Houston football to compete as independent, build for the future

HOUSTON — Last season, the Houston Hawks made their first appearance in the Alaska state football postseason since 2008 and fifth trip to the playoffs in school history.

But this year, regardless of record, there will be no playoffs for the Houston Hawks.

Houston a longtime member of the medium-schools Northern Lights Conference is now competing as an independent, head coach Glenn Nelson said.

As a team in the NLC, Houston was annually handed a brutal schedule that included the likes of Soldotna, Kenai, Homer and Kodiak. Soldotna is the two-time defending medium-schools state champions, and has won six titles since 2006. Kenai has won six championships since 2002. Homer has played in two of the last three medium-schools state title games. Kodiak has made three trips to the championship game since 2008.

Last season, Houston played Soldotna twice, losing both games by a combined score of 155-41. The Hawks also suffered a 44-0 loss to Kenai and 37-6 loss to Kodiak.

Nelson said school officials made the decision to leave the conference and become an independent to help preserve the future of the program.

“It is a rebuilding thing. We want to keep the program afloat,” Nelson said. “We want to keep kids excited about football, keep them safe. This is a step we had to take.”

Soldotna and Kenai have been steady dominant powers in Alaska football for decades. Changes to the Alaska football landscape last season also made the medium-schools level even more difficult. Former large-schools programs Juneau-Douglas and North Pole both dropped to the medium-schools level and joined the Southeastern Conference. Both Juneau and North Pole had won large-schools state titles within the last decade.

Houston has been competitive against smaller programs from schools of comparable size to Houston, but Nelson and other school officials have argued it’s unrealistic to expect the Hawks to compete against programs like Soldotna, Kenai, Juneau and North Pole. Last year, the Hawks also played a pair of large-schools opponents (Wasilla and West Valley).

“We had eight concussions and two kids with knee injuries in those two games,” Nelson said.

When the Hawks played schools similar to Houston, it was a different story. The Hawks started the 2013 season 2-0 with wins over Seward and Skyview. Houston clinched its playoff berth with an 18-6 victory over Homer.

As an independent, Nelson feels Houston has a schedule more suitable for his players.

“I think it’s the best schedule Houston’s had since it moved to the (Northern Lights Conference),” Nelson said.

Nelson said Houston needs to be matched up against schools of similar size. In past years, Houston’s total enrollment has been just more than 400 students.

This season, Houston will open the season Aug. 16 at Seward. The home schedule starts Aug. 22 against Valdez. The schedule also includes games against Sitka, Thunder Mountain, Kodiak and Homer. The Hawks do play Kenai, but it will be a junior varsity game, Nelson said.

Nelson said school officials met with parents Wednesday evening to talk about the changes. Overall the reaction was very positive, he said.

“At the parent meeting last night, initially there was some pushback. When (Houston activities director Dave) Porter explained why we’re really doing it, the reasons why, and the benefits from it, not only was the reception good, but parents jumped in and said how can (we) help,” Nelson said. “The parent support has been amazing since we explained how it’s in the best interest of the players.”

As Houston takes time to focus on the future of the football program, Nelson said the Hawks have an influx of young talent on the roster.

“We have a good group of freshmen,” Nelson said. “It’s great to not only have a lot of them, but they’re good size and athletic.”

Nelson said the Hawks have about 40 players on the current roster, and only three seniors. Both the senior class and sophomore class are thin, he said.

Houston graduated virtually all of its offensive production last year. Former standout Waylon Soptick ran for a school-record 1,474 yards rushing and 15 total touchdowns as a senior. Houston also graduated its starting quarterback (Nai Saechao) and leading receiver (Matt Barron).

Houston’s leading returning rusher is fullback Tanner Barclay, who finished the 2013 season with 67 yards rushing and a touchdown.

“Tanner is a huge return for us. He set Soptick free quite a few times last year,” Nelson said of Barclay, who was primarily used as a blocker. “He’ll be getting the ball a little bit more.”

Barclay is a two-way starter and captain. He’ll help anchor the defense at middle linebacker, Nelson said.

Senior captain Kyle Quincy will be another leader, Nelson said. Quincy is expected to start at tight end and defensive end.

Another player to watch in the Houston backfield is junior Vanu Mose.

Nelson said two players are battling for the starting quarterback position. Trystan DeHart is a veteran who saw limited action last season. Freshman Robert Ritter is also in the running, Nelson said.

Nelson described DeHart as a “cerebral player,” who knows the offense. The Hawks have are also excited about the potential of Ritter.

Senior Aaron Paul, who returns to the program after missing his junior season, will help anchor the offensive line at center. Nelson also noted left guard John Koeneman. Nelson said the 6-foot-3, 225-pound lineman has already received interest from college programs.

Nelson said the Hawks have younger players to start alongside Paul and Koeneman.

Barclay, Quincy and Paul are expected to lead Houston’s 5-3 defense. Newcomer Aaron Drake, a HHS wrestling standout, could make an impact at cornerback, Nelson said.

** Editor’s Note: This is the first piece of a four-part series previewing the 2014 prep football season. For stories featuring the Colony Knights, Palmer Moose and Wasilla Warriors, see upcoming editions of the Frontiersman.