the Palmer net to give Homer the 1-0 lead. In the 42nd minute, Reutov bounced in a header of a corner kick from the right side of the field to give Homer the 2-0 lead.

“That’s been working pretty well for us this year. We’ve got a few goals like that. It’s nice to see it happen today,” Waldorf said.

Mangue ripped a shot high into the net during the 57th minute to give Homer a 3-0 lead.