Warriors rally to beat Kodiak

WASILLA — The Wasilla Warriors found themselves facing an early deficit Friday night. But after a few adjustments on defense and a lot of offense, the Warriors ran to a 44-30 win over Kodiak at Wasilla High School.

“We had a tough time in the first half, but we made some adjustments at halftime,” Wasilla head coach Will Stout said by cell phone earlier this week.

Stout said Kodiak runs a unique offense.

“Old school single wing,” Stout said. “We had a few issues with our reads. After we corrected that we were much more successful.”

Kodiak led 22-7 early, and owned a 22-14 advantage at halftime.

Jordan Quenga continued his big start to his senior season, and led the Wasilla rally on the ground. Quenga, who averaged more than six yards per carry during the first two weeks of the season, finished with 26 carries for 159 yards and three scores.

“Jordan has had two great games in a row,” Stout said. “He’s doing really well.”

Stout said Quenga has also added explosiveness to the kick return unit.

First-year starting quarterback Byson Malave threw the ball only four times, but the sophomore made three completions and tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Colton Linquist.

“He’s very efficient with his passing,” Stout said.

Junior Matthews also scored for the Warriors in the win.

Stout said Wasilla (1-1) can gain some confidence with the win. The Warriors will make the trip to Anchorage to play Service Friday.

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