Ravens blank Moose

PALMER -- Despite a week of indoor practice, traveling more than 300 miles for a game originally scheduled at home and losing Nick Rogers -- a key component on both sides of ball -- within the first three minutes of play, the Eielson Ravens prevailed with a 14-0 non-conference victory over the Palmer Moose at Machetanz Field on Friday.

Rogers, who scored a pair of touchdowns last week in a loss to the defending 3A state champion Kenai Kardinals, suffered a dislocated finger on Palmer's first offensive series. The sophomore moved in from his starting position in the Raven defensive backfield to make a play and collided with a teammate.

"We just got into a collision, right into each other," Rogers said. "(The finger) got caught in a face mask."

Rogers was immediately taken to the Palmer sideline and the doctor on site originally told the player he was done for the day. Eager for a second opinion, Rogers and his father, Michael, sprinted off Machetanz Field and drove to nearby Valley Hospital for X-Rays.

"It's kind of screwy. I have been in that point, where I just ripped it back in and kept on going but the doc looked at it and felt he needed to get it really looked at," Eielson head coach Dave DeVaughn said.

Rogers went to Valley Hospital, had X-rays, was issued clearance to play and sprinted back onto the field late in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Rogers carried the ball five times and had two key tackles in the red zone for the Raven defense.

"I was really scared, I didn't know how long he was going to be out," Eielson junior quarterback and linebacker Evan Skinner said. "He made a couple of huge hits at the end."

With Rogers out for most of the first three quarters of action, Skinner led an attack on both sides of the ball that fueled a win for the 3A club over the large-school program. Skinner led scoring drives on the first two Eielson possessions, and led in attacking defense in a shut out of the Moose.

With just more than two minutes remaining in the first quarter, Skinner rolled to his right and found Jason Holt open in the end zone. Holt slid to the turf and hauled in a 6-yard Skinner pass to give the Ravens a touchdown advantage. The junior signal caller set up the play with a three-yard carry on 4th-and-2, lowering his head and running over a Palmer linebacker.

Early in the second quarter Donnie McKee scored from 10 yards out to give the Ravens a 14-0 lead. McKee, new to the Eielson program, snuck behind the left side of the Eielson offense line and dove into the corner of the end zone to score.

In the absence of Rogers, McKee and junior Solomon Wright handled the workload of the Eielson running game.

"Donnie helped out a lot," Skinner said. "He's a good filler. He can play fullback, he can play the two."

"Solomon Wright -- he's the hardest runner on our team," Skinner added. "He's the smallest runner and the hardest runner."

Eielson held the Moose scoreless despite allowing Palmer to move past the Eielson 15-yard line twice during the fourth quarter. Skinner stopped Palmer quarterback Devon Conroy on fourth-down at the 12-yard line with just less than eight minutes remaining in regulation and McKee tipped a Conroy pass away from Palmer receiver Eric Olson in the end zone on fourth-and-goal with less than six minutes remaining.

Throughout the contest, the attacking Eielson defense stifled Palmer's new spread offense. Normally known as a team to run a derivative of the Wing-T system, Palmer has brought a spread offense with a shotgun formation and two-back set to the table. Skinner and the Raven defensive line overpowered a very young Palmer offensive line and spent as much time in the backfield as some of Palmer's running backs. Conroy, who led the Moose with 20 carries, was hit more times by the Ravens than a birdie by the racket in a game of badminton.

"I know he's sore, because I'm sore," Skinner said. "I must have hit him 20 times."

Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen said inexperience was a primary factor in the loss.

"We're just struggling up front to block people and keep from getting blocked," Christiansen said. "We're losing that battle at the line of scrimmage."

The win gave DeVaughn his first victory over the Moose in his five years with the Ravens.

"It feels great," DeVaughn said. "After dropping down (to small school), I didn't think I would ever get the chance."

Eielson's adversity just started with the smoke. The club was forced to practice indoors for the entire week and move their home opener to Palmer. To add to the troubles, Eielson had bus problems and didn't arrive until 3:30 p.m., just 30 minutes before the start of the junior varsity game.

"It took us four hours just to get to Cantwell," DeVaughn said.

Moose nuggets … Conroy carried the ball 23 times for 66 yards in the contest. The junior quarterback known has 44 carries in the first two games … After being blanked by both Juneau and Eielson, Palmer has now been shut out in the first eight quarters of the season. Northern Railbelt rival Lathrop also is yet to score after shutout losses to East and Kenai.