Valley sports offered plenty of great games in 2011

As I put together my annual top Valley sports stories of the year list last week, I kept running across old stories of great games I covered in 2011.

A couple of these games do appear on my “Top 11 in ‘11” list, published in the Jan. 1 edition. A handful didn’t make the cut, but they were still great games. These are the types of games that can make me forget I am a writer. The fan in me takes over. The pen drops as I’m taken over by the action.

I cover countless games for the Frontiersman each year, and there are always a few that stand out. Some will stand out for years to come.

I’ve decided to extend my “Best of 11” coverage and put together a list of my favorite games I covered in 2011. I’m only listing a few of the games I saw in person, games that made me remember why I jumped into this business in the first place — because I’m a fan at heart.

In no particular order, the following are a few of my most memorable sports moments from the world of Valley sports in 2011.

Buzzer-beaters

rule series (Jan. 7

and Feb. 24)

Palmer-Wasilla, Palmer-Colony, Wasilla-Colony — these local rivalries typically promise entertaining games, especially on the basketball court. I have seen a number of these games in the last decade or so, and have witnessed some incredible moments.

But if you take a two-game season and compare, it’s going to be hard to top the regular season Palmer-Wasilla boys basketball games of 2011.

It took a buzzer-beater to decide both games. How often does that happen?

During the rivals’ first meeting in January, Palmer senior Christian Odom silenced a loud Wasilla crowd with a game-tying shot during the final seconds of regulation. But that same crowd erupted as junior Braydon Kuiper buried a buzzer-beater to give the Warriors a 51-49 win over the Moose at Wasilla High.

“Odom stuck a terrific shot, a 15-foot runner, guarded, he knocks it down,” Wasilla head coach Ryan Engebretsen told me after the game. “We came down and matched it on the other end with a tough shot.”

Odom’s bucket came with only four seconds left in the fourth. But Wasilla had one more chance. With his foot on the three-point line and his eyes on the basket, Kuiper hit an off-balanced long jump shot, putting it off the glass and through the basket, at the buzzer.

That finish is hard to top, right?

Maybe not?

Let’s fast forward to February.

There were near identical circumstances during the second regular season game at Palmer High, but the stars of the January game saw their roles reversed.

This time around, it was Kuiper who provided the first big shot, scoring in the paint with only five seconds left to give Wasilla the 49-47 lead.

But this time, it was Palmer’s turn to have the ball last. And Odom was the man with the ball.

Just seconds after Kuiper scored, Odom took an inbound pass, went nearly the length of the court and drained a one-handed off-balance three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Moose a 50-49 win over Wasilla.

“I came down, just tried to push, get the best look I could,” Odom told me after the game.

Kicker lifts Warriors

to Potato Bowl win (Sept. 30)

If I could only cover one game a year, without a doubt it’d be the Potato Bowl. A true measure of a sporting event is to see its ability to draw the casual sports fan, or even those who have little to no interest in sports. And the Potato Bowl grabs the interest of everyone, from hard-core fans to those who typically don’t care to pay attention.

There’s history and tradition, Alaska fall and football on a Friday night.

Everything above is made better with a great game, and the 2011 Potato Bowl was terrific.

Palmer led early and after Wasilla tied the game early in the second, the Moose were able to regain the lead and take it into the fourth quarter.

Palmer led 22-14 with five minutes left, but Wasilla scored nine unanswered points, including the go-ahead score before the final horn.

Like the boys’ basketball games, this one also ended in a buzzer-beater.

Wasilla placekicker Kyler Perry booted a 30-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Warriors to a 23-22 win over the rival Moose in the 2011 Potato Bowl at Wasilla High.

To add more drama to the story, a first-year football player helped Wasilla end a 12-year draught. Perry, a Wasilla soccer standout, helped give the Warriors their first Potato Bowl win since first 2007, and the victory also ensured Wasilla its first conference title in a dozen seasons. Being the first-year football guy, Perry didn’t know quite what to think after the game.

“No, not really,” he told me. “Everyone keeps asking me that. I don’t know what to say.”

Perry’s leg did the talking. A 30-yarder to win the game?

That’s legit.

Moose rally

on the volleyball

court (Nov. 4)

OK. I know I have some sort of theme working here. Palmer-Wasilla. It’s not intentional, I promise. The Valley’s oldest sports rivalry simply produces great games.

Volleyball is a sport that’s all about momentum, and when the matches are good, it can really capture your attention.

Volleyball’s also a sport that’s all about enthusiasm, specifically the enthusiasm of the athletes.

