Kardinals end Houston's season in 3A playoffs

HOUSTON -- On the coldest day so far this fall, the Kenai Kardinals came to Houston on Saturday and froze the Hawks out of a berth in the State Championship game.

There was a lot on the line, and Houston's youth may have finally caught up with a team that has outperformed expectations all year. In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year for a team with more than its share of freshmen and sophomores, Houston compiled a 4-5 record with key wins over Seward and Anchorage Christian School, on its way to the state semi-final game.

Mistakes and a couple of bad breaks early put the Hawks in a hole they never escaped. Taylor Richey slipped down at the Houston 6-yard line after fielding the opening kickoff from Kenai. The Kenai defensive front collapsed around the Hawks on the first play from scrimmage, and Houston quarterback Peter Clemens was trapped in the end zone for a safety. It was a sign of things to come for Clemens who spent much of the first half running away from Kenai pressure.

Houston struggled on special teams all day, and after the safety, Kenai returned the Hawk kick to the Houston 41-yard line. After that it was time for Kenai head coach Jim Beeson's simple game plan to show its legs. "We're just going to line up and try to run the football," Beeson said. "That's our approach -- it's what we've done all year."

Those legs belonged to sophomore fullback Dakota Craig and senior halfback Cory Janson and junior quarterback Cole Chappell. On the opening drive, Craig and Janson worked the ball down to the Houston 11, where Janson went off tackle for the first offensive points for Kenai. The extra point was no good and Kenai led 8-0.

On the second play in their second possession, Houston fumbled the ball back to Kenai at the Houston 26-yard line. Two plays later, Janson swung around the left side and streaked 21 yards for his second score. A two-point conversion run by Craig made it 16-0 with 5:45 left in the first quarter.

Houston was unable to move the ball with any consistency until midway through the second quarter, and they weren't getting much from the punting game, either. The questionable kicking game forced them to go for it on fourth down essentially every possession -- no matter the field position or situation.

"We had nothing to lose," Houston head coach Mat Bredberg said. "We weren't kicking the ball 50 yards down the field anyway, so we might as well go for it. If we made something big happen, it would have been a big boost for the players."

Houston did make something happen with just under nine minutes left in the half. After a solid drive Clemens found Richey for a 19-yard touchdown strike, and Clemens then blasted in for the two-point conversion, bringing Houston to within eight. That was the half-time score.

Houston put up 12 more points in the second half, but the Kenai running combination of Craig and Janson was just too much. The two seemed to take turns pounding away at the Houston front the rest of the game, and Kenai ground out a 35-20 win and a berth in the 3A state championship game next week.

"Overall I'm really pleased with the season," Bredberg said. "Still, you never like it to end like that.

" Still, Houston has a very young squad, and next season holds promise. "We're a varsity team, now," Bredberg said. "We can play with anybody."