Special win

PALMER — Sparked by their special teams the Palmer Moose earned a special win Saturday afternoon.

Palmer junior Ben King recovered fumbles on a pair of onside kicks to help the Moose grab an early lead during a 26-12 win over the Wasilla Warriors in the 32nd annual Potato Bowl at Machetanz Field.

“The onside kicks were awesome. It helped get us going in the first half,” said Palmer senior quarterback Jackson Buresh, who helped his team hoist the Mayor’s Cup trophy after the victory.

Junior Ian Ahrens rushed for a team-high 104 yards and two touchdowns and Buresh ran and threw for scores to help the Moose improve to 4-2 in Railbelt play and lock up the conference’s third playoff seed.

The Moose scored four times during the first two quarters and took the 20-6 advantage into the half, and it all started with the onside kicks.

Palmer scored a pair of first-quarter touchdowns and used the onside kick on each ensuing kickoff to keep the ball away from the Warriors.

“That really changed the game. They didn’t hardly touch the ball in the first quarter,” Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen said of the Warriors, who run only four offensive plays in the first quarter.

Christiansen said there were a few reasons why the Moose chose to gamble.

“The wind was kind of a factor. The wind changes how you kick. Both of those we were going into the wind. It’s a chance you’ve got to take,” Christiansen said. “You figure they might return it to the 40 or 50 anyway. They’ve got some pretty good return kids.”

Palmer was successful on both tries, thanks to King.

“That was huge. For the momentum swing that was big,” Palmer senior Jim McCall said of the King recoveries.

On both kicks, the ball bounced off the hands of a player on the front line of the Wasilla kick return team and both kicks, King hustled down to make the play.

“We have so many people who can step up,” McCall said. “We have sophomores and juniors stepping up every day. It’s not just the seniors making plays for us.”

Ahrens capped of Palmer’s opening drive with a 9-yard score, the first of his two touchdowns. Buresh scored from 1-yard out late in the first to give the Moose the two-touchdown advantage. After King recovered his second fumble, on the kickoff following, Buresh’s scores, Palmer needed only five plays to add a 22-yard Ahrens touchdown.

When Palmer took the 20-0 lead, Wasilla had run only four offensive plays.

“I think if we can get momentum early, we’re a tough team to beat,” McCall said.

McCall capped the Palmer scoring late in the first half with a 22-yard touchdown catch. The senior finished with seven catches for 96 yards in the win and has 16 catches for 208 yards in the last two weeks.

“He’s been the work horse in our passing game,” Buresh said. “He’s been doing great.”

Buresh and McCall have connected for seven scores this season.

“It’s great. Going into the playoffs we can’t be a one-dimensional team,” McCall said.

Wasilla junior Devon Teeling posted a game-high 171 yards and two touchdowns for the Warriors during the loss. Teeling put the Warriors on the scoreboard midway through the second quarter with a 28-yard touchdown run. Teeling, who had six carries of 10 or more yards in the game, burst through the center of the line and sped up the right side of the field to get the score.

Teeling added a 6-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter.

Senior David Green, one of 17 Wasilla seniors who played in their final game Saturday, finished with a team-high five catches for 46 yards. Senior Mark Griffiths finished with 81 yards rushing for the Warriors.

While Wasilla’s season comes to an end, Palmer now looks ahead to the postseason. The third-seeded Moose will head to Anchorage to play the second seed from the Cook Inlet Conference.

“This is a big win to get some momentum going into the playoffs,” Buresh said.

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

Palmer 26, Wasilla 12

Saturday, Machetanz Field

First quarter

Palmer — Ahrens 9 run (kick blocked) 8:58.

Palmer — Buresh 1 run (Ahrens run) 1:10.

Second quarter

Palmer — Ahrens 22 run (kick failed) 9:59.

Wasilla — Teeling 28 run (pass failed) 5:18.

Palmer — McCall 22 pass from Buresh (pass failed) 0:58.

Third quarter

Wasilla — Teeling 6 run (pass failed) 4:24.

Fourth quarter

No scoring

Individual statistics

RUSHING — Wasilla: Teeling 17-171, Griffiths 15-81, Wild 4-10, Marshall 3-12, Kuiper 3-8; Palmer: Ahrens 14-104, Buresh 9-49, Sorenson 8-24, Turner 3-3.

PASSING — Wasilla: Marshall 4-6-0—48, Kuiper 3-8-0—44; Palmer: Buresh 8-14-0—102.

RECEIVING — Wasilla: Green 5-46, Teeling 2-15; Palmer: McCall 7-96, Merritt 1-6.