JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

It was supposed to be a quiet weekend, in terms of high school football, in the Mat-Su Valley, with just one prep game in the area. But thanks to a blanket of smoke that has covered the Fairbanks region, there are two more games on the local schedule.

Due to poor air quality in the Fairbanks area caused by wildfires in the Interior, Wasilla and Colony are hosting games, rather than traveling north. Now the Warriors face the West Valley Wolfpack at Veterans Memorial Field, tonight at 7 p.m., and Colony meets North Pole, Saturday at 2 p.m. on the Colony High School Field.

Lathrop High School will also travel to Juneau-Douglas, rather than hosting the Bears.

Two games were moved south, from the Interior, last week. Lathrop traveled to Dimond, rather than facing the Lynx at home. And East Anchorage hosted the Wolfpack, instead of going to Fairbanks.

With the move of games in week one, and the persistent smoke that continued to fill the Fairbanks skies, Wasilla head football coach Joe Gardner said he wanted a final decision, on the venue for his game made by the end of the business day Wednesday. That decision was made, and both games were moved on Wednesday. Gardner said the game will officially be designated as a road game for the Warriors, even though Wasilla is on its home turf. Wasilla will wear its road uniforms, and the schools are in discussion to determine who gets the gate receipts. Gardner said West Valley has a right to the attendance revenue, since it is the Wolfpacks' scheduled home game, but West Valley would need to be responsible for covering the cost of officials and custodians.

This is the second consecutive fall the Fairbanks area schools have had to virtually toss their prep schedules out the window. Smoke from wildfires forced Fairbanks home games south for nearly all of the first half of the season last year.

West Valley @ Wasilla

Wasilla used last-second heroics to top the Wolfpack at Wasilla High School last season. Zach Bennett plunged into the end zone with just a single second remaining, to set up the 21-20 Warrior win. The victory over West Valley was one of only two Railbelt Conference wins last season for Wasilla.

The Warriors and Wolfpack are two of the teams looking to climb the conference ladder, and Wasilla may be in a better position to do that.

Wasilla boasts a 17-man senior class, that includes running back Jake Wade and quarterback Zach Bennett. The duo combined for 235 yards rushing, as the Warriors tore through the Homer run defense in a 23-20 win over the Mariners last week. Wade rushed for a game-high 130 yards and three touchdowns.

West Valley failed to score an offensive point in a season-opening 27-2 loss to East Anchorage. The 'Pack's only points came thanks to a Thunderbird blunder. An East holding penalty in the end zone put the Wolfpack on the scoreboard. West Valley was the only Railbelt squad to lose its season opener.

The 2005 version of the Wolfpack offense could look a bit different from the team Wasilla faced last season. Gone are quarterback Dustin Carlin and wide receivers Justin Hernandez and Bryant Saldarriaga. But returning to the backfield are James McKinney and Dustin Baxter.

Nikiski @ Houston

After getting off to a good start to the season with a 34-0 win over Valdez, the Houston Hawks jump into a game that could actually decide what they are doing at the end of the season.

Nikiski is one of four teams expected to battle for the two playoff spots in a top-heavy Great Land Conference. In that mix with Houston and Nikiski, are Eielson and

Seward, too.

"It could be a four-way tie," Houston head coach Norm Bouchard said. "I could easily see one beating one, one beating the other, and so on. The four teams are very close, and there should be some good battles."

Houston finished 1-2 against Eielson, Seward and Nikiski last season. Eielson was undefeated and clearly the class of the conference. The Ravens are expected by most to be right there again this season. Seward slipped past Houston 20-13, a game that dashed most of the Hawks' playoff hopes. But the most notable win of Houston's 2004 campaign was a 20-14 victory over Nikiski on a snowy Houston High School Field in early October.

A veteran offensive line and consistent running game led the Hawks to the 34-point win over the Buccaneers last week, and a 1-0 record in conference play. Bradd Erickson, who recently converted from guard to running back, led the Hawks with 162 yards on 19 carries. Fullback Mallory Smyth scored twice, and Karl Thistle, Houston's leading rusher from a year ago, added another running touchdown.

The Hawks jump from a game in the first week which they faced a third-year program, into a second week and a foe that has won a pair of small school state titles.

Nervous?

"I'm excited," Erickson said.

Kickoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. today at Houston High School.

North Pole @ Colony

The first week of Railbelt Conference action features a match-up that highlighted the final week of conference play last season, and ultimately decided the Railbelt champion.

The North Pole Patriots walked onto the Colony High School field, ran all over the Knights and moseyed off with a 58-20 win, and the league title.

But now it's time to wipe the slate clean. Many, many, many of the athletes who led North Pole and Colony to the final four of Alaska football are done with their prep careers. But not gone is the passion, of these two teams, to run the ball.

Perry Monzulla, the state's single season rushing leader, has shed his Patriot jersey in favor of Eastern Arizona University colors, but North Pole continues to show its dedication to the run. The Patriots burned Service for 271 yards and three touchdowns on the ground in a 28-13 win over the Cougars last week. Jacob Borkovec, Monzulla's replacement, rushed for a game-high 123 yards on 19 carries.

Graduation also opened up several spots in the Knight starting lineup, including the backfield. Colony thinks it may have found its horse, as junior Cebon Jimenez ran for 208 yards and three touchdowns in a 25-12 nonconference win over Soldotna.

Palmer @ Kenai

Now Palmer is the lone Valley squad on the road this week. The Moose travel to the Kenai Peninsula for a match against the three-time defending small-school state champion Kenai Kardinals.

After being greatly hurt by graduation, Kenai may have its toughest trip to the state championships in the last several years. Gone are numerous starters, including Dakota Craig - the small- school player of the year last season.

The Kardinals had a rocky start to the 2005 season with a 35-9 loss to Juneau-Douglas.

Palmer, on the other hand, was barely touched by graduation, and returns basically everyone. The squad loaded with upperclassman pummeled the Kodiak Bears 56-14 last week.

The Moose ran the ball well - rushing for 257 yards and four touchdowns. But Palmer also scored via the air, defense and special teams. Senior Devon Conroy led the squad with 102 rushing yards and two scores. Eric Olson caught a touchdown pass and returned an 82-yard kickoff for a score. Seniors Jeremy Weber and Steel Tubbs notched rushing touchdowns. And if that wasn't enough, Jake Heun ran a fumble in for a score, and Tanner Grove returned an interception for a touchdown.