Certain aspects rank volleyball second to none. In no other sport do you see as much enthusiasm, excitement and celebration as you do on the volleyball court. Celebrations seem to be choreographed for aces, kills and blocks.

There’s some kind of celebration at the end of every positive play. At minimum, players typically meet in the middle of the court for high-fives or vote of confidence. You just don’t see that in any other sport, at least that regularly.

That’s part of what makes matches such as Palmer’s 3-2 win over Wasilla in the Northern Lights Conference semifinals appealing to fans. You can’t help but get excited.

Even though this was a semifinal game, it was definitely the best volleyball match I saw this year.

Wasilla built a two-set lead in the match, but Palmer was able to rally, scoring a 16-14 win in the fifth and decisive game.

“One of our strengths is comebacks,” Palmer senior Morgan Morfe said. “After we lost those two games, it was like, hmmm, this is what we do best.”

Valley showdown (Feb. 5)

The Palmer-Wasilla theme continues.

I’ve had the chance to cover some great high school hockey lately, and this is a game that sticks out in 2011. I always love an all-Valley final, and this time we had Palmer and Wasilla meeting in the North Star Conference Championships title game. These two programs met in one of the greatest moments in Valley sports history — the 1989 state hockey final. Palmer beat Wasilla in overtime to win the ’89 crown and until February 2011, that state title represented the Palmer hockey program’s lone championship banner.

With a 5-3 win over the Warriors, the Moose earned another chance to hang something from the rafters. Senior Piers LaFrance posted the hat trick and Palmer scored three unanswered goals during the final 5:28 of play to earn the win.

Great game played by both teams, and a contest that could have easily gone either way.

Knights rally to edge

Moose in OT (Feb. 15)

This one wasn’t decided by a buzzer-beater, but it did take overtime.

Colony rallied and used a clutch effort at the free-throw line to beat Palmer 62-55 in girls basketball action at Palmer High. This game stands out not just because it was decided in overtime, but also because of how different this meeting was compared to the first contest of the season between this two teams. Earlier in the year, Colony beat Palmer 59-22.

This time, Palmer forwards Erin LaMere and Kasara Brandenburg helped Palmer grab an early lead. The Moose led 25-17 at the half and carried the advantage into the third quarter.

Colony used a late 11-2 run to get back into the game. Sophomore Mary Klapperich hit a long jumper with 16 seconds left to give the Knights the 47-46 lead. Palmer’s Rachel Huffman hit a free throw with 3.9 seconds left to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Overtime was decided by Colony’s shooting at the free-throw line. The Knights were 13 of 18 from the stripe during the tiebreaker.

Moose upset

top seed (May 19)

Once again, the Palmer Moose boys soccer team entered Northern Lights Conference tournament play as the underdog. The Moose were seeded fourth, paired with the top seed from the South Division in the first round.

But Palmer scored the big upset for the second straight year. The Moose edged Homer 2-1 (5-3 in a shootout) to beat the Mariners.

Whether its soccer or hockey, I love a shootout. It’s impossible to not love a shootout.

Palmer bested Homer 4-2 in the shootout to break a 1-1 tie that lasted through regulation and a pair of 10-minute overtime periods. Aube Strickland, Jacob Spannagle, Daniel Burton and Steven Lee all scored during the shootout to help the Moose cause. Lee scored in regulation for Palmer High.

Warriors crowned state champions (March 19)

It’s always exciting to be part of a state championship moment, even if you’re just the guy with the notepad and pen waiting to talk to the winners after the celebration.

I had the chance to cover another state championship in March, and the Wasilla Warriors were crowned girls basketball champs.

Wasilla capped the game with a 10-3 run to earn a 36-30 victory over Juneau-Douglas in the girls’ 4A state championship game in Anchorage in March.

“We preached region championship, state championship. That’s what we’re working for every day,” said Wasilla head coach Jeannie Hebert-Truax, who led the Warriors to their fifth state championship game since 2002 and second state title since 2007. “From Day 1, the kids believed they could do it. We did it through hard times and adversity.”

Wasilla managed to win the title despite injury. Junior Alyssa Hutchins was lost for the tournament, and senior Leisl Brown battled injury throughout.

Sophomores Alysha Devine and Kyla Dinkel emerged and were key in Wasilla’s run to the title.

Four-year senior starters Kelsey Cottle and Celeste Colegrove were instrumental in the win, as the duo capped their careers with a title.

So, there they are, a few of the games in 2011 that stand out. These games are also a few of the reasons why I continue to do what I do. I am a writer by trade, but in my heart I’m just a sports fan.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.