Stars cruise past Palmer

PALMER —Junior Drew Gibbs scored twice and ran for 102 yards to lead the Soldotna Stars to a 33-0 win over Palmer Friday night at Machetanz Field.

Gibbs helped Soldotna (2-0) extend its state-leading winning streak to 22 games. The last team to beat the Stars was Palmer. The Moose topped Soldotna 27-7, Aug. 11, 2012.

Palmer junior quarterback Justin Roth threw a ball intended for his receiver that never passed the line of scrimmage. As most of the players stood waiting for the whistle, Soldotna cornerback Dylan Ackerman scooped up the ball and scampered all the way to the Palmer 19-yard line. The Stars would score on the next play on a pass by Brooks Furlong to Trevor Walden.

Soldotna’s only pass for a score came with three minutes left in the first quarter.

Palmer began the second quarter charging into the red zone behind the steady running attack of Chase Ferris and Wayne Hershman. Roth threw his first interception of the game, but the Moose defense was able to take the ball back two plays later, as Hershman struck the ball carrier and Graydon Powell fell on the ball.

Furlong was able to put the Stars up 13-0 when he sneakily ran the ball in himself from 5 yards out. After a blocked point after attempt, Soldotna went in to half time up by two scores.

Soldotna head coach Galen Brantley said he was pleased with his quarterback.

“I thought Brooks managed the game well tonight. He’s going to make corrections and only get better for us,” Brantley said.

Furlong carried the momentum into the second half, sparking another Soldotna Scoring drive by intercepting Roth’s pass while diving across the middle of the field.

“That was a great play,” Brantly said.

Ferris racked up 98 yards rushing on 22 carries, to lead the Moose, running through Soldotna defenders, around would-be tacklers and using his speed to gain extra yards. Ferris gained a good portion of his yards after first contact, powering through would be tacklers. Ferris leads a group of young talent that Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen sees potential in.

“As a team we’ve got to go out there and compete every play. There’s a lot of great efforts going on out there,” said Christiansen.

Ferris broke off gains of 14 and 18 yards during the game’s first drive. He led the Moose running attack throughout the whole game. Roth was able to find success later in the game, completing four of six passes in the fourth quarter, including a 32-yard deep ball to Darion Angol.

“It’s a group that can be successful they need to believe and follow and get after it,” said Christiansen.

The Moose lost to a 2013 State Champion for the second week in a row, after falling to the large lchool’s winner West Anchorage last week, the medium schools title holder Soldotna was able to get the best of the Moose on their home field on Friday.

Though they shared a conference for many years and met once each season, the recent reclassifications makes this game a rarity, though both schools boast proud and successful programs built around their success in the running game. This matchup was no different than classic Palmer-Soldotna Railbelt conference games.

“It was a dogfight,” Brantley said.

The Moose will face North Pole next Thursday night at Machetanz Field while the Soldotna Stars will play Thunder Mountain.

Soldotna 33, Palmer 0

Friday, Machetanz Field

First Quarter:

Soldotna – Walden pass from Furlong (Ackerman kick) 3:00

Second Quarter:

Soldotna – Furlong 5 run (PAT failed) 1:18

Third Quarter:

Soldotna – Fenton 23 run (PAT failed) 10:39

Soldotna – Gibbs 2 run (Fowler Pass from Furlong for 2-pt conversion) 4:54

Fourth Quarter:

Soldotna – Gibbs 13 run (PAT failed) 7:09

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Palmer: Ferris 22-98, Hershman 9-35, Roth 4-27, Layton 3-5; Soldotna- Gibbs 11-102, Fenton 10-67, Furlong 4-36, Chavez 1-58, Blumentritt 4-26

PASSING – Soldotna: Furlong 4-7-0—61; Palmer: Roth 6-12-2—58