Huskies celebrate first football victory

WASILLA — Monday marked the first day of school for Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District students. For a group of Redington football players, this first day of school was even more special.

For the first time, the Huskies hit the school hallways on a Monday following a victory. Redington earned its first football win in school history Aug. 11, a 54-40 win over Monroe Catholic in Fairbanks.

“They’re excited just to walk into school (Monday),” Redington head coach Tony Brooke said Sunday afternoon. “They get to go into school as winners. I told them to wear their game jerseys and wear them proud.”

The win comes in the opening week of Redington’s third year as a program and second to include a varsity team. It also snapped a 12-game losing streak program-wide. The Huskies finished 0-8 last year in their first season of varsity football. Redington was winless in a four-game junior varsity schedule in 2015.

“The celebration they finally got to experience was just fantastic,” Brooke said.

Brooke said he was simply ecstatic to see the joy on each player’s face after the final horn sounded in Fairbanks. But he and the Huskies are thrilled to notch the historic achievement during the first weekend of the season.

“You couldn’t ask for a better script. We talked about it during the week. Wouldn’t it be nice to get that monkey off our back Week 1?” Brooke said.

Said monkey has been removed.

Now the Huskies can the practice field on the heels of a win for the first time.

“Savor it Friday night, Saturday, Sunday. Monday hit the field, time to start focusing on (Valdez),” Brooke said.

Brooke said earning the win during the first week of the season could help the Huskies gain some key momentum early in the season.

“If we don’t let it go to our heads, it’s going to be huge,” Brooke said. “As the coaching staff, that’s our biggest challenge. Make sure they now, you got one, but we’ve got seven more games to play on our schedule.”

Brooke said after its 54-point night against Monroe, opponents are going to be paying more attention.

“Now they know what we are capable of,” Brooke said.

Redington continues its season Saturday on the road at Valdez. The Division III Huskies open their home schedule Aug. 25, hosting Division II Barrow. The following week, Redington opens its Peninsula Conference schedule with a home game against Seward.

The second half of the season includes road games at Nikiski and Voznesenka. The Huskies finish the regular season at home against Homer and Houston.

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