Moose ready for South

PALMER — Early in the regular season, some thought Palmer and South Anchorage had potential to meet late in the postseason. But after late-season upsets in the Railbelt and Cook Inlet scrambled the standings in both conferences, the Moose and Wolverines will face off in a quarterfinal match slated for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Palmer’s Machetanz Field.

Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen said the Moose are excited about the contest, which is also a rematch of the 2012 state semifinal won by South 25-7.

“It’s pretty good motivation for our guys,” Christiansen said Wednesday afternoon.

Last season, Palmer entered the match against South undefeated, but the Wolverines, sparked by a 96-yard second-quarter punt return, ended Palmer’s bid to advance to the state title game for the fifth time in school history.

“Everyone is kind of looking forward to it,” Christiansen said of the chance to play South again.

South went on to win the 2012 state title.

Palmer (6-2, 3-1) finished second in the Railbelt Conference. Colony used a 31-20 win over the Moose in Week 7 to claim the crown. South was also the victim of late-season upsets. The Wolverines (5-3, 5-2) fellow to the No. 3 seed in the CIC after suffering losses to Service and CIC champion West Anchorage during the final three weeks of the regular season. Service edged South 37-36 in Week 6 and West blanked the Wolverines 23-0 last weekend.

“Three weeks ago they looked unbeatable, but they’ve lost a couple,” said Christiansen, Palmer’s longtime head coach who is leading his program into the playoffs for a state-record 19th year.

Regardless of the losses, Christiansen expects to see a tough Wolverines squad, an annual power that has played in the last two state championship games.

“There might be a couple new twists, same with us,” Christiansen said. “With the consistency of the coaching staff, the consistency of the program, they’re a little bit like us.”

On the offensive side, South is averaging about 200 yards rushing per game. Justice Augafa leads the Wolverines with 465 yards and six touchdowns. The Wolverines have six players on the roster with 120 or more yards rushing. Seven different players have at least one rushing touchdown.

The South defense allowed only 13 points during its first four CIC games of the year, and pitched shutouts against Eagle River and Chugiak. In the last three games, teams have scored an average of 24 points against SAHS.

Palmer, once again, boasts one of the top rushing offenses in the state this season, averaging 281.8 yards per game. The Moose have amassed 300 or more yards rushing four times this season, including a season-high 426 against Lathrop.

Senior James Nisbett continues to lead the Moose with 695 yards, despite missing two full games and parts of three others due to injury this year. Senior Vincent Aumavae has 645 yards.

Aumavae led the Moose to a 26-20 win over Wasilla in the Potato Bowl last week. He finished with 243 yards and scored three touchdowns, including the go-ahead score with 64 seconds left in regulation.

Saturday’s winner will play either West Anchorage or Lathrop in the semifinals.