J's World: 100 wins and counting …

On a Saturday afternoon in August of 1991, Rod Christiansen walked onto the field as the head coach of the Palmer Moose for the first time.

Christiansen enjoyed a memorable debut that day. His team rushed the ball 53 times for 298 yards in a 33-6 victory over the Nikiski Bulldogs.

The victory set a precedent for Palmer football.

Now 17 years later, and 100 wins and counting, Christiansen is still on the Palmer sidelines, enjoying memorable days as head coach.

On Oct. 12, Palmer’s 28-14 win over the Service Cougars in the large-schools state semifinals gave the Moose mentor the 100th win of an illustrious career.

The victory pushed a Christiansen-coached team into the ASAA First National Bowl large-schools state championship game for the fourth time since 1995, and presented the Moose with the chance to earn the second state championship of Christiansen’s career.

The win over the Cougars also placed Christiansen among the Alaska coaching elite. His 100-57 career mark now seats him fourth in Alaska prep football history behind only former Eielson and North Pole head coach Buck Nystrom (150-92); former Kenai, East and Chugiak head coach Bruce Shearer (130-49-1); and former Service, Kenai and Soldotna head coach Bob Boudreax (104-69-1).

What separates Christiansen from the three aforementioned coaches is the fact, Christiansen posted each and every one of his 100 wins with one team — the Palmer Moose.

Prep football is a sport in which stability and consistency play just as big of roles as just the number of students in a school or athletes on a field.

When looking purely at numbers, Palmer is often the underdog, facing programs from schools with enrollments sometimes double its size.

But Palmer always competes.

Since 1994, Palmer has only missed the playoffs once. And in those 13 seasons, Palmer has advanced to the semifinals seven times.

That consistency is a product of the stability Christiansen and his coaching staff have brought to the program.

Throughout most of his 17 years, a group of loyal assistants have stood beside Christiansen.

Offensive coordinator Brad Hanson has been with Christiansen for 15 years, defensive coordinator Keith Armstrong has shared the sidelines with him for the last 12 seasons and assistant head coach Kay Omer started his second tour of duty with the Moose in 1994.

Since Christiansen took the helm, a few coaches have come and gone, but the nucleus has stayed the same.

While other programs suffer from turnover, or feel the need to fill the staff with an abundance of coaches, sometimes a dozen or more, Christiansen and his staff continue to do what they do best, with a solid core.

Again, Palmer’s consistency is born through its stability.

Christiansen is not just a coach, he’s a teacher. He stresses work ethic, and rewards those follow his advice. He took over a struggling program, and built a perennial contender. Regardless of prior records or losses to graduation, the Moose are always counted as one of the top teams in not only the Railbelt Conference, but the state.

And while credit is due to the players who have taken Machetanz Field throughout the last 17 years, Christiansen deserves much praise.

Asked about his 100th win, the humble Christiansen said simply, “It’s satisfying.”

But he was quick to recount his team’s ability to fight through a 1-3 start all the way to a state championship game.

Who knows how long Christiansen will continue to walk the sidelines as head coach. He does have four sons — Collin, 15; Cameron, 13; Adam, 11; and Aaron, 9 — who play football, and would probably love to share the field with their dad.

Regardless of when he decides to take a step away from Palmer football, Christiansen has already etched his name into Alaska football history.

Palmer faithful hope to see the likes of Christiansen, Hanson, Armstrong and Omer on the sidelines for a long time to come.

Because it’s 100 wins and counting ….

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