Stage set for Valley rematch

MAT-SU — The Wasilla Warriors are proving to be a fourth-quarter team.

Last week, Wasilla used a 21-point effort in the final frame to edge Palmer 36-35, and the Warriors snagged a victory in the Potato Bowl for the first time since 2001.

And the Warriors’ play in the fourth quarter throughout the season helped Wasilla grab its first postseason berth since 2002. The Warriors outscored opponents 76-12 during the final 12 minutes this season.

“The stats tell it all, in that point of view,” Wasilla head coach Jim Shetter said Thursday afternoon before practice.

But as Shetter and the Warriors prepare for their rematch against Palmer in the first round of the ASAA large-schools playoffs, Shetter said he knows it’s going to take four complete quarters to beat the Moose for the second consecutive week, when his team hosts Palmer tonight at 7 p.m. at Veteran’s Memorial Field.

“Palmer had 400 yards of offense [last week],” Shetter said. “Every quarter matters. We have to play at another level if we’re going to go to the semifinals.”

Palmer held a 29-15 advantage going into the final frame of its loss to the Warriors in the Potato Bowl, and was outscored 21-6 in the fourth. Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen said it was more of a matter of the Warriors grabbing hold of the momentum at the right time.

“There were a lot of momentum shifts in the game,” Christiansen said Thursday afternoon. “We need to try to be a little more consistent for the whole game.”

Christiansen said most people expected the game to be close. “But probably not as high scoring,” he added.

The two Valley squads combined for 728 total yards of offense and 10 touchdowns.

“Both teams moved the ball real effectively,” Christiansen said. “We knew they were very capable.”

Christiansen said Palmer’s play on defense and special teams will be important tonight.

“We need to be tougher on defense. We need to shut down their core plays. If we can’t do that, it could be another shootout,” Christiansen said. “Special teams is a big deal. We didn’t give ourselves very good field position.”

Turnovers could also prove to be the difference once again. A pair of Wasilla touchdowns were set up by Palmer fumbles.

“We’re pretty evenly matched,” Christiansen said. “Eliminating those mistakes is a big deal.”s

Shetter agreed, winning the turnover battle will most likely lead to winning the game.

“It’s who makes less mistakes,” Shetter said.

Another key for Wasilla, Shetter said, is preparing the Warriors for the first playoff game of their career.

“We had to go through and make a lot of adjustments, and get them ready mentally,” Shetter said. “They’ve never been here before.”

Palmer, meanwhile, is no stranger to the postseason. The Moose have advanced in 12 of the last 13 seasons.

Wasilla is playing in the postseason for the first time in six years. But its not the first time the Warriors have found themselves paired against their Valley rival. Wasilla also faced Palmer in back-to-back weeks in 2001, losing to the Moose 21-0 in the Potato Bowl in 15-8 in the ASAA quarterfinals.

Christiansen said the ability to prepare for the same opponent can be a positive.

“It’s really easy to focus on things when you’re playing the same opponent,” Christiansen said. “It gives you a lot of ideas how to perform better.”

Shetter, a longtime assistant coach in Alaska before his arrival at Wasilla, said this is the first time he can recall ending the regular season and starting the postseason with the same opponent.

“The good thing about it is we’re able to look at a recent film and see what we’ve done on the positive and negative side,” Shetter said.

A look at the game tape will reveal plenty of positives for both coaching staffs, especially on the offense side of the ball.

Palmer rushed for 284 yards, and topped the 2,000-yard mark for the season. Senior fullback Shannon Sawyer enjoyed a career day with a team-high 98 yards and two touchdowns. Senior quarterback Conrad Smith added 119 yards passing, and threw a season-high two touchdown passes.

Wasilla showed offensive balance, rushing for 110 and passing for 215 yards. Junior running back scored a career-high five touchdowns, junior quarterback Adrese LaVern completed a season-high 10 passes and junior wide receiver collected a season-best 118 receiving yards.

The winner of the Wasilla and Palmer showdown will meet either Chugiak or Service in the large-schools semifinal round, next week at Anchorage Football Stadium.

Chugiak is the top seed out of the Cook Inlet Conference. Service is the CIC fourth-seed.

Wasilla is the second seed from the Railbelt Conference, while Palmer is seeded third.

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