Thunderbirds blank Warriors in Division I quarterfinals

ANCHORAGE — The East Anchorage Thunderbirds ran past the Wasilla Warriors 40-0 in the first round of the Division I state playoffs Saturday afternoon at East High School.

Down 40 points to start the fourth quarter, Wasilla finally found some success on offense. Trying to crack the end zone for the first time, Zachary Shogren tried the middle of the line, but was met by Hale Siulua, who had burst through the line to make the tackle. Desperately needing a touchdown, Jordan Quenga ran toward the edge, but met the same result. Siulua waved his arms away from one another, mimicking the referee’s signal for no gain, and a turnover on downs.

The Thunderbird defense did more than just deny Warrior runners, they also forced three turnovers in the game. With 3 minutes, 45 seconds left in the first quarter, Kapono Medeiros picked off a pass from Wasilla quarterback Aeron Milliron. When the Warriors did get the ball back, it was taken away by Hunter Dely, who fell on a fumble with 1:06 left in the first.

Milliron, also a safety on defense, then picked off East quarterback Jasun Duston, and then broke off a 24-yard run on offense. With only 10 seconds left in the half, Milliron dropped back to pass three times, was sacked once, hit another time, and when he was able to get a throw off cleanly, there was no one open to throw to.

"We've drilled all year staying strong, staying tough mentally and physically. We're proud that they fought until the very end of the game. It's something we're trying to instill in all levels because it's important in life," said Wasilla head coach Will Stout.

While the Thunderbird running attack found a first down on nearly half of its plays, it was the defense that made the most noise. East pitched the shutout and held to Wasilla to only 116 yards of total offense.

Wasilla had solid field position to start drives in the game, but the Warriors struggled against the T-Bird defense.

On the offensive side, seven different Thunderbirds gained more than 10 yards on the ground, led by Kalani Medeiros who rushed eight times for 44 yards and two scores.

"Us being so deep helps for sure. What we did tonight was every series we went to two different backs, so you come in with fresh guys every time," said East head coach Jeff Trotter.

The Warriors attempted an onside kick to start the second half. The Thunderbirds took quick advantage of their field position, and eight plays later, Kalani Medeiros, standing 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds, broke tackles and ran over Warrior defenders on his way to his second touchdown of the game, and a 28-0 East lead.

"That small little package has explosion in him. He led the team in touchdowns this year on a lot of short yardage stuff that you would think this little guy shouldn't be the guy in here but when he has to he puts his head down and just drills through," said Trotter.

Though the Warrior passing attack has expanded in recent weeks, Milliron was unable to find open receivers throughout the game. He connected on just 4 of 13 passes, and threw two interceptions.

"You roll the dice and it ends up working out. We got good pressure up front. We were willing to give up the run to keep the big play pass away from him," said Trotter.

Wasilla’s season came to an ended with the loss. East, the top seed out of the Cook Inlet Conferene moves forward and will play rival West Anchorage in the Division I semifinals.

Tim Rockey is a freelance writer for the Frontiersman. Contact him at timothy.rockey@gmail.com.

East Anchorage 40, Wasilla 0.

Saturday, East Anchorage High School.

First Quarter:

East — Eppenger 5 run (Eppenger run) 5:11.

Second Quarter:

East — Kapono Medeiros 1 run (Sefo run failed) 11:58

East — Kalani Medeiros 5 run (Apineru kick blocked) 8:31.

Third Quarter:

East — Kalani Medeiros 6 run (Apineru kick) 8:44

East — Baker 5 run (Apineru kick blocked) 5:18

East — Turvey 6 pass from Kapono Medeiros (Apineru kick) 35.5.

Fourth Quarter:

No scoring.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:

RUSHING — Wasilla: McDermott 1-5, Helton 1-0, Trask 12-34, Quenga 6-10, Milliron 8-26, Shogren 7-26; East: Eppenger 7-43, Kalani Medeiros 8-44, Duston 2-13, Ala 2-15, Glonson 7-31, Baker 4-36, Kapono Medeiros 1-1, Williams 3-43, Jenn-Lundfelt 3-2.

PASSING — Wasilla: Milliron 4-13-2-15; East: Duston 1-4-1-19, Kapono Medeiros 1-5-0-6.

RECEIVING — Wasilla: McDermott 2-7, Quenga 1-2, Helton 1-6; East: Lilio 1-19, Turvey 1-6.