Warriors crash into semis

PALMER — Since Aaron Sharrow stepped on to the soccer field as a ninth grader at Wasilla High School, he’s been hard to miss.

Even though Sharrow — now a senior — is generally one of the smaller players on the field, it has nothing to do with his stature. It typically has something to do with a sort of magnetic attraction to the ball or his cannon-like throw-ins that normally send opponents scurrying through the goalie box.

Sharrow, a two-time All-Northern Lights Conference selection who holds at least a pair of Wasilla program records, scored a goal and set up another to lead Wasilla to a 3-0 win over Homer, and move the Warriors within one victory of qualifying for the ASAA state tournament.

“He’s vital to our team’s success,” Wasilla head coach Blake Livingston said of Sharrow. “He’s our field general. If he plays at a high level, usually our team plays at a high level.”

Wasilla’s general, who is bound for the Marine Corps where he will be linguist, used one of his powerful throw-ins to set up an Alex Solovyov goal and give the Warriors the 1-0 lead during the second minute of the second half.

Sharrow, getting a running start to the right side line, sent the bullet-like throw through the hands of Homer goalie Ben Daigle. Just as the ball slipped through Daigle’s fingers, Solovyov was there to pop in the goal.

Sharrow, who holds the school mark for assists in a season with 10 and will leave WHS as the career leader with more than 30 helpers, has bagged many of those assists with his throw-in.

“Ever since he came in as a ninth-grader, he’s been taking our throw-ins,” Livingston said. “He can put it wherever he wants.”

Sharrow routinely sends the ball to the far post, and has even added a line drive throw that sinks to the near side. But when it comes to the throw-ins, Sharrow said it’s not something he spends a ton of time practicing.

“It just works,” Sharrow said. “I’ve had it for a very long time. All my coaches I’ve ever had like to use it as a weapon.”

Livingston, Wasilla’s longtime boys soccer mentor, said he’s never coached a player with a throw-in like Sharrow’s.

After Solovyov was pulled down in the box and Paul Sliwa converted the ensuing penalty kick in the 59th minute, Sharrow lived up to his nickname “Crash” and crashed to net in the 63rd to give the Warriors the 3-0 lead.

Sharrow, who has been dubbed “Crash” since he first began to play the sport at a young age, drove to the net after Peter Berezyuy made an adjustment with his back to the Daigle, and sent the ball over his head toward the goal.

Sharrow and the Warriors now move into the semifinal round to face Soldotna, a team Wasilla tied 1-1 during the regular season. The winner of the match, that starts at 1 p.m. today at Palmer High, will advance to the tourney title match and earn an automatic berth to the state tournament.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.