Lathrop scores Railbelt football win over Wasilla

WASILLA — After scoring on big passing plays during the final moments of each of the first two quarters, Lathrop worked, nearly exclusively, with its passing game during the second half. And it helped the Malemutes snag their first Railbelt Conference victory of the season.

Malemute quarterback Glenn Maiden threw for 190 of his game-high 314 yards passing in the final two quarters to help Lathrop score a 21-10 Railbelt win over Wasilla Friday at Veterans Memorial Field in Wasilla.

“It was part of the game plan and it developed,” Maiden said of Lathrop’s use of its air attack during the win over the Warriors. “We had success passing today and we kept with it.”

Maiden and his receivers connected for a pair of big strikes in the first half, touchdown throws of 64 and 51 yards. But in the second half, Maiden and the Malemutes brought consistency to its passing game.

Lathrop opened the second half with a seven-play, 65-yard scoring drive. The Malemutes threw the ball on every down, and Maiden was perfect on the drive. Maiden finished 7 for 7 for 65 yards, and capped the drive with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Perdue.

“It was key,” Maiden said of that drive. “It gave us a lot of momentum for our offense and defense to come out there and play a great second half.”

Maiden, just a junior, was big throughout the third quarter. During the 12-minute period, Maiden completed 14 of 16 passes for 144 yards and a score. He completed passes to four different receivers during the first drive of the second half, and five different receivers in the third.

Seven different Malemutes had at least one catch against Wasilla. Maiden said having that number of options certainly helps out, but he also praised the players in front of him.

“I appreciate my offensive line today. They helped me get the ball to the weapons,” Maiden said.

Wasilla head coach Kent Rilatos credited Maiden and the Malemutes for the work in the passing game Friday, but said Wasilla’s failure to adjust contributed.

“We didn’t do a very good job of making adjustments to stop their pass,” Rilatos said. “They had a good game plan. As coaches, we need to get our kids in the right spots. It wasn’t a matter of a lack of effort. We didn’t scheme that well to shut them down.”

Neither team was able to run the ball Friday. Lathrop finished with 13 rushing yards on 26 carries. The Lathrop defense held Wasilla to 91 rushing yards on 35 carries. Wasilla rushed for 237 yards during a win over Juneau-Douglas last week.

“Our defense was big,” Maiden said.

Injuries have contributed to Wasilla’s struggles in the running game. Wasilla currently has injured players at the center, guard and tight end positions.

“We couldn’t get the offense going,” Rilatos said.

Wasilla senior Devin Otto was held to 58 yards on 20 carries. Zachary Garnett finished with 53 yards on 12 tries.

A positive for the Warriors was the play of interior defensive linemen Theron Binggeli and Kyle Klein. Rilatos said he thought the defensive line worked hard to stop the run, and the interior linemen also provided a push on the pass rush.

Lathrop took a 7-0 lead on the final play of the first quarter. Maiden found Nathan Barnett streaking down the left sidelines, and the duo connected for a 64-yard strike. The Malemutes extended its lead with 27 seconds left in the first half.

Under pressure, Maiden, a right-handed quarterback, rolled to his left, cut in toward the original line of scrimmage, and mid-sprint, sent a bullet down the middle of the field to connect with Sergio Salcido on a 51-yard scoring play.

Travis Phillips led the Malemutes with six catches in the game, for 57 yards. Perdue (49 yards) and Devin Millington (45 yards) finished with four catches each.

Wasilla got its first points in the second quarter when sophomore Carson Reed booted a 38-yard field goal. Wasilla was forced to attempt three field goals in the game, including a 52-yarder in the first half.

The Warriors scored their first touchdown of the contest late in the game. Senior quarterback Blake Marks connected with fellow senior Layne Morrison on a quick slant across the middle, and Morrison galloped 48 yards for the score.

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

Lathrop 21, Wasilla 10

Friday, Veterans Memorial Field

First quarter:

Lathrop — Barnett 64 pass from G. Maiden (Barnett kick) 0:00.

Second quarter:

Wasilla — Reed 38 field goal, 2:03.

Lathrop — Salcido 51 pass from G. Maiden (Barnett kick) 0:27.

Third quarter:

Lathrop — Perdue 8 pass from G. Maiden (Barnett kick) 9:52.

Fourth quarter:

Wasilla — Morrison 48 pass from Marks (Reed kick) 0:27.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:

RUSHING — Lathrop: G. Maiden 11-(-14), Palayo 5-20, Tookes 4-13, No. 18 3-(-8), Phillips 2-(-1), Chapman 1-2; Wasilla: Otto 20-58, Garnett 12-53, Marks 3-(-19).

PASSING — Lathrop: Maiden 22-31-0—314, No. 18 1-1-0—13; Wasilla: Marks 2-12-1—66.

RECEIVING — Lathrop: Phillips 6-57, Perdue 4-49, Millington 4-45, Barnett 3-78, Salcido 3-68, Smith 1-14, No. 18 1-3; Wasilla: Morrison 1-48, Garnett 1-18.