Wasilla runners pull Warriors back into win column

WASILLA — The Wasilla Warriors didn’t know exactly what to expect from the Kodiak Bears.

But by the time the final horn blew Saturday night, the Warriors used three fourth-quarter touchdowns to get past the feisty small-schools foe.

Devon Teeling ran for two of his three touchdowns during the final 12 minutes to help lead the Warriors to a 44-25 win over the Bears at Veterans Memorial Field.

“We kind of went into it blind,” Wasilla head coach Glenn Nelson said after the win, noting Kodiak didn’t exchange game tapes with the Warriors. “We made a few mistakes to keep them in it.”

Wasilla had to overcome Kodiak senior Matthew Chavarria’s 276 yards passing and four total touchdowns to score its first win of the season. Chavarria tossed two of his three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to keep the Bears the in the ball game, but Teeling and fellow WHS running back Tyler Polis combined for 250 yards rushing and four touchdowns to drag Wasilla to the win.

“Our offense opened big holes and our running backs executed,” said Teeling, who broke free for 120 yards and three scores.

Teeling and Polis combined for three scores of 46 yards or more. Teeling busted through the Kodiak front and galloped for a 46-yard score midway through the second. Three minutes later, Polis broke through for a 49-yard score to give Wasilla the 21-7 lead.

Midway through the fourth, Polis sliced through the Kodiak defense for a 58-yard scoring run.

“The line made some huge holes,” Nelson said.

Luke Wild scored on a 12-yard run late in the first and Teeling added a 4-yarder late in the game.

Brandon Canete, who sparked the Kodiak offense with 176 yards receiving and two touchdowns, gave the Bears an early lead with a 30-yard touchdown catch on Kodiak’s first offensive drive. Wild’s touchdown tied the game at 7.

Wasilla led by at least two scores at multiple points during the contest, but Kodiak continued to claw back. Chavarria, following one of Kodiak’s three interceptions on defense, snuck in from 1-yard out late in the third to cut Wasilla’s lead to one score.

But early in the fourth, Teeling scored on a 17-yard run.

After the Teeling touchdown, Chavarria connected with Kevin Lepola on a 30-yard strike to bring the Bears back within a touchdown. Again, with the Warriors needing more of a cushion, Teeling was able to reach the end zone.

A half-dozen ball carriers had at least four carries in the game, and Wasilla’s AJ Marshall and Braydon Kuiper split time at quarterback for the third straight week.

Nelson said the committee approach is not by design.

“We’re not trying to running back by committee,” Nelson said.

He also said Wasilla is in search of a regular man to line up behind center.

“We’re definitely looking for a guy to step up and say, ‘I’m the quarterback,’” Nelson said. “One quarterback does something good, one does other things good. We need to have one step up and do the job.”

After two losses to start the season, Wasilla moves into the win column with the victory. But Teeling said the Warriors are far from satisfied.

“We won, it feels good, but we’ll come out Monday fired up,” Teeling said. “We’re going to have a good, solid week of practice, ready to take it to Lathrop.”

The Warriors host the Malemutes on Friday.

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

Wasilla 44, Kodiak 25

Saturday, Wasilla High School

First quarter

Kodiak — Canete 30 pass from Chavarria (Cortez kick) 8:44.

Wasilla — Wild 12 run (Solovyv kick) 0:36.

Second quarter

Wasilla — Teeling 46 run (kick failed) 5:56.

Wasilla — Polis 49 run (Marshall run) 2:01.

Third quarter

Kodiak — Chavarria 1 run (kick failed) 3:43.

Fourth quarter

Wasilla — Teeling 17 run (Solovyv kick) 11:53.

Kodiak — Lepola 30 pass from Chavarria (kick failed) 9:09.

Wasilla — Polis 58 run (Solovyv kick) 8:06.

Kodiak — Canete 80 pass from Chavarria (run failed) 7:49.

Wasilla — Teeling 4 run (Green pass from Marshall) 1:07.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Kodiak: Chavarria 7-18, McFarlin 6-25, Johnson 5-19, Atonio 2-8, Parsons 1-4, Aitolu 1-2; Wasilla: Teeling 14-120, Wild 11-38, Polis 8-130, Marshall 7-23, Richardson 4-9, Kuiper 4-6.

PASSING — Kodiak: Chavarria 13-28-2—264, Aitolu 1-2-0—5; Wasilla: Kuiper 5-12-3—36, Marshall 2-6-0—13.

RECEIVING — Kodiak: Canete 6-176, Lepola 1-30, Parsons 1-27, Sorto 1-16, Johnson 1-5, McFarlin 1-4, Atonio 1-1; Wasilla: Green 4-35, Anderson 2-6, Wild 1-8.