Offseason changes create new challenges in Valley football

WASILLA — With a full slate of games across the state, the new prep football season officially begins today. Considering the amount of change in Valley football during the last several months, there’s an added emphasis on the word “new.”

The Palmer Moose and Houston Hawks have changed conferences. The Colony Knights have a new head coach. The Redington Huskies are the newest team on the Alaska football circuit. And just about everyone in the Wasilla Warriors starting lineup is new.

Below is a look at the Valley’s five football programs.

Houston Hawks

A new home has created a new buzz surrounding the Houston High football squad. Houston, which opted to play as an independent last season after years of uphill battles in the medium schools Northern Lights Conference, is now a member of the small schools Greatland Conference.

“The kids feel like they’ve got an honest chance,” Houston head coach Glenn Nelson said recently. “Before they played for the love of the game, but now they have an honest chance to be competitive, and they’re pretty excited.”

That excitement has led to what could be record turnout. Nelson said there are currently 63 players in the program, good enough for double the number of players Houston has had to work with in some years.

“Knowing we’re playing teams our own size, instead of (Soldotna), which has double or triple the number of athletes, they feel like they have an honest chance,” Nelson said of his players.

Nelson said a strength of Houston will be the interior of its offensive and defensive lines. Anchoring that group is senior center and nose tackle John Koenman. Flanking Koenman will be senior guard and defensive tackle Tony Pule and sophomore guard and defensive tackle Reed Graham.

Sophomore Robert Ritter returns as the team’s starting quarterback. Isaak Jirik and Noah Griffeth will lead the Hawks in the offensive backfield, and Nelson said Houston has some height at the receiver positions.

“We’re trying to be more balanced,” Nelson said.

Nelson said he’s excited about his team’s 2015 schedule. The Hawks have home games against Homer (tonight), Seward (Aug. 21), Monroe (Sept. 18) and Valdez (Oct. 2), and hit the road to play Barrow (Aug. 29), Kenai Central (Sept. 4), Nikiski (Sept. 12) and Eielson (Sept. 26). Houston opens its season against Homer tonight at 7 p.m. at Houston High.

“Usually we like to finish the season against Homer, kind of a rivalry game,” Nelson said of the Mariners, who moved, along with Houston, from the NLC to the Greatland. “It’ll be a tough matchup with Homer.”

Palmer Moose

Like Houston, Palmer is playing in a different conference. The Moose, formerly of the large schools Railbelt, are now part of the medium schools Northern Lights Conference. Palmer, which played in the NLC in the 1980s and 1990s, is reunited with longtime rivals such as Soldotna and Kenai. The new NLC also features Eagle River, a squad that dropped from the large schools Cook Inlet Conference, and Kodiak.

The biggest difference for the Moose is the separation from Valley rivals Wasilla and Colony, which stayed in large schools Railbelt when the Alaska Schools Activities Association reclassified prep football during the offseason.

The 2015 Moose will have to fill voids left on the front line and the sideline. Adam Christiansen (all-state center as a junior and linebacker as a senior), Nick Benshetler (all-state offensive lineman as a junior) and Ben Button (2014 Railbelt Conference Lineman of the Year) graduated. Longtime offensive coordinator Brad Hanson, defensive coordinator Keith Armstrong and assistant coach Bert Verrall retired from coaching.

But the Palmer cupboard isn’t exactly empty.

Former offensive line coach Tim Popowski, the 2011 Alaska Assistant Coach of the Year, is now the offensive coordinator. Andy Corbin, a longtime Palmer assistant and PHS graduate, is in charge of the defense.

On the field, Palmer returns senior Chase Ferris, who led large schools running backs with 1,311 yards. Ferris also scored 16 touchdowns as a junior. Palmer’s options in the backfield could also include senior Wyatt McGann and junior Austin Farris.

The Moose also return starting offensive linemen A.J. Kollander and Ryker Carrington.

Palmer, which made its state-best 15th straight trip to the postseason last year, starts its season tonight at 7 p.m. at Chugiak.

The Moose play a pair of home games against former Railbelt rivals Lathrop (Aug. 21) and Colony (Aug. 28) during the second and third weeks of the season. Palmer will also host NLC games against Soldotna (Sept. 11) and Kodiak (Sept. 25). Palmer’s road schedule includes games at Eagle River (Sept. 3), Kenai (Sept. 19) and the Potato Bowl at Wasilla High School Oct. 2.

Colony Knights

The Colony Knights have a new head coach. With the new man in charge, former Knights standout Rhett Magner, the 2015 edition of the Knights may resemble Colony teams of old.

“This will look like a traditional Colony team,” Magner said recently.

On offense, Colony has had success through the air in recent seasons, but Magner and first-year offensive coordinator Matt Jaronik, another former Colony standout, are taking the offense in a different direction.

“This year we’ll be a bit more balanced,” Magner said.

Magner said the pair spent the offseason meshing together offenses both have experience with on both the high school and college level. Balance on offense is the goal.

Senior quarterback Steven Bilafer, a first-team All-Railbelt Conference selection, is back to lead the offense.

“Steven’s picked (the offense) up pretty quickly, and is doing very well. We’re looking for him to be the leader on the team,” Magner said of Bilafer, who was also named first-team all-conference at punter last year.

Bilafer will work behind an offensive line that includes the experience of veterans such as senior center Ryan Wharry, and senior guards Austin Gilland and Alex Alvarado. Magner expects Colony to feature some depth in the backfield, with weapons such as Dawson Nash, Jordan Nero and Cade Havel.

Norm Bouchard, a longtime head coach at Houston High and recent assistant with the Knights, is the defensive coordinator. Magner said Bouchard has installed a defense with a base 4-4 system, four linemen and four linebackers.

“We want to keep it basic, get them to play fast and smart,” Magner said.

Havel at linebacker, Nero at cornerback and defensive end Noah Sessom will be among the leaders on defense, Magner said.

Following ASAA’s reclassification of football during the offseason, Colony is one of only four teams left in the Railbelt, along with Wasilla, Lathrop and West Valley. With only three games on the conference schedule, there’s much more emphasis on the Railbelt games, Magner said.

“The team goal we have is all geared toward getting us that conference championship. Drop one of those games, and it makes things really, really complicated,” Magner said. “We’re really focused on those three conference games.”

Colony also has a tough nonconference schedule that features road games against East Anchorage (tonight), Palmer (Aug. 28) and South Anchorage (Sept. 11), and home dates against Soldotna (Aug. 21) and North Pole (Oc. 2). The Knights play Railbelt games against Lathrop (Sept. 4) and Wasilla (Sept. 25) at home, and are at West Valley (Sept. 18).

Wasilla Warriors

The Wasilla Warriors are the top returning team in the Valley, going 6-3 last season and a making trip to the large schools playoffs, but the offseason took its toll on the Warriors. Wasilla graduated a huge senior class of 24 players, a group that included all-conference selections such as quarterback Blake Marks, lineman Dahlton Wasankari and running back Devin Otto. Wasilla also lost three starters who transferred outside of the school district.

Despite the losses, head coach Kent Rilatos said the Warriors intend to out-work their opponents, while building a new nucleus of talent.

“We’ve just got to battle as hard as we can, and let the chips fall where they may,” Rilatos said recently. “We’re proud of the guys who want to be at Wasilla, and the coaches who want to be at Wasilla. We want to make the community proud on and off the field.”

Rilatos said he is looking to linemen such as Ben Frick, Kyle Savok, John Wolf, Joey Stull and Chase Minnick to be leaders in the trenches.

Rilatos noted Austin Sodorff, a senior tight and defensive end, as a leader on both sides of the ball. Wasilla also has intriguing young talent, such as sophomore Aeron Milliron, a defensive end.

Milliron and Hunter Hongslo have both been in the running for the starting quarterback job. Hongslo made one start at quarterback last year, a road game at Kenai.

Rilatos said senior Isaia Uti and junior Nick Alexander are among the top Warriors in the offensive backfield, and he said his team has also shown depth at the receiver position. Wasilla could use a number of receivers, from a group that includes junior Jaden Walkenmeyer and senior Justin Lee, in its pistol offense.

Lee will also be a leader on defense, playing the strong safety position for the Warriors. Other defensive leaders include Carson Reed at safety, and Savok and Sodorff on the defensive line.

Wasilla opens its season Saturday at 4 p.m. against Service in Anchorage. The nonconference schedule also includes home games against East (Aug. 21), Dimond (Sept. 3) and Palmer (Oct. 2), and a road game at West Anchorage (Sept. 18).

Wasilla is just one of four teams left in the Railbelt following the offseason reclassification of football. Two of Wasilla’s three conference games are on the road, at Lathrop on Aug. 29 and at Colony on Sept. 25. The Warriors host West Valley on Sept. 11.

Redington Huskies

The Redington Huskies enter the 2015 season as the Valley’s fifth prep football program. The school, which officially opens its doors for the first time on Monday, will start with a junior varsity program, with freshmen and sophomores.

Redington assistant coach Larry Scott said about 15 players have been participating in team practices, and he hopes that number grows once the school year officially begins Monday.

“It’s a building process for sure,” Scott said recently.

Redington has a small schedule for its first year. The team will scrimmage a group of younger players from Houston Aug. 22 at Houston High. Redington will make its first road trip the following weekend for a junior varsity contest at Monroe Catholic.