Prep football preview: Palmer coach looking to the line to lead

Aug. 7, 2007

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

PALMER - Like most of the Alaska prep football squads, the Palmer Moose are still working off a little rust as they prepare for the first game of the year.

Considering the Moose stand just five days away from their season opener against Dimond High School, Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen knows, as a new set of skill players continue to adjust to life as a starter, an experienced crew of linemen will have a big impact on the team's early season success.

&#8220We need to block well up front to get us through,” Christiansen said. &#8220We're expecting a lot out of them.”

Luckily, the Moose return a host of linemen with varsity experience.

Among those who saw significant time are seniors Everest Moore and Drew Frohling, and junior Kevin Priestley. Throw in the likes of juniors J.D. Mitchell and Dan Contini and Christiansen feels like he has the building blocks for a formidable front.

&#8220We should be pretty solid up there,” Christiansen said.

Behind that Moose line is quarterback Conrad Smith, who returns after leading Palmer to the first round of the ASAA large-schools state playoffs during his first season as a starter.

Smith quickly matured as a junior, showing his ability to produce in Palmer's shotgun spread offense with both his arm and his legs.

The Palmer quarterback threw for 437 yards and four touchdowns during the regular season, and added 268 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.

&#8220He's picking up right where he left off,” Christiansen said.

Graduation left holes at a few of the other skill spots, but Christiansen feels the Moose have what it takes to fill the void.

Senior fullback Shannon Sawyer and senior running back Devon Konkler saw solid time on offense last season, and should be a part of the starting lineup. The Moose also have wide receiver Justin Draughon back, another starter.

Draughon was one of three Palmer receivers to catch a touchdown pass last season.

Christiansen also noted sophomore Brennan Bohman.

Bohman's speed is expected to awaken memories of his older brother Haakan, who scored 14 touchdowns and topped the 1,000-yard mark as a senior last year.

On defense, the strength looks to be in the middle of the field where the coaching staff will look to a pair of veterans for leadership.

Sawyer and Mitchell will anchor a strong corps of Palmer linebackers.

Sawyer brings the most experience on the Palmer squad to the field. Heading into his senior year, Sawyer already had three years of varsity time. He cracked the lineup as a freshman.

&#8220He's definitely our quarterback there on defense,” Christiansen said of Sawyer.

Christiansen said experience is important, but Sawyer also brings toughness and work ethic.

&#8220You know he's going to go to work every day. You're never going to know if he has a bump or a bruise,” Christiansen said. &#8220He's super dependable.”

Christiansen also said Sawyer is eager to improve.

&#8220He's not shy about getting better,” Christiansen said.

Mitchell also cracked the lineup as an underclassman, and started last season as a sophomore.

Up front, the Moose are looking for more out of Moore on the defensive line this year.

Last season, Moore blossomed as a quality offensive lineman for the Moose, and Christiansen feels the senior can do the same thing on defense.

Contini, Priestley and Frohling should contend for spots on the defensive line.

Draughon, a starter at cornerback last year, leads the Palmer defensive backfield.

Of everything the Moose lost last season, Christiansen feels the hardest thing to replace will be the speed of the likes of Tanner Grover and Haakan Bohman.

Christiansen said Palmer will have to replace impact lineman Kelly Devon and Nate Svedin, but Grover and Bohman covered a ton of ground on defense and were a tremendous threat on offense.

&#8220It's hard to replace guys like that,” Christiansen said.

Christiansen hopes Konkler and Brennan Bohman can provide similar speed.

Konkler is a track standout, and the younger Bohman showed his ability to scoot across the turf as part of Palmer's varsity soccer team last spring.

Both should figure prominently, with Draughon, in the defensive backfield.

Also in the mix, Christiansen said, is senior Rick LeCheminant.

Dimond is the first opponent on what could be a fairly difficult schedule for a Moose squad that finished 5-4 overall last season and advanced to the first round of the playoffs.

The Lynx, a squad that finished 2-6 last year, hosts Palmer at 1 p.m. Saturday at Anchorage Football Stadium.

The following week, the Moose host Soldotna, the defending small-schools state champion. Soldotna beat Palmer 10-7 last season on the Kenai Peninsula.

Palmer opens its Railbelt schedule Aug. 24 against Lathrop at Machetanz Field, and then sees a pair of playoff

teams - Juneau-Douglas on Aug. 31 and Colony on Sept. 7 - in the following two weeks.

The regular season comes to a close Sept. 28 in the annual Potato Bowl at Wasilla High School.

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