Stars storm past WHS

WASILLA — Rare is the game that a football team can score 48 points and lose. But host Wasilla found itself on the short end of 68-48 Senior Night scorefest, as the Soldotna Stars ran all over the Warriors in a muddy nonconference battle.

The visitors from the peninsula put up 10 touchdowns behind a dizzying running attack made possible by a dominating performance from the offensive line. SoHi standout Colton Young notched four touchdowns himself on runs of nine, 10, 16 and 76 yards to help the Stars win their sixth straight game and improve to 6-1 overall.

While Soldotna stunned the Warriors with its running game, finishing with 463 yards on the ground, Wasilla tried to use the strong right arm of senior quarterback Ben Fielder to stay within reach of the Stars. Fielder finished with a career-high 395 yards passing in the loss, and tossed three of Wasilla’s four touchdown passes in the game. Reserve signal caller Blake Marks also threw his first career varsity touchdown pass late in regulation.

Wide receiver Isaiah Dawkins found the end zone three times for 1-6 Wasilla. The junior said putting 48 points on the board made the loss easier to take, and he credited his teammates with a hard-fought effort.

“It’s fun to play in high-scoring games,” he said. “We played as a family tonight.”

Dawkins led all receivers with four catches and a career-high 141 yards receiving, in addition to his three scores. Junior Cash McGregor also topped the 100-yard mark, finishing with four catches for 115 yards in a score. It was McGregor’s second 100-yard receiving effort in as many weeks. He also has at least one touchdown catch in every game this season.

Junior Mitchell Rilatos posted three rushing touchdowns for Wasilla in the loss.

The Warriors got off to a quick start. They stalled on their first drive, but recovered their own punt at the Soldotna 45 after it caromed off one of the Stars. Seven plays later, Rilatos scampered in from eight yards out on a pitch left. Dawkins scored the first of his touchdowns on the night 4:47 later on a 26-yard strike from Fielder en route to a 14-12 first quarter lead for the home team.

But the Senior Night crowd at Wasilla’s Veterans Memorial Field saw nothing but Stars after that, as the visitors racked up three unanswered touchdowns to blow the game open by early in the third quarter.

Rilatos scored two more touchdowns in the second half on runs of 8 and 15 yards.

McGregor had a standout night for the Warriors on both sides of the ball, including a 40-yard catch and run from Fielder in the fourth quarter.

Wasilla (1-6) caps its 2012 season at Palmer High Friday night in the annual Potato Bowl against the Moose.

Soldotna 68, Wasilla 48

Friday, Veterans Memorial Field

First quarter:

Wasilla — Rilatos 8 run (Perry kick) 7:53.

Soldotna — Fowler 15 run (run failed) 5:37.

Wasilla — Dawkins 26 pass from Fielder (Perry kick) 3:06.

Soldotna — Young 16 run (run failed) 0:22.

Second quarter:

Soldotna — Fowler 17 run (2-point conversion good) 9:31.

Soldotna — Gibbs 1 run (2-point conversion good) 0:24.

Third quarter:

Soldotna — Young 76 run (Grothe kick) 10:35.

Wasilla — Rilatos 8 run (2-point conversion failed) 7:35.

Soldotna — Young 10 run (Grothe kick) 4:16.

Wasilla — Dawkins 79 pass from Fielder (2-point conversion failed) 2:36.

Fourth quarter:

Soldotna — Young 9 run (kick failed) 10:29.

Soldotna — Gibbs 14 run (Grothe kick) 7:36.

Wasilla — McGregor 40 pass from Fielder (Perry kick) 5:13.

Soldotna — Riley 42 run (Grothe kick) 3:43.

Wasilla — Rilatos 15 run (Lessard run) 3:14.

Soldotna — Hallford 45 run (kick failed) 2:15.

Wasilla — Dawkins 2 pass from Marks (2-point conversion failed).

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:

RUSHING — Soldotna: Young 11-190, Gibbs 13-83, Schmelzenbach 9-67, Hallford 1-45, Riley 1-42, Fowler 4-31, Fenton 1-5, Wasilla: Rilatos 19-90, Fielder 2-(-17).

PASSING — Soldotna: Fowler 2-6-0—20; Wasilla: Fielder 15-23-0—395, Rilatos 1-1-0—13, Marks 1-3—2.

RECEIVING — Soldotna: Miller 2-20; Wasilla: Dawkins 4-141, McGregor 4-115, Dedrich 3-45, Cox 1-47, Perry 2-32, Rilatos 1-15.