Moose to battle Eagles tonight

PALMER — It’s been seven years since Palmer’s last meeting with West Anchorage and more than 60 years since the first time the Moose faced the Eagles.

But tonight’s large-schools state semifinal match against West is easily the biggest game in the 61-year history of the rivalry. With a win over the Eagles tonight, Palmer would advance to the state title game for the fifth time.

“The guys are excited, having fun out there, really excited to be back in the semifinals again,” Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen said of the game, slated to kickoff at 6:30 p.m. at Anchorage Football Stadium.

Palmer is no stranger to the playoffs, or the state semifinals. The Moose have punched their state tournament ticket a state-record 19 times, are riding a state-best 14-year playoff streak and will play in the state semifinals for the 10th time in school history tonight.

But it’s been awhile since the Moose have seen West, their oldest rival. Palmer’s last meeting against West came with a 40-20 win over the Eagles in week 1 of the 2006 season. The first official football game in Palmer High history was against West, then known as Anchorage High School, Oct. 4, 1952.

Tonight, Palmer will face an Eagles squad playing in the semifinals for the fourth straight year. West last advanced to the championship in 2010, beating Service 6-0 to win the title.

West is riding the longest winning streak in the large-schools class. After starting the season 0-2, West won its next seven games.

“They’ve obviously peaked at the right time,” Christiansen said.

West boasts a quarterback with more than a 1,000 yards passing, a running back with more than 800 yards rushing and two wide receivers with more than 30 catches and 400 yards. But Christiansen was also quick to note the success of the West defense.

“They’ve really shut people down lately,” Christiansen said. “They haven’t been scored on much lately.”

The Eagles defense has posted back-to-back shutouts. Last week, West blanked Lathrop 19-0 during the state quarterfinals. West capped the regular season with a 23-0 win over South Anchorage. West has allowed single-digit scoring in four of the last six weeks and has given up more than 20 points only twice this season — a 24-14 loss to Wasilla in Week 1 and a 35-29 win over Eagle River in Week 3.

Senior Tyrone Davis is among state leaders with 1,154 yards and 12 touchdowns. Lui Fa’amasino has 837 yards rushing and six touchdowns. Leroy Elliott (34 catches, 711 yards, 9 touchdowns) and Marquez Rayford (33 catches, 467 yards, 4 touchdowns) are Davis’ top targets.

Last week, Elliott was held to only two catches, but rushed for 132 carries and touchdowns off only six carries against the Malemutes.

“They’re a big-play team. We need to shut down the big plays as much as possible,” Christiansen said. “They’re very athletic.”

Christiansen’s squad is also coming off a big, 25-22 win over South Anchorage in the state quarterfinals. Despite turning the ball over four times in the first half, the Moose controlled the final two quarters to score the win. West has had success, but Christiansen said he feels Palmer has what it needs to contend.

“We think we can get there and play with them,” Christiansen said. “We need to make some big plays on special teams. Often the game comes down to turnovers. We need to create some turnovers.”

Palmer, the No. 2 seed from the Railbelt Conference, is 7-2 heading into tonight. The Moose have a 16-3 record, best in the large-schools class, dating back to the beginning of the 2011 season.

A key for the Moose may be the play of the front line on both sides of the ball. Three of Palmer’s five starting offensive linemen (center Adam Christiansen, guard Caleb Deemer and tackle Nick Benshetler) recently received first-team all-conference honors. All five starters earned at least an honorable mention. Senior Brian Thompson was named first-team as a defensive lineman.

Palmer has been without its top running back, senior James Nisbett, since halftime of a Week 7 loss to Colony. But fellow senior Vincent Aumavae has stepped up in Nisbett’s absence and has rushed for 353 yards in the last two weeks. Last week, Ben Aumavae added 80 yards and a touchdown during the win over the Wolverines. The Moose are averaging 281 yards rushing per game this season.