Moose run past Mustangs

CHUGIAK — It’s been a few years since the Palmer Moose met the Chugiak Mustangs. But the storied rivalry between the Southcentral Alaska foes includes a pair of state championship game, and a semifinal match decided in overtime. As the Moose clung to a one-point lead late in the game, longtime Palmer High head coach Rod Christiansen couldn’t help but recall some of those battles of the past.

“For an old guy like me, I start having these memories,” said Christiansen, who led the Moose to a state title win over the Mustangs in 1995, and watched as the Mustangs slip past Palmer in the 1996 championship and saw Chugiak edge Palmer in overtime in the 2009 state semifinals. “Oh, didn’t we go to overtime with these guys not too long ago. Oh, didn’t we lose a state championship to these guys. You try to coach, focus on what’s the next important thing, but still you’re competitive, and you remember that those guys beat us that time.”

But Friday, thanks in part to more than 350 total yards of offense and a handful of pivotal plays on defense, Christiansen watched as his team celebrated a 28-20 win over the Mustangs at Chugiak High’s Tom Huffer Sr., Stadium.

“It was great. It was great to be able to get a win, and still know there’s a lot of things you need to work on,” Christiansen said.

Senior Chase Ferris, who led all large schools players in rushing last season, rushed for 237 yards and three touchdowns. Ferris gave Palmer some breathing room with a 34-yard touchdown run with 1 minute and 46 seconds left in regulation. But it was the Palmer defense that used a number of key plays to thwart the comeback attempt of the pass-happy Mustang offense. Palmer forced three Chugiak turnovers during the fourth quarter. Austin Farris recovered a Chugiak fumble deep in Palmer territory midway through the fourth. Wyatt McGann sacked Chugiak quarterback Ben Stewart to force another fumble late in the game. With less than a minute left, and Chugiak driving, sophomore Jared Oviok intercepted a Stewart pass.

“The sack, the pick, the fumble recovery. We were giving up some serious stuff, but we were making plays,” Christiansen said of his defense. “Bend and not break.”

Ferris, who praised Oviok, for “sealing the win,” said he was proud of his team’s defense overall.

“They never gave up, they kept fighting throughout the whole game,” Ferris said. “(Chugiak) would get a big play here or there, but we always kept fighting.”

And on offense, the Moose, Ferris in particular, kept churning through the yardage. Ferris used 35 carries to hit 237 yards. Midway through the first, Ferris broke away for a 49-yard scoring run to give Palmer the 7-0 lead. He added a 1-yard plunge late in the second to push Palmer ahead 14-7. His third touchdown, the 34-yard run, came with less than two minutes in the game.

“It felt awesome. The O-line, I can’t give enough to them. They opened holes all night,” Ferris said. “They did more than their job, made it easier running for me.”

Junior Trey Witz, making his first career varsity start at quarterback finished with six completions for 98 yards and a touchdown. Late in the first half, Witz connected with senior Nick Daniels on a 51-yard touchdown pass.

“It was amazing. Safety rolled over the top and he did exactly what he was supposed to do,” Ferris said. “Beautiful catch, beautiful play, beautiful call. It was a complete momentum boost. It looked like they were goin to stop us and the coach called the right play.”

Christiansen also saw it as a key moment in the game. The Daniels score broke a 14-14 tie with 11.4 seconds left in the first half.

“That was guys staying in the game and playing. We weren’t done yet. We still had our plan, and a chance to do something,” Christiansen said.

Senior Kenny Lee rushed for two of Chugiak’s three scores. Lee finished with 41 yards on 13 carries. Stewart led Chugiak with 43 yards, and also had a rushing touchdown. Stewart completed 14 of 31 passes for 216 yards. Derryck Snell finished with eight catches for a game-high 109 yards.

Overall, Christiansen said he was very happy with the effort of his team, and especially the work of a number players with new roles at the varsity level. Among those he noted was Larry Cutsworth, a sophomore kicker making his first varsity start, who converted all four point after touchdown attempts.

Palmer, which moved to the medium schools Northern Lights Conference during the offseason, continues nonconference play against large school opponents with a home game against former Railbelt rival Lathrop Friday at 7 p.m. at Machetanz Field.

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

Palmer 28, Chugiak 20

Friday, Tom Huffer Sr. Stadium

First quarter:

Palmer — Ferris 49 run (Cutsforth kick) 5:55.

Chugiak — Stewart 1 run (Morey kick) 4:26.

Second quarter:

Palmer — Ferris 1 run (Cutsforth kick) 2:56.

Chugiak — Lee 2 run (Morey kick) 1:17.

Palmer — Daniels 51 pass from Witz (Cutsforth kick) 0:11.

Third quarter:

No scoring.

Fourth quarter:

Chugiak — Lee 3 run (kick failed) 7:21.

Palmer — Ferris 34 run (Cutsforth kick) 1:46.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:

RUSHING — Palmer: Ferris 35-237, Glynn 5-20, Witz 3-5, Farris 2-4, Roth 1-1, Daniels 1-0; Chugiak: Lee 13-41, Stewart 11-43, No. 5 6-30, Regina 3-29, Cormier 1-12, Bryant 1-11.

PASSING — Palmer: Witz 6-11-1—98; Chugiak: Stewart 14-31-1—216.

RECEIVING — Palmer: Daniels 3-73, Roth 2-24, Hershman 1-1; Chugiak: Snell 8-109, Regina 3-62, Bryant 1-26, No. 23 1-12, No. 5 1-7.