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Wishbone Warriors whip Wolves
Aug. 12, 2007
BY JEREMIAH BARTZ/Frontiersman
ANCHORAGE - The biggest change for the Wasilla Warriors is not a new set of starters or a few new coaches. The most significant difference between the 2006 edition of the Warriors and the 2007 squad is the introduction of the wishbone offense.
And on Friday, the Warriors saw immediate results.
Wasilla burned Eagle River for 301 yards on the ground, averaged more than six yards per carry and rolled to a 41-6 drubbing of the Wolves at Anchorage Football Stadium.
While indeed happy with the results, the Warriors brought the wishbone offense to Wasilla not just to score a win in game one, but have an opportunity to return to Anchorage to play on the carpet of AFS in October.
“Wasilla, back in the day, was run first, pass second,” Wasilla senior left tackle Zach Orr said. “Last year, we started to get away from that. But then we realized in (the Railbelt Conference), running's the best way to get the job done.”
The Warriors rushed the ball 47 times, and scored more points Friday than they did in any single game last season.
“Our biggest thing is trying to establish a new line of scrimmage,”Wasilla head coach Jim Shetter said. “Our big goal is to run the ball.”
Junior Chris Crane led the Warriors with 96 yards on 11 carries.
Crane scored the first touchdown of the season for the Warriors, following a Bebo Russell block into the end zone for a 30-yard score in the first quarter.
Russell posted a 13-yard touchdown later in the half.
Five different Warriors gained 30 or more yards in the game. Senior Joe Barkley added 77 yards on nine carries, Mike Chafin scampered for 62 yards on eight carries, Russell had 50 yards on six carries and Casey Katchinska ran 34 yards on six tries.
“With this offense, you?re able to mix it up a little bit,” Shetter said. ?You can?t just key on one individual. You?re able to spread the wealth.?
The success of the Warrior ground attack, also allowed Wasilla quarterback Adrese Lavern to spread the ball around to the receivers.
Lavern, a transfer from West Anchorage, tossed three touchdowns as the Warriors scored 28 unanswered points in the second half.
Lavern found Crane in the flats for a 3-yard score early in the second half.
Patrick “Radio” Campbell beat single coverage, and scored on a 31-yard scoring catch late in the third period.
In the fourth, Tim Orr snagged a pass on a 12-yard quick slant for a score.
Barkley, a senior defensive back, returned an interception 33 yards for a score in the fourth quarter. Playing in his first football game since the seventh grade, Barkley intercepted three Eagle River passes.
Barkley intercepted an Eagle River pass in the end zone in the first quarter.
“He dominated,” Orr said.
Before this season, Barkley, a standout hockey player at WHS, had not stepped onto a football field since his days in the Matanuska Youth Football Association.
“(This team) had good guys coming out, and they all want to win,” Barkley said.
Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.
WARRIORS 41, WOLVES 6
Friday, Anchorage Football Stadium
Wasilla 7 6 14 14 - 41
Eagle River 0 6 0 0 - 6
First Quarter
Wasilla - Crane 30 run (Bosch kick), 1:03
Second Quarter
Wasilla - Russel 13 run (run failed), 10:22
Eagle River - Lehman 3 pass from Meyer (pass failed) 5:07.
Third Quarter
Wasilla - Crane 3 pass from Laverne (Bosch kick), 3:12.
Wasilla - Campbell 31 pass from Laverne (Bosch kick), 1:37.
Fourth Quarter
Wasilla - Barkley 33 interception return (Bosch kick), 8:56.
Wasilla - T. Orr 12 pass from Laverne, (Bosch kick), 4:26.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING - Wasilla: Crane 11-96, Barkley 9-79, Gonser-Chafin 8-62, Russel 6-50, Katchinska 6-34, Worden 1-5, No. 27 1-6, Lavern 1-(-9), Washington 2-(-11), Pfiefer 2-(-11). Eagle River: Evenstad 16-56, Williams 3-3, Ortiz 1-(-2), McSweeney 3-(-4), Lehman 5-(-4), D. Meyer 2-(-16).
PASSING - Wasilla: Lavern 6-14-0-80, Pfiefer 0-1-0-0. Eagle River: D. Meyer 5-21-2-55, Ortiz 2-4-1-12.
RECEIVING - Wasilla: Campbell 1-31, Green 1-14, Gonser-Chafin 1-11, Orr 1-12, Barkley 1-8, Crane 1-4. Eagle River: Harvey 2-30, Feyer 2-21, J. Meyer 1-7, Owolabi 1-6, Lehman 1-3
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