Moose blank West Valley

WEST VALLEY — The high school football schedule makers seem to have played a cruel joke on the West Valley Wolfpack, matching them against some of the state’s toughest teams in their first four games of the season.

The Wolfpack, though, are playing the hand they were dealt, even if they emerge winless.

West Valley lost 33-0 to the Palmer Moose in Saturday afternoon’s Railbelt Conference game at West Valley Stadium, and on deck for the 0-3 Wolfpack is a visit Friday night from the Service Cougars, last year’s large schools state champion.

“It’s tough, and it’s character building,’’ West Valley head coach Ben Johnson said of his team’s schedule that started with a 41-0 conference loss at Juneau-Douglas on Aug. 8 and was followed by a 47-7 setback at North Pole in another Railbelt contest on Aug. 14.

“The way we respond to it (schedule) defines how we are as a team,’’ Johnson said.

Junior running back Brandon Comeau noted that West Valley started last season with the same three opponents. The Wolfpack also went 0-3 in 2008.

“I think we’ve got a (better) schedule ahead of us,’’ said Comeau, who led the Wolfpack with 77 yards on 15 carries. “We’ve still got Service, but we’ve got some teams that we can beat. We just have to show our effort.’’

Misfortune and Palmer’s balanced attack led to a tough afternoon for West Valley.

West Valley’s best opportunity to score and build momentum occurred with fourth down and 7 yards to go from the Palmer 24 with 3:42 left in the second quarter and the Moose ahead 13-0.

Tight end Ishmael Agae ran a slant pattern and he had significant space on Moose defensive back Douglas Chadwick when they reached the end zone. However, West Valley quarterback Sam McKinstry’s throw was out of the reach of his 6-foot, 198-pound teammate.

“That was a big play of the game, we got exactly what we wanted defensively,” Johnson said.

With less than 3 minutes left in the game, the Wolfpack gave McKinstry a rest and brought in reserve Tucker Plass, who engineered a drive that nearly avoided the shutout.

Palmer gained its last score with Dustin Silva’s 8-yard touchdown toss to Kris Merritt with 3:52 left in the game and Comeau returned the ensuing kickoff 43 yards to the Palmer 47. Seven plays later, with the Wolfpack facing third and 7 at the Palmer 9, Moose linebacker David Clement picked off Plass’s pass at the 5 to close the door on the game.

The Moose (2-0 Railbelt, 3-0 overall) frustrated the Wolfpack with sweeps, option runs and Silva’s four-touchdown, 146-yard passing effort. Palmer has been traditionally known for its ground-oriented game, but it flourished Saturday through the air as much as it did on the grass.

“We’ve been getting better over the years,” said Palmer running back Brennan Bohman. “Dustin Silva is a great quarterback, he’s a returner (from last season) and we all have a lot of confidence in him when the ball is in his hands. With receivers like Jimmy McCall and Kris Merritt and Mike Daniels, we have a lot of confidence that we can throw the ball and run the ball.’’

Among Silva’s scoring strikes were a pair of 21-yard catches by Jim McCall and a 15-yard reception by Mike Daniels.

“We run what works and today, passing worked,’’ said Silva, who completed eight of 14 passes.

Tradition worked, too, because the Moose chalked up 289 yards rushing, led by Bohman’s 163 yards on 20 carries. The senior scored on a 9-yard run with 1:03 left in the first half for a 19-0 lead.

Palmer’s balanced attack allowed the Moose to gobble time off the clock, as several of their drives averaged nearly five minutes. Many Wolfpack were also playing on both sides of the ball amid the warm, sunny weather.

“One of the main problems was they put together good long drives in the second half and it made it tough for our offense to get going,” Johnson said.

PALMER 33, WEST VALLEY 0

Saturday, at West Valley High School

Scoring

First Quarter

PAL—McCall 21 pass from Silva (Zegzdryn kick), :30.6.

Second Quarter

PAL—Daniels 15 pass from Silva (kick failed), 8:24.

PAL—Bohman 9 run (pass failed), 1:03.

Fourth Quarter

PAL—McCall 21 pass from Silva (Zegzdryn kick), 7:22.

PAL—Merritt 8 pass from Silva (Zegzdryn kick), 3:52.

Individual Statistics

Rushing

Palmer: Bohman 20-163, McCall 4-76, Ahrens 9-32, Silva 4-17, Sorenson 1-5, Corbin 1-(-1), Scoresby 2-(-3). West Valley: Comeau 15-77, Cogley 7-41, McKinstry 8-22, Plass 2-8, Agae 2-5.

Passing

Palmer: Silva 8-15-0-146, Bohman 0-1-0-0, Corbin 0-0-0-0. West Valley: McKinstry 3-12-0-18, Plass 0-0-1-0.

Receiving

Palmer: McCall 3-88, Ahrens 2-23, Merritt 2-20, Daniels 1-15. West Valley: Cogley 1-10, Clark 1-6, Comeau 1-2.