Just short

PALMER — Throughout the 2009 season, the Palmer Moose rallied.

Palmer came from behind to win its first game of the year.

The Moose overcame a three-game midseason losing streak to clinch a spot in the playoffs.

And on Saturday, Palmer erased a 14-point deficit to force overtime.

But that is where Palmer’s season-long rally came to an end.

Chugiak junior kicker Bryan Maley chipped an 18-yard field goal through the uprights in overtime to give the Mustangs a 24-21 win over the Moose during the ASAA/First National Bank large-schools state semifinals at Anchorage Football Stadium Saturday afternoon.

“It was thrilling to come back. It was a great high school football game,” Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen said as he walked off the AFS turf. “It’s just disappointing not to pull it out.”

After Palmer was held scoreless during the first possession of the overtime frame, the Moose stuffed Chugiak’s third-down attempt at the 1-yard line.

With the Mustangs facing 4th-and-goal, with the nose of the football sitting merely inches away from the goal line, Maley trotted on to the field. And with one swift boot, the junior kicker ended Palmer’s 2009 campaign and sent the Mustangs into the state title game, where they will play Bartlett Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at AFS.

“In the end, we gave them too many chances, and didn’t take full advantage of the chances we had,” Christiansen said.

Senior quarterback Dustin Silva and senior fullback Colemen Ahrens scored touchdowns during the final seven minutes of regulation to help the Moose force overtime.

Crucial plays on defense and special teams set up the late Palmer scores.

Early in the fourth quarter, junior defensive end Collin Christiansen recovered a Chugiak fumble in Palmer territory.

The Moose followed with an eight-play, 74-yard drive capped by Silva’s 2-yard score. Silva’s plunge into the end zone cut Chugiak’s advantage to 21-14.

On Chugiak’s next possession, Ahrens blocked a punt and junior David Sorenson recovered the loose ball on the Mustangs 44-yard line.

Six plays later, Ahrens burst through the center of the Chugiak defense for a 9-yard score.

Ahrens’ touchdown tied the game at 21.

Chugiak, led by running back Greg Ghramm and fullback Vincent Valencia, ran for 250 of its 399 yards rushing in the first half.

Ghramm collected 118 yards during the first half, and posted a 37-yard touchdown run to give the Mustangs the 14-0 lead.

Ghramm had a game-high 159 yards rushing in the win.

Valencia recorded 99 of his 157 yards during the first half, and snuck into the end zone from 1-yard out to give the Mustangs the 21-7 lead with seven seconds left in the second quarter.

The Mustangs finished with 68 offensive plays, compared to Palmer’s 48, and eclipsed the 400-yard mark. But the bulk of that work came during the first half.

Palmer held Chugiak to 154 yards in offense in the second half, and didn’t allow a Chugiak touchdown after Valencia’s score.

“I think our kids were more determined to get it done (in the second half),” Christiansen said, crediting Palmer’s defensive play in the second half to adjustments made by Palmer defensive coordinator Keith Armstrong and the overall desire of his team.

“Coach Armstrong got us slanting the way we needed to slant, and we put another guy down on the line of scrimmage. We got the safety involved (in stopping the run),” Christiansen said. “With that lead, Chugiak was just going to run, run, run.”

Palmer junior Jim McCall put the Moose on the scoreboard with a 60-yard run in the second quarter. McCall finished with 70 yards on four carries. Senior Brennan Bohman, the state’s leading rusher entering the weekend, posted a team-high 89 yards on 20 carries. Ahrens added 60 yards on eight tries.

Palmer finished with four turnovers in the loss, three fumbles and an interception thrown on a fake punt attempt. But the Moose defense also collected a handful of takeaways.

McCall intercepted a pass during the first half. Senior John Scoresby recovered a fumble and blocked a field goal attempt.

“There were also a couple more plays we almost made and a few more we felt like we could have made,” Christiansen said.

Palmer was also nearly successful on a pair of onside kick attempts, and two tries to convert on fourth-down.

“Both onside kicks we had a great shot at, but didn’t get either one,” Christiansen said.

Following Ahrens’ game-tying score, Chugiak put Maley in position to try to kick the game-winner at the end of regulation.

The Mustangs used nine plays to move the ball to the Palmer 27-yard line. Maley’s 45-yard field goal attempt was on target, but a few yards short.

With the loss, Palmer finished 6-4 overall. The Moose were playing for their fifth appearance in the ASAA large-schools state title game in program history.

The Moose beat Chugiak to win the state title in 1995, and finished as the runner-up in 1996, 2005 and 2007.

Palmer started the season with a dramatic come-from-behind win over Dimond during the first week of the season. The Moose cruised to a 3-0 start, but found themselves at 3-3 after a midseason three-game losing streak. Wins over North Pole and Wasilla during the final two weeks of the season put Palmer in the playoffs for the 15th time in the last 16 seasons.

Last week, Palmer upset South Anchorage, the CIC regular-season runner-up, 48-12.

Christiansen said, overall, he is proud of the work of his team this year, and the effort of his 13-play senior class in particular.

“The seniors really stepped up and played hard all year, and especially tonight,” Christiansen said. “It’s disappointing. But they’ve got to look at the big picture. They were part of a great high school football game, battled them hard. It was that close, one score from victory.”

Extra points … The overtime game was just the third in the 20-year history of the ASAA state tournament. East Anchorage edged Colony 42-35 in 2003, in the first overtime playoff game. In 2007, Service needed two overtimes to beat Chugiak 24-17 … This contest was the fifth time the Moose and Mustangs met in the playoffs. The rivals played for state titles in 1995 and 1996, with each squad winning one championship. Chugiak beat Palmer during the semifinal round in 1994 and 1997 … Bohman, a first-team All-Railbelt selection at punter, notched a 64-yard punt during the first quarter.

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

To see more photos from Saturday's game visit http://www.frontiersman.com/photos/

Chugiak 24, Palmer 21 OT

Saturday, Anchorage

Football Stadium

First quarter

Chugiak — Wood 12 run (Maley kick) 3:34.

Second quarter

Chugiak — Ghramm 37 run (Maley kick) 5:36.

Palmer — McCall 60 run (Zegzdryn kick) 4:24.

Chugiak — Valencia 1 run (Maley kick) 00:07.

Fourth quarter

Palmer — Silva 2 run (Zegzdryn kick) 7:14.

Palmer — Ahrens 9 run (Zegzdryn kick) 2:40.

Overtime

Chugiak — Maley 18 field goal

Individual statistics

RUSHING — Chugiak: Ghramm 26-159, Valencia 22-157, Wood 9-43, Rabung 5-40; Palmer: Bohman 20-89, Ahrens 8-60, Silva 6-25, McCall 4-70.

PASSING — Chugiak: Wood 1-6-1—5; Palmer: Silva 6-10-0—58, Bohman 0-1-1—0.

RECEIVING — Chugiak: Ghramm 1-5; Palmer: Ahrens 2-16, McCall 2-13, Bohman 1-20, Daniels 1-9.