North Pole gets past Palmer

Reed Craner used a historic play to pull Palmer back into the game, but North Pole pulled away with the victory.

North Pole running back Patrick Mevin scored the go-ahead touchdown with 7 minutes, 30 seconds left in regulation to give the Patriots a 21-14 win over the Moose Friday night at Machetanz Field in Palmer.

Craner, a Palmer sophomore, returned a fumble 100 yards for a touchdown to help the Moose tie the score at 7 with 5:48 left in the third. The Patriots opened the second half with a 13-play drive and carried the ball inside the 5-yard line. On the final play of the drive, a North Pole fumble bounced right into the hands of Craner, who broke away, hit the left sideline and sprinted the length of the field for the score.

Craner’s touchdown tied the score at 7.

Palmer tied the score again early in the fourth quarter with KJ Henry’s 4-yard touchdown run. Henry led Palmer with 139 yards rushing and a touchdown.

Palmer dropped to 2-4 with the loss.

In other action, Trevor Jamison used a pair of touchdowns to lead Colony to a 19-6 win at Juneau. The Knights improved to 3-3. Houston beat Homer 13-6 in Homer. The Hawks are 5-1. Kenai beat Redington 84-0 in Kenai.

Contact the Frontiersman at sports@frontiersman.com.