Playoffs arrive a week early for local football teams

WASILLA — When it comes to Wasilla High School football, there are several questions that can be answered with a single statement — ‘it’s been a while.”

When was the last time the Warriors made the playoffs?

It’s been a while.

When was the last time Wasilla beat Palmer?

It’s been a while.

Before last week, the questions — ‘when was the last time Wasilla beat Colony?’ and ‘when was the last time the Warriors had a winning record’ — could be asked.

But thanks to a 28-21 overtime win over the Knights at Colony High School, the Warriors earned their first victory over their Valley rival since 2001. With that win, the Warriors (5-3) guaranteed their first winning season since 2002.

And tonight, when Wasilla hosts Palmer in the annual Potato Bowl at 7 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Field, the Warriors can erase a few more of those questions. With a win over the Moose, Wasilla would earn the right to hoist the Mayor’s Cup Trophy for the first time since 2001, and the victory would clinch the Warriors’ first postseason berth since 2002.

Like two other Mat-Su programs fighting for spots in the Alaska state playoffs, the Warriors are in basically a must-win situation this week. Wasilla (3-2 in conference play) would still be alive with a loss, but the Warriors could potentially find themselves in a three-way tie with their postseason fate attached to a tiebreaker.

“We win, we’re in,” Wasilla head coach James Shetter said earlier this week. “That’s our four-word motto for the week. We win, we’re in.”

Unlike its neighbors to the west, Palmer has already clinched a spot in the playoffs. Instead of a postseason spot, the Moose are playing for home field advantage in the first round.

“To get back and play another game at Machetanz Field is motivation for the team,” Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen said on Thursday.

Regardless of the outcome tonight, Palmer (4-1 in conference play) can finish no worse than third in the conference.

Tonight Palmer and Wasilla meet for the 29th time in what many call the most storied prep football rivalry in Alaska. The Moose have held a firm grasp on the Mayor’s Cup — the traveling trophy that goes to the winner of the Potato Bowl each year — for most of this decade.

During its five-game Potato Bowl winning streak, Palmer has out-scored the Warriors 154-15. The Moose have posted three shutouts during that span, and have enjoyed a margin of victory of 20 points or more in four of the five wins.

Wasilla’s last Potato Bowl win came in 2001, a year the Warriors edged the Moose 19-17.

But the Wasilla football program has enjoyed sort of a re-birth.

“They’re the best (Wasilla) team in the last several years for sure,” Christiansen said Thursday. “They’ve got size. They can hurt you a lot of ways offensively.”

Shetter said he expects some “hard-nosed football” to be played tonight.

“It should be a pretty good game,” Shetter said. “I’ve always had respect for Palmer and their coaching staff. They’re always in playoff contention.”

While the Moose and Warriors have their similarities — both teams have shown the ability to run the ball and play solid defense — there is the one big difference. Palmer is in the playoffs, and the Warriors are not.

“They’re backs are against the wall,” Christiansen said. “They’re just going for it.”

Christiansen said the feeling this week is kind of similar to last week.

“North Pole was pretty close to a must win last week,” Christiansen said.

The Patriots could have made a big move toward a playoff spot with a win over the Moose.

“As far as making the playoffs, they’re in it. But from their perspective, they’re playing for pride,” Shetter said. “But we’re trying to shore up that position in the playoffs.”

But Christiansen also noted, the desire to win the Potato Bowl can’t be lost in all the playoff talk.

“There’s always the trophy,” Christiansen said.

A strong defensive effort during the win over North Pole helped the Moose clinch a spot in the playoffs. In the 28-8 win over the Patriots, Palmer held an opponent to single digits in scoring for the second consecutive week.

“Defensively, we’ve been able to bottle up some pretty good offensive teams,” Christiansen said. “They’ve been pretty stingy.”

Senior running back Devin Konkler fueled the Palmer offense with 203 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Konkler now has 842 yards — the best of any runner in the Valley — and nine rushing touchdowns.

Led by Konkler, the Moose now have rushed for 1,769 yards in seven games. Palmer also has 20 rushing touchdowns.

Wasilla has also enjoyed success on the ground this season. Junior Chris Crane topped the 100-yard mark for the third time this season in the win over Colony, and now has a team-high 628 yards. He has five rushing touchdowns, and has four receiving scores.

Crane is second on the squad with 233 yards receiving.

Adrese LaVern is the top quarterback in the Valley with 99 completions for 852 yards and 13 touchdowns. LaVern has a touchdown throw in each of Wasilla’s seven games this season.

Wide receiver Tim Orr and tight end Shane Green each have a team-high 14 catches.

“They’re certainly not one-dimensional,” Christiansen said.

Lathrop at Colony,

Saturday, 4 p.m.

Colony’s playoff hopes took a hit last week with the overtime loss to Wasilla. But the Knights are far from out in the Railbelt race to the postseason.

But to capture a spot in the postseason, the squad that finished as the large-schools runner-up last year will most likely have to snap a four-game losing streak with a win over Lathrop.

Colony started the season with a three-game winning streak, but since, the Knights have been in a continuous decent in the Railbelt standings.

Lathrop (1-4 in conference play) was eliminated from the playoffs two weeks ago.

Colony started the 2007 season with a focus on the run — senior Jaron Murphy was among the top backs in the state with 636 yards in the first five game. But in the last two weeks, the Knights have shown the desire to pass.

Murphy, a senior, has just 32 yards in the last two games. But Murphy’s younger brother Collin, Colony’s junior quarterback, has 51 pass attempts in the last two games.

The elder Murphy was a huge factor in the Colony passing attack last week with four catches for 102 yards and a touchdown.

Valdez at Houston

Saturday, 2 p.m.

The Houston Hawks and Valdez Buccaneers will play for the final Greatland Conference postseason spot when they meet at Houston High School at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

The Hawks and Buccaneers are currently locked in a second-place tie with a 3-2 conference mark.

Houston gained a valuable win in the playoff race, with a 28-14 victory over Seward at Seward High School last week.

Seniors Brandon Parks and Israel Morales each scored twice during a 28-point second quarter. Parks rushed for a game-high 215 yards, and Morales also topped the 100-yard mark in the win.

“We were able to run the ball really well,” Houston head coach Norm Bouchard said. “And that’s what we hope to do this weekend.”

While Houston is hoping to clinch a playoff spot for the second consecutive year, Valdez is looking for its first playoff appearance in school history.

Bouchard said Valdez is a solid football team.

“They’re real athletic, they’ve got good speed and they throw the ball pretty well,” Bouchard said.

Valdez also boasts a good running game and some solid players on the defensive side of the ball, Bouchard added.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.