Veteran teams battle Saturday

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

PALMER - Going into the 2005 season, there were a few different identities in the Railbelt Conference.

Colony and North Pole were among the best in the state last year, but their rosters were hammered by graduation.

West Valley and Wasilla are two programs building for the future.

Juneau-Douglas is the new kid on the block.

And, Palmer and Lathrop are teams who made large strides late last year, and returned virtually everyone.

The Moose and the Malemutes, the squads that earned the final two postseason berths from the conference last year, battle Saturday in a game that could prove to be critical in the Railbelt race.

"We're real similar," Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen said. "We are two teams battling for playoff spots. Each of us has to figure how to win the first conference game."

Palmer started its season with a pair of nonconference opponents, and is looking for a win over Lathrop in its Railbelt opener. The Malemutes are still in search for their first conference win after dropping a 50-25 decision to Juneau, last week.

"They're pretty excited about their season, but ran into Juneau and got whipped pretty good," Christiansen said. "It's a tough time to be facing them."

Christiansen said the key to the game, from Palmer's standpoint, will be containing Lathrop's speed. The Malemute roster includes a host of dangerous weapons, including senior quarterback Derek Stevenson, senior running back Sid Johnson and senior all-purpose man Chuck Quint.

"I don't think you can shut them down, but I think you can slow them down," Christiansen said.

Johnson led the Malemutes with 164 yards rushing and four touchdowns in the loss. Stevenson threw for 129 yards, and ran for 49 more. Christiansen said it will be important for Palmer to contain Stevenson, rather than allowing the speedy quarterback to get outside the tackles.

Another key for Palmer, and a realistic goal for the Moose, is to consistently score on a Malemute defense that has allowed 85 points in two games.

The Palmer scoring attack has been proficient, with a league-high 98 points in two games. Though the Moose faced a pair of small-school opponents, Palmer beat the best team the 3A level has had to offer in the last several years, Kenai, last week. Senior running backs Steel Tubbs and Devon Conroy have combined for seven touchdowns in two games, to lead the Moose running game. But Palmer has also found other ways to get the ball in the end zone. Seniors Jake Heun and Tanner Grover each scored defensive touchdowns in the opener, and Palmer has also had kickoff returns for touchdowns in each of the last two games. Conroy took the opening kick against Kenai 80 yards for a score.

West Valley @ Colony

Colony is looking to improve to 2-0 in Railbelt play with a win over West Valley.

The Knights scored a huge boost of the confidence with a 34-6 rout of the defending state champion North Pole Patriots.

But the confidence of the Wolfpack was also greatly lifted with a 21-14 win over Wasilla - their first conference win since 2003.

Colony showed its ability to run the ball and pass the ball - gaining 222 yards on the ground and 150 in the air against North Pole - and play sound defense, allowing just six points to a potent North Pole offense.

West Valley did not have quite the offensive variety. The Wolfpack jumped on one horse - tailback Dustin Baxter - and rode him. Baxter gained each of his team's 199 rushing yards. He ran for three touchdowns, including the game-winner with less than a minute left in regulation.

Chugiak @ Wasilla

In a nonconference matchup, Chugiak and Wasilla are each looking for some momentum to carry them into the win column of their conference standings.

Both teams are coming off tough conference losses, and are eager to get back on the right track.

"Nonconference or conference, that doesn't mean anything to me right now," Wasilla head coach Joe Gardner said.

More important to the Warrior coaching staff is team moral, Gardner said. Chugiak has quickly dropped to 0-2 in the Cook Inlet Conference standings, and could be one conference loss away from being eliminated from postseason consideration. So Chugiak has a lot to play for.

Gardner said the Wasilla coaches have used that little tidbit in their speeches, and a player quickly told the Warrior coaches that Wasilla has a lot to play for too.

"They know they've got a lot to play for," Gardner said. "They've got a lot to prove. They're going to play hard this week."

Houston @ Soldotna

Like Wasilla, Houston is facing a nonconference foe one week after a tough conference loss.

The Hawks suffered a 20-14 loss to Nikiski last week, and face Northern Lights Conference power Soldotna tonight at SHS.

The Stars improved to 1-1 overall with a 26-14 come-from-behind win over Kodiak last week. Down 14-13 midway through the second half, the Stars used a pair of fourth-quarter rushing touchdowns to take the lead. Soldotna rushed for 412 yards in the game.

Soldotna opened the season with a 25-12 loss to Colony.

Houston virtually dominated Nikiski in the first half last week, but the Bulldogs scored a pair of quick touchdowns in the third quarter to take control of the game.