Leaders in the battle

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

Wasilla senior Luke Schafer stood at center court of the Sullivan Arena with blood draining from a cut above his left eye. He resembled a prize fighter at the center of a ring with blood trickling around his eye and down his cheek.

In less time than it took for the droplets of blood to be wiped up from the court, a bandaged Schafer was ready to return to the action. Wounded, Schafer helped lead the Warriors to a grueling double-overtime victory over the East Thunderbirds and a third-place finish in the 4A First National Bank Alaska Schools Activities Association state tournament.

On paper, the East-Wasilla matchup had more to offer than some state title games. Two strong programs, one with flash and the other with guts. And with little surprise, the contest drew blood.

Wasilla's win over East was just one of many battles the Warriors' were forced to fight during Schafer's final two seasons at WHS.

Schafer's sophomore campaign ended with a heartbreaking 38-28 loss to Bartlett in the state championship game, a contest in which Wasilla, a team that included Schafer's older brother Ray, a 7-foot all-state center, was favored to win. In the two years following Wasilla's loss in the state title game, the Warriors not only fought through grueling schedules but the opposition's belief the team couldn't win without a 7-footer. Schafer and his teammates didn't return to the state title game in his final two years, but fought to earn a berth in the state tournament each season, and ultimately a third-place finish in 2005.

Schafer is just part of the reason the Warriors, ever challenged by adversity, were able to fight through and remain one of the elite programs in the state.

He and fellow seniors Matt Crane and Robbie Champion were part of the first freshman class during head coach Jason Marvel's tenure at WHS. Marvel, who first spent a season as the C-team coach before being promoted to head varsity coach the following year, stresses character as the foundation of his program. Having players like Schafer, Crane and Champion on the court for four seasons have allowed Marvel to build that foundation with character.

"You say 'building athletes with character', and when you see these guys replicating that, it trickles down to the classes below them," Marvel said. "You've got freshman looking at them, 'wow they're not jerks, they're nice kids.' They're also demanding. They demand excellence on the court and in the classroom. They're leaders."

In the last two seasons, Marvel's Warriors have never had it easy. The schedule is always front loaded with the top talent of Alaska. The Warriors routinely play programs like Bartlett, East and Juneau, and win or lose are better because of it. That is all before playing Valley rivals Colony and Palmer to begin region play. But even though their record is not the best at the beginning of the season, the Warriors seem to be there at the end

"I don't care what my record looks like. I'll go in and play the Bartletts and the Wests. I want to gear up for region play, I want to gear up for that state tournament, gear up for getting far in that state tournament," Marvel said after an early season win over Colony.

As Marvel built the foundation of his program with character, the success of the Warriors in the past three years is a great deal due to the talent of the 2005 senior class.

And that talent has been recognized.

Crane emerged to become one of the top players in the state and was recently named the Northern Lights Conference Most Valuable Player.

"When I first coached (at Wasilla), I would have never seen Matt as an MVP candidate. It's a testament to his hard work. It's a testament to his desire," Marvel said.

Crane, a 6-foot-4 forward, had been a solid post player for the Warrior varsity squad as a junior. But as a senior, Crane established himself as a force with the ability to grab the rebounds and score in a variety of ways. Marvel said Crane has always had a nose for the basketball and ability to go out and get rebounds, but the biggest improvements have been in his offensive game.

"His ability to finish, he's not fading away anymore," Marvel said. "He can also go outside and hit jumpers."

Crane has teamed with Schafer to form one of the top post tandems in the state. Crane, who averaged 18 points per game in the state tournament, broke out to become the Warriors offensive threat underneath, and Schafer served as Wasilla's defensive weapon in the paint.

Following in the giant foot steps of his 7-foot older brother, Schafer probably took on more pressure than anyone in Warrior red. Even though he did not turn into a 20-point-per-night scoring machine, Schafer provided stability for the Warriors inside.

"He handled (the pressure) very well," Marvel said. "Luke is a blue-collar basketball player. He works for everything he has and does a great job with what he does.

"I hate it when you have athletic kids who hardly work, and you got Luke Schafer who works for everything he's got."

And if Crane and Schafer handled the rebounding and the scoring, Champion did everything that does not show up on a score sheet.

"Talk about a role player, Robbie really defines that," Marvel said. "We ask him to go into the ball game with a defensive mindset. We always put him on a the toughest match and he has always done a good

job."