Moose move into medium-schools state title game

PALMER — Thunder Mountain gave the Moose a scare. But Palmer prevailed.

And now the Moose have the opportunity to play for a state title.

Thunder Mountain scored 19 second-half points, but Palmer held on for a 28-26 win over the Falcons Saturday in the ASAA First National Bowl medium-schools state semifinals at Machetanz Field in Palmer.

“We always have to dig deep,” Palmer senior Trey Witz said after the win. “There’s always going to be adversity. You always have to overcome it.”

Palmer had to overcome the effectiveness of a Thunder Mountain passing game that produced more than 200 yards in the second half to advance to the medium-schools title game for the first time, and a state championship final for the fifth time since 1995.

“These last two weeks we’ve had a lot of adversity,” Witz said, also referring to Palmer’s late defensive stand that ensured a 21-14 win over Wasilla in the Potato Bowl last week. “We overcame it both times.”

The Moose also used standout performances from their veterans, as well as at least one new face to move into the title game, where they will face Northern Lights Conference rival Soldotna Oct. 15 at 12:30 p.m. at Palmer High.

Freshman Duston Corbin made a pair of, arguably, game-saving plays in the second half. Early in the fourth quarter, after Thunder Mountain junior running back Roy Tupou rushed for his fourth touchdown of the game to cut Palmer’s lead to 28-26, Corbin batted down a Thunder Mountain pass on the ensuing 2-point conversion attempt to allow the Moose to maintain their 2-point lead. Late in the game, with the Falcons in the red zone, facing 4th-and-3 at the 18, Corbin stopped the Falcons a yard shy of the first down, which turned the ball over to the Moose.

“He came through huge, I’m so proud of him,” Witz said of Corbin, who played sparingly at the varsity level during the regular season. “You never know when you’re time is going to come. You always have to be ready, practice hard.”

Longtime Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen praised his team’s ability to hold onto the lead, and come away with the victory.

“We made big stops at the right time,” Christiansen said. “The kids played hard.”

Senior Nick DeBach’s 6-yard touchdown run with 5:15 left in the fourth also helped Palmer overcome Thunder Mountain’s 19-point second half. It was one of a pair of scores for the senior. DeBach, who finished with 60 yards rushing, caught a 10-yard Clayton Southwick touchdown pass in the first half.

Southwick, Palmer’s junior quarterback, accounted for more than 150 yards of total offense. Southwick completed 9 of 15 passes for 116 yards, and rushed the ball nine times for 48 yards.

“He’s making good decisions,” Christiansen said of Southwick.

Christiansen said Southwick continues to take the advice of Palmer offensive coordinator Tim Popowski, and apply it to the Moose offense.

“He’s really bought into what (Popowski) tells him. We’ve got to get first downs. Big plays happen, but we’ve got to chip away,” Christiansen said.

Jared Oviok also rushed for a score in the win, and added 49 yards rushing. Larry Cutsforth led the Moose with 68 on the ground.

Up next for Palmer is Soldotna, the four-time defending medium-schools state championships, which extended its state-record winning streak to 48 games earlier in the day with a slim 25-21 come-from-behind victory over North Pole in the other semifinal.

“I couldn’t be happier. This is what I’ve played for when I started playing in the third grade,” Witz said of the chance to play for a championship.

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

Palmer 28, Thunder Mountain 26

Medium-schools semifinals

First quarter:

Thunder Mountain — Tupou 5 run (kick good) 8:40.

Palmer — Southwick 1 run (kick good) 4:33.

Second quarter:

Palmer — DeBach 10 pass from Southwick (Cutsforth run) 8:29.

Palmer — Oviok 4 run (kick good) 1:14.

Third quarter:

Thunder Mountain — Tupou 4 run (kick good) 11:08.

Palmer — DeBach 6 run (kick failed) 5:15.

Thunder Mountain — Tupou 4 run (kick failed) 3:29.

Fourth quarter:

Thunder Mountain — Tupou 6 run (pass failed) 9:26.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Thunder Mountain: Tupou 16-59, Jenkins 5-(-1), Hinckle 2-7, Mendoza 1-3; Palmer: DeBach 16-60, Cutsforth 11-68, Southwick 9-48, Oviok 8-49, Witz 2-19, L. Farris 1-2, A. Farris 1-(-1).

PASSING — Thunder Mountain: Jenkins 24-32-0—290; Palmer: Southwick 9-15-0—116.

RECIEIVNG — Thunder Mountain: Owens 9-88, Maua 7-131, Crawford 4-36, Tupou 2-20, Hinckle 1-9, Mendoza 1-6; Palmer: Daniels 4-48, Witz 2-43, Christiansen 2-19, DeBach 1-10.