Moose prepare for football showdown

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

Prior to the season, Palmer head football coach Rod Christiansen said Juneau-Douglas is the team to beat in the Railbelt Conference.

So far this season the former Cook Inlet Football Conference squad has done little to disappoint in its first year in the Railbelt. The Bears (3-0 overall, 2-0 in conference play) posted early whoopings of Lathrop and North Pole, and already are putting themselves to in position to win the Railbelt title.

But Palmer hopes to spoil the newcomers streak, as the Moose (3-0, 1-0 ) march into Juneau to take on the Bears tonight at 7 p.m.

Even though this is the first year that Juneau and Palmer are in the same conference, the teams are familiar with each other. The Bears and Moose were nonconference opponents nearly every year, and the two squads both attended the Western Washington University team camp over the summer. Palmer and Juneau met in the championship game of the camp's tournament of scrimmages.

"They have a lot of different ways they can score," Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen said as his players were running through plays during practice on Thursday. "Their quarterback has had a hot-hot year so far."

Juneau's starting signal caller, Chris Hinkley, is 32-of-50 for 291 yards and six touchdowns in two Railbelt wins.

"He's really solid," Christiansen said. "We're hoping to make him work a little harder. Not just stand there and throw."

Christiansen also noted Juneau's top flanker - Ryan Fagerstrom. In a 50-25 win over Lathrop, Fagerstrom caught six passes for 121 yards and four touch-

downs.

Juneau has excelled in the passing game, and stopping the air attack will be a priority for the Moose defense. Last week in a 34-31 win over Lathrop, Malemute quarterback Derek Stevenson tested the Palmer defensive backfield with 213 yards.

Offensively, Steel Tubbs could be a difference for the Moose. The senior running back gained a game-high 141 yards on 18 carries, and scored his sixth touchdown of the season. Tubbs could be a factor against a defense that has been vulnerable.

"People have scored a little bit on them, so we're hoping we can get after them," Christiansen said.

North Pole @ Wasilla

Tonight a pair of Railbelt squads will be in search of their first conference wins of the season. Wasilla (1-2, 0-1) hosts North Pole (0-2, 1-2) at 7 p.m.

After opening the season with a 23-20 nonconference win over Homer, the Warriors have dropped a pair of games. West Valley edged the Warriors 21-14 with a touchdown in the final seconds two weeks ago, and last week Chugiak ran past Wasilla 40-13.

While adjusting to a new offense, the Warriors have been looking at different personnel on both sides of the ball. Early in the season, the Wasilla coaching staff opted to allow players to focus on either offense or defense, but the Warriors inserted a pair of their offensive weapons in the defensive starting lineup. Senior quarterback Zach Bennett now roams the field at free safety and senior running back Jake Wade will chase opposing quarterbacks from a defensive end spot.

Wasilla jumped out to a 7-0 advantage over Chugiak and trailed by just one point at the half, but the Mustangs scored three times in the fourth quarter to defeat Wasilla. The Warriors have now been outscored 34-0 in the final quarter.

Rushing is the focus of the Wasilla triple-option offense, but the Warriors have shown the ability, and desire, to throw the ball. Bennett completed 5-of-7 passes for 80 yards against West Valley, and threw the ball 24 times in the loss to Chugiak.

Wade leads the Wasilla runners with 254 yards and three touchdowns.

Houston @ Seward

The Houston Hawks have another important Great Land Conference contest, as they travel to Seward to take on the Seahawks Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

The first priority for Houston (1-1, 1-2) is staying in the hunt for a playoff berth. But the Hawks would also like to avenge a loss to Seward (0-1, 0-3) from last season. The Seahawks scored in the final minutes of last year's contest to claim a 20-13 win.

That loss kept Houston out of the playoffs.

The winless Seahawks have struggled this season. Seward has been outscored 173-20, and dropped a 61-6 decision to Kenai last week.

Houston suffered a 56-14 loss to Soldotna last week. The Hawks gave up nearly 600 yards rushing in the game, but on the positive side the Hawks found success in the passing game. Junior quarterback Ryan Thamm completed 12-of-22 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver David Monteil enjoyed a career day with eight catches for 132 yards and a score.

Colony @ Skyview

Colony makes its lone appearance on the Kenai Peninsula this season with a road date at Skyview on Saturday. The Knights (3-0, 2-0) meet the Panthers (1-2, 0-1) in a nonconference

match.

Skyview have seen a variety of outcomes this season. The Panthers blasted Seward in the opening week, were drilled by Dimond in week two and were edged by Kodiak last weekend. Kodiak scored late to slip past Skyview 22-14.

The Panthers used a variety of running backs and ran the ball 42 times in the loss to Kodiak. Clark Buffington earned 50 yards on nine carries, and scored on a 6-yard run.

Colony used the passing game and a big play on special teams to move past West Valley 35-14 last week. Quarterback Tim Egger connected with fellow senior Austin Manelick on three touchdown passes. Manelick posted a career-high 102 yards receiving.

Adrian Lotocha notched a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second half.