MOOSE RUN

PALMER — The Lathrop Malemutes thought they’d caught a break.

After allowing an early Palmer score, Lathrop senior Brandon Olson took the ensuing kick off and zipped up the right sidelines for a 65-yard return.

After a 6-yard Olson carry and a 15-yard Palmer personal foul, the Malemutes stood six yards from their first score of the season.

And then the Palmer defense dealt the Malemutes a back-breaking blow.

Palmer senior Coleman Ahrens sacked Lathrop quarterback Kyle Nunemann to cause a fumble, Palmer senior lineman Evan Parsons recovered the ball and the Moose went on to post five more scores in the first half, and notched a 46-0 win over the Malemutes at Machetanz Field on Friday.

“With that return, all the momentum was going their way, then the fumble happened and it was a total turn-around,” Ahrens said after Palmer improved to 2-0.

From his linebacker spot, Ahrens charged through the Lathrop offensive line. With help from Parsons and senior defensive lineman Danny Konkler, the Moose dropped Nunemann and forced the fumble.

“That was a big play for us,” Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen said. “Our linebackers have been playing well all year.”

Sparked by the play, the stout Moose defense handed Lathrop its second shutout in as many weeks and held the Malemutes offense to a mere seven total yards.

“We came out kind of hesitant, but right after that we came together as a unit and really took it to them,” Ahrens said.

Meanwhile, Palmer used more than 250 yards rushing in the first half and four second-quarter touchdowns to bury the Malemutes.

Ahrens and senior Brennan Bohman both topped the 100-yard mark in the first half. Ahrens posted a game-high 124 yards on just four carries, while Bohman

added 113 yards on 10 tries. Bohman, who gave the Moose the 7-0 lead with a 5-yard score midway through the first, had 103 yards during the first quarter.

“Our linemen up front, we’ve got to give props to them, that’s all it is,” Bohman said.

Ahrens posted a pair of scores of 50 yards or more during the first half. Late in the first, Ahrens burst through the line for a 55-yard touchdown run. Late in the second, in similar fashion, the fullback gutted the middle of the Lathrop defense for a 58-yard score.

“Our line was really getting a push,” Ahrens said. “There wasn’t even really a read. The (holes) were just right there.”

At one point in the second, Palmer scored on three straight offensive plays in the second.

With 4:35 left in the half, Palmer quarterback Dustin Silva tossed a quick throw to tight end Mike Daniels on a screen pass, and the senior hit the sidelines for a 33-yard score.

After a quick Lathrop three-and-out, Ahrens posted his 58-yard score to give the Moose the 34-0 lead. And after another quick Lathrop series, John Scoresby shot through the line for a 22-yard touchdown run.

Silva finished 4-for-4 with 88 yards and a touchdown. He now has touchdown passes in four straight games, a streak that dates back to last year.

Silva found junior Jim McCall on a 34-yard completion early in the second quarter. That gave the Moose the ball on the 2-yard line, and junior David Sorenson followed with a short score.

“He’s coming up big,” Bohman said of Silva. “He’s progressing. He’s gotten much, much better from last year, and he’s only going to go up.”

First-year Lathrop head coach Jason Gazewood watched as his Malemutes drop to 0-2 and his defense surrender 46 or more points for the second consecutive week. Gazewood said the early Lathrop fumble was the defining moment in the game.

“It’s been so long since they’ve tasted success, and really had (success) and (said), hey we’re competitive,” Gazewood said of his squad. “But once we start scoring, we’re going to be a competitive team. It’s just getting over that hurdle mentally.”

Olson led the Malemutes with 25 yards rushing, and grabbed a 16-yard catch. Sophomore Tayvon Snelling gained 16 yards on four carries in the second half.

Gazewood said Lathrop has some talent in the backfield, but the Malemutes are still looking for its leaders up front.

“We’ve got some speed, but we’ve got to develop our line to help them utilize the speed,” Gazewood said. “We had a whole new line this week. Three of the five guys didn’t start last week.”

Next week, Palmer (2-0) will venture away from the friendly confines of Machetanz Field for the first time this weekend. The Moose travel north to play West Valley (0-2) in Fairbanks. Despite back-to-back lopsided losses, Christiansen doesn’t see a trip to the Interior to play the Wolfpack as a simple task.

“It doesn’t get any easier,” Christiansen said. “We will have a challenge.”

Lathrop (0-2) will return to the Valley next week to face Colony High School in Palmer. As the Malemutes prepare for another tough Mat-Su opponent, Gazewood said his players are still trying to overcome a difficult early portion of the season that has included shortened practice schedules due to the smoke-filled skies of Fairbanks and a pair of lopsided road losses. Lathrop’s 47-0 loss to Kenai last week was also made worse by the theft of a reported $4,200 worth of items from a room where the Malemutes stored their personal belongings during the road trip.

“All these kids really need is a little bit of confidence,” Gazewood said. “Talent-wise, I don’t think there’s a whole lot of difference between us and a lot of other people in the region.”

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

Palmer 46, Lathrop 0

Friday, Machetanz Field

First quarter

Palmer — Bohman 5 run (Bohman kick) 6:47.

Palmer — Ahrens 55 run (run failed) 1:25.

Second quarter

Palmer — Sorenson 2 run (Bohman kick) 9:13.

Palmer — Daniels 33 pass from Silva (Bohman kick) 4:35.

Palmer — Ahrens 58 run (Bohman kick) 2:50.

Palmer — Scoresby 22 run (kick failed) 00:07.

Third quarter

Palmer — Corbin 23 run (kick failed) 00:45.

Individual statistics

RUSHING — Lathrop: Olson 12-25, Nunemann 5-(-33), Snelling 4-16, Sutton 2-0, Silva 2-(-13), Benjamin 1-4; Palmer: Bohman 10-113, Kemp 10-15, Sorenson 5-15, Straight 5-(-2), Ahrens 4-124, Scoresby 2-19, Corbin 2-14, McCall 2-12, Christiansen 1-2.

PASSING — Lathrop: Nunemann 2-6-0-8, J. Silva 0-2-0-0; Palmer: D. Silva 4-4-0—83.

RECEIVING — Lathrop: Olson 1-16, Mitchell 1-(-8); Palmer: McCall 2-34, Daniels 1-33, Ahrens 1-6.