Moose score homecoming victory over Kodiak

PALMER — Some things don’t always go as planned. It’s a lesson the Palmer Moose have learned the hard way this season. Last week, the Moose watched their playoff hopes disappear with a tough loss to Kenai Central. Saturday, as more than a dozen seniors were on the Machetanz Field turf for the final time in their careers, the Moose watched as one of their senior leaders, Justin Roth, was carted off the field with a major injury.

The score was tied at 13 when Roth was hurt. But facing adversity, Palmer finished strong, scoring a 41-20 win over the Kodiak Bears.

“It started out with a lot of hype being senior night, and then one of our good friends, Justin Roth, broke his leg in the first half. Everybody rallied around that. We’ve been playing with him since third grade. Everyone’s going to see him right after this,” Palmer senior Chase Ferris said of Roth after the victory.

Ferris rushed for a game-high 217 yards and two touchdowns, and intercepted a pair of Kodiak passes to help the Moose notch the win, and improve to 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Northern Lights Conference play. The Moose, who will finish third in the NLC in their first season in the medium-schools class, will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1999. Despite seeing Palmer’s state-record streak of 15 straight trips to the postseason snapped, Ferris said the Moose know there’s still plenty to play for. The Moose celebrated homecoming and senior night Saturday, and face rival Wasilla in the annual Potato Bowl in Week 8.

“We’re a team that’s been together for a long time. It’s a real tight-knit community. We’ve got to teach the underclassmen how to get it done at Palmer High School,” Ferris said.

Palmer used a strong defensive effort during the second half to stop the upset-minded Bears. Ferris picked off two Kodiak passes during the fourth quarter, defensive lineman Travis Wheeler and linebacker Nick Daniels each had a pair of sacks in the second half, and the Palmer defense kept the Bears off the scoreboard in the final two quarters. Palmer also held Kodiak to 62 total yards in the second half.

Kodiak used big plays in the second quarter to keep the game tight in the first half. Bears quarterback Anderas Carros connected with Giovanni Martinez on a 69-yard scoring strike to put the Bears on the scoreboard early in the second. After Kodiak recovered a Palmer fumble, Carros capped a drive with a 1-yard score to tie the game at 13.

Later in the quarter, Jay Miranda broke away for a 45-yard score to tie the game at 20.

Palmer had its own fireworks on offense.

Sophomore Clayton Southwick connected with Daniels for a pair of touchdown passes. Daniels hauled in a 19-yard scoring catch midway through the first quarter to give the Moose a 7-0 lead. With 30 seconds left in the first-half, Daniels caught a 17-yard Southwick pass to break the 20-20 tie.

Ferris broke free for a 27-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, and sprinted up the middle of the field 46 yards for a score in the third quarter. Southwick and Wayne Hershman also added touchdown runs in the game.

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

Palmer 41, Kodiak 20

Sept. 26, Palmer High

First quarter:

Palmer — Daniels 19 pass from C. Southwick (Burton kick) 5:18.

Second quarter:

Palmer — Hershman 6 run (kick failed) 10:41.

Kodiak — Martinez 69 pass from Carros (kick failed) 10:23.

Kodiak — Carros 1 run (Recinos-Pineda kick) 6:58.

Palmer — Ferris 27 run (Burton kick) 5:01.

Kodiak — Miranda 45 run (Recinos-Pineda kick) 4:29.

Palmer — Daniels 17 pass from C. Southwick (kick failed) 0:30.

Third quarter:

Palmer — Ferris 46 run (Ferris run) 10:43.

Palmer — C. Southwick 1 run (Burton kick) 4:58.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:

RUSHING — Kodiak: Carros 16-27, Miranda 13-100; Palmer: Ferris 20-217, Southwick 7-1, Hershman 6-34, Farris 6-31, Daniels 3-39, Roth 2-3, Glynn 2-3, Mose 1-3, Heal 1-(-1).

PASSING — Kodiak: Carros 8-25-2—166,; Palmer: C. Southwick 5-9-0—66.

RECEIVING — Kodiak: Brewer 2-45, Walton 2-28, Miranda 2-14, Martinez 1-69, Sega 1-1; Palmer: Daniels 4-66.