Wasilla eyes second straight victory

WASILLA — Lightning storms chased the Wasilla Warriors off the practice field and into the gym on a few afternoons this week. Today, Wasilla will try to show off some of the thunder and lightning of its running attack that was on display last week.

The Warriors, who ran to a 43-25 win over Kodiak last week, will look to strike again as they host Lathrop tonight at 7 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Field.

The aforementioned thunder and lightning came in the form of juniors Devon Teeling and Tyler Polis. Teeling rumbled for 120 yards and three scores, while Polis bolted for 130 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Warriors have used somewhat of a running back by committee approach thus far, seven different players have at least 10 touches this season, but Wasilla head coach Glenn Nelson said the juniors may have separated themselves from the pack.

‘They kind of jumped in front as our two runners,” Nelson said.

Nelson also credited the Wasilla offensive line for its work during a win in which the Warriors amassed 326 yards on the ground.

“(The offensive line) opened some big holes for the running backs to get through,” Nelson said. “It was fun to watch.”

Junior Luke Wild also rushed for one of Wasilla’s six touchdowns in the win.

Wasilla has also employed a quarterback by committee during the first three weeks of the season, but Nelson said that experiment has come to an end. Senior AJ Marshall and junior Braydon Kuiper have split time behind center, but tonight Marshall will take the reins of the Warrior offense and Kuiper will split out wide.

Nelson said the Warrior coaching staff narrowed the position down to one guy, Marshall, for a few reasons. First, Marshall seems to have a knack for running the option, something Nelson would like to see become a focal point of the offense. By moving the 6-foot-5 Kuiper to wide receiver, the Warriors now have three pass-catching starters who stand at least 6-4. Tight end David Green (6-4) and wide receiver Tyler Anderson (6-4) also provide big targets for Marshall.

Wasilla faces a Lathrop team tonight that’s riding an 18-game losing streak that dates back to Aug. 8, 2008. Since scoring a slim 8-6 win over Kenai Central during the first weekend of the 2008 season, the Malemutes have failed to score another victory, often losing in lopsided fashion. The Warriors have beaten Lathrop in each of the last three years, and have outscored the Malemutes 118-0 in the past two meetings.

Despite Lathrop’s utter lack of success, Nelson knows the Malemutes have skilled players and could surprise in any given week.

“They’re a talented team,” Nelson said. “And we’re not in the position to overlook anyone.”

Lathrop suffered a 34-13 loss to Interior rival West Valley last week, but trailed the Wolfpack by just a touchdown heading into the final quarter. Lathrop quarterback Jonas Silva finished 7-for-22 with 93 passing yards, and running back Tevon Sutton recorded 58 yards and a score.

Juneau-Dougals

at Colony

While Lathrop is looking for its first win in more than two seasons, Colony will be looking for its first victory over Juneau-Douglas in school history when the Knights host the Crimson Bears tonight at 7 p.m. at Colony High School.

Juneau-Douglas (3-0) enters the match as the No. 2 team in the large-schools class, according to the latest Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network Prep Football Poll. The Crimson Bears improved to 3-0 with a 17-7 win over Palmer last week at Machetanz Field. Sophomore quarterback Phillip Fenumiai helped the Bears score the victory with 152 yards passing and two touchdowns.

The Bears did suffer a loss during the win. Standout senior receiver Eric Fagerstrom injured his knee in the second half against the Moose and will be out for the remainder of the season. Fagerstrom scored three times during a Week 2 win over West Valley and caught a pair of Fenumiai touchdown passes in the Bears’ season-opening win over South.

Colony (1-2) climbed into the win column last week with a 48-32 victory over North Pole in the Interior. Senior Anthony Bricker, making his first career start as the Knights varsity quarterback, accounted for four touchdowns during the win. Bricker, a converted slot receiver, rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw for a pair of scores, including a 77-yarder to senior Cale Foster.

The Bricker-led Colony offense posted nearly 500 yards of total offense, 361 on the ground and 91 through the air. Senior Skye Rench hit the 180-yard mark for the second time this season, rushing for 181 yards and two scores.

Palmer at Kenai

Palmer (1-2) will take a break from Railbelt Conference action and make the trip south to face Kenai (2-1) tonight at 6:30 p.m. at Kenai Central High School.

While Palmer suffered a 17-7 loss to Ralbelt rival Juneau-Douglas, Kenai cruised to a 44-14 win over Houston during Week 3. Much of the Kenai attack centered around quarterback AJ Hull. The junior accounted for all six of his teams touchdowns, running for three and throwing three more.

Hull, who helped lead the Kardinals to the small-schools state championship as a sophomore, finished 4-for-9 for 91 yards through the air, and added 112 yards on five carries.

Tonight’s meeting marks Palmer’s third game against a ranked opponent this season. Junior Douglas Chadwick led the Moose with 71 yards on the ground, and reached the end zone for the third straight week. Quarterback Jackson Buresh finished with 106 yards passing.

Despite being held to only seven points against Juneau, Palmer still has the second highest scoring offense in the Railbelt.

This meeting will be the first since Palmer scored a 42-20 over the Kards in 2005.

Houston at Soldotna

Houston (2-1) also heads to the Kenai Peninsula to face Soldotna (3-0) tonight at Soldotna High School.

Soldotna survived a late Homer rally to score a 26-20 win over the Mariners and improve to 3-0. Homer scored twice in the final 91 seconds of regulation.

Homer managed to move the ball against Soldotna, finishing with more than 300 total yards in the loss. The Mariners rushed for 175 yards.

Houston fell behind early in the loss to the Kardinals, but senior Brandon Dukes put together a solid fourth quarter to get the Hawks on the scoreboard. Early in the fourth, Dukes broke away to score an 80-yard touchdown run. He added a 7-yard score with about three minutes left.

Dukes topped the 100-yard mark for the third straight week and leads the Hawks with six touchdowns.

Houston is still in search of its first win over Soldotna since joining the Northern Lights Conference.

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