West tops Moose in OT

ANCHORAGE — During the previous three weeks, West Anchorage seