Moose run past Warriors in annual Potato Bowl

Palmer senior running back KJ Henry will never forget his final carry on the turf of Machetanz Field.

Henry broke away for a 76-yard touchdown run late in a 54-19 win over the rival Wasilla Warriors Friday night at Palmer High School.

“It was amazing. I could not have dreamt of something better,” Henry said as he celebrated with friends after the win.

It was the final offensive play for a career night for Henry, who rushed the ball 18 times for 306 yards and four touchdowns. Henry actually scored on his final two carries of the game. He had a 44-yard touchdown run earlier in the second half.

Henry’s 306 rushing yards are the second most in Potato Bowl history. Former Palmer star Chase Ferris rushed for a Potato Bowl record 316 yards in 2015. Another Moose standout, James Nisbett had 305 yards on the ground in 2012.

“KJ was obviously unbelievable today,” Palmer head coach Tim Popowski said after the win.

Henry had scoring runs of 21, 26, 44 and 76 yards. Palmer junior quarterback Nolan Garner added five carries for 113 yards and three more rushing touchdowns. Garner’s first three carries — yards of 65, 10 and 1 — all went for scores.

“KJ running hard, Nolan making plays,” Popowski said of the success. “Everyone on offense and defense was making plays.”

Garner also added a 35-yard touchdown pass to senior Aden Hershman in the second half. Garner completed 2 of 4 passes for 59 yards. Senior Logan Rolston also had a 24-yard catch. But this was on a night in which heavy winds consistently gushed across Machetanz Field.

“As soon as we saw the elements after school, we said this is just ball control and make some simple throws. That’s exactly what we did,” Popowski said.

The Henry-led ground game finished with 445 yards on only 27 carries.

“Guys doing what we know they could do. We just ran with confidence today. That’s what was so good,” Popowski said.

Wasilla also had success on the ground, with two different players topping the 100-yard mark. Junior Zorn Allen led Wasilla with 128 yards on 26 carries. Senior Ryan Mikkelsen added 104 yards on 23 tries. Wasilla had 288 yards rushing on 65 carries.

Wasilla had 72 total offensive plays, compared to Palmer’s 31.

But six of Palmer’s eight scores were from 21 yards or more.

The Moose jumped to a quick lead. Henry scored on a 21-yard touchdown run on the fourth play of the game. On Palmer’s second possession, Garner needed only one play to rush for a 65-yard touchdown. The third possession, Garner gave the Moose a 21-7 lead on the second play.

Palmer scored four times on its first 11 plays of the game.

“We were ready all week,” Henry said.

With the win in the 46th annual Potato Bowl, Palmer improved to 34-12. The rivalry dates back to 1979.

Palmer improved to 4-5 overall and 3-4 in conference play. The Moose were still mathematically alive for the fourth and final spot in the Division II playoffs after the win, but tiebreakers decided the No. 4 seed,

Soldotna (6-1) clinched the conference title with a 30-6 win over North Pole (6-1) Friday. The Patriots are the second seed.

Lathrop (4-3) clinched the No. 3 seed with a win over West Valley on Saturday. That left the Wolfpack in a four-team tie for fourth with Palmer, Chugiak and Eagle River. Chugiak, which beat Eagle River 21-7 on Friday, was awarded the fourth seed based on the tiebreakers.

Wasilla closes its season 1-8 overall and 0-7 in conference play.

Palmer also finished 2-0 against its biggest rivals, Wasilla and Colony.

“That was the goal all year. That was the mission all week. That was the message,” Popowski said. “We wanted to win the Valley and send the seniors off right.”

Earlier in the year, the Moose beat Colony 47-23 to grab their first win over the Knights in a decade.

“We’re the best in the Valley,” Henry said. “That’s important. We’ll live with this for the rest of our lives.”

Contact Frontiersman managing editor Jeremiah Bartz at editor@frontiersman.com.