Warriors fall just short during a pair of flag football state tourney losses

Wasilla’s first two games in flag football state championship play were decided in the final minutes. Unfortunately for the Warriors, Wasilla fell just short each day.

Lathrop’s Jordan Lowe scored the go-ahead touchdown run with 1:09 left in regulation to push the Malemutes to a 19-14 win over the Warriors during consolation action of the ASAA/First National Bank Flag Football State Championships Friday at Wasilla High School.

The loss to Lathrop came less than 24 hours after South Anchorage held on for a 7-6 win over the Warriors in the opening round. Wasilla finished tied for sixth overall in the eight-team bracket.

Wasilla junior quarterback Savannah Kroon connected with junior Katie Jackson for a pair of touchdown passes in the loss. Kroon found Jackson in the end zone from 7 yards out to help give Wasilla the 8-0 lead with 58 seconds left in the first. Jackson caught a 10-yard Kroon pass for a score with 6:48 left in the second, and Wasilla took the 14-0 lead.

Lathrop outscored the Warriors 19-0 during the final 25 minutes of the game. Lowe had a 17-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth to cut Wasilla’s lead to a pair of points, and provided the game-winning score about four minutes later.

In the first round, Danielle Steiner caught a Kroon touchdown pass to cut South’s lead to 7-6, but the Wolverines held on for the victory.

Wasilla is a first-year varsity flag football program competing in ASAA’s first sanctioned flag football state tournament. Wasilla, which finished third in the Railbelt Conference, has only three seniors on the 2024 roster.

North Pole won Alaska’s first flag football state championship with a 25-6 win over Service on Saturday.

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