Moose blank Warriors to win annual Potato Bowl

Palmer’s game plan was twofold for Friday night.

The Moose, who clinched home field advantage in the Division II playoffs last week, were looking for added momentum heading into the postseason. But Friday also marked the 47th annual Potato Bowl, arguably the most storied prep football rivalry in Alaska.

The Moose wanted to gain some momentum and another chance to hoist the coveted Mayor's Cup. Palmer accomplished both.

The Moose scored a 33-0 win over rival Wasilla Friday night at Veterans Memorial Field in Wasilla.

“You never know what you are going to get in the Potato Bowl. That was the message all week. We knew we wanted to represent Palmer and get the victory,” Palmer head coach Tim Popowski said after the win.

And Palmer was able to do some housekeeping along the way.

“There’s a lot of things we were talking about all week, just getting things cleaned up. I thought we did,” Popowski said.

The Palmer defense forced three turnovers in the win and recorded the first Moose shutout since beating Chugiak 35-0 Sept. 24, 2021.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to do that,” Popowski said of the shutout.

Senior Reed Craner intercepted a pair of Wasilla passes, and senior Corbin Gerkin recovered a fumble. Two of the three turnovers led to Palmer scores.

“We’ve been really capitalizing on our takeaways this year,” Popowski said.

Popowski said Moose defensive coordinator Keith Garner has stressed it.

“He’s been making sure these guys are talking about getting the ball, giving our guys more opportunities to score,” Palmer’s head coach said.

Palmer used the first two takeaways to build a 13-0 first-quarter lead.

With the Warriors driving, Craner intercepted a pass at the 12-yard line. On the next play, Palmer’s first touch on offense, Gerkin broke through the defense for an 88-yard touchdown run.

“We had a couple of plays called on that first play. They came out in a defense we like to get outside on. Corbin was able to cut back in,” Popowski said.

On Wasilla’s next series on offense, Gerkin recovered a fumble. Five plays later, Craner took a sweep around the end for a 21-yard score.

Gerkin led the Moose with 183 yards and and a touchdown in the win. He now has 1,404 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns this season.

Senior quarterback Nolan Garner completed 13 of 18 passes for 98 yards and two scores. He connected with tight end Jayden Hartman for a 1-yard score in the first half and receiver Evan Denoncour for a 4-yarder in the second. Hartman led Palmer with six catches for 45 yards.

Garner added 51 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Wasilla quarterback John Devine completed 11 of 19 passes for 124 yards to lead the Warriors. Adam Corneliussen had five catches for 65 yards. Dylan Redick added four catches for 52 yards. Conner Zundel led Wasilla with 32 yards on the ground.

Palmer improved to 7-1 overall and 6-1 in Division I play with the win. The Moose, who host Lathrop Friday at 7 p.m. in the Division II semifinals, have won seven straight games.

Wasilla finished the season 0-8 overall.

The Moose also improved to 35-12 in the 47-year Potato Bowl rivalry.

Contact the Frontiersman at editor@frontiersman.com.