Redington blanks Valdez, stays undefeated

WASILLA — A week after earning their first win in school history, the Redington Huskies pitched their first shutout.

Redington, a second-year varsity program, blanked Valdez 45-0 Saturday afternoon in Valdez.

“The shutout was huge,” Redington head coach Tony Brooke said by cellphone as the Huskies took a break in Glennallen during their trip back to the Valley. “Today’s win goes to the defense.”

Brooke said the defense, led by Eli Benson, recovered four Valdez fumbles and intercepted a pass. Benson finished with 15 tackles, including five for a loss, and had a pair of sacks.

“The biggest thing is (the momentum) carried over to the defense,” Brooke said. “They dominated the game.”

Brooke said he believes Valdez had only about three players that went for more than 10 yards.

But the offense came through as well. Three different Huskies topped the 100-yard mark on the ground, and Redington has scored a combined 99 points in its first two games.

Brooke said the success Redington had during its 54-40 win at Monroe Catholic last week played a factor in his team’s win over the Buccaneers.

“Having that confidence from Week 1, knowing what they could do really helped,” Brooke said.

Kyler Rumfelt led Redington with 147 yards and four touchdowns. Quarterback Sam Reed finished with 115 yards and a touchdown. Isaiah Hall added 112 yards and a score.

Rumfelt had touchdowns of 2, 11, 38 and 56 yards.

After finishing 0-8 during its first season of varsity football last year, Redington is off to a 2-0 start and sits on top of the Division III Peninsula Conference. Redington now can look forward to its first home game of the season. The Huskies host Division II Barrow at the Knik-area school Friday at 7 p.m.

“We finally get to play at home. The biggest part of that is the momentum we’ve got going in,” Brooke said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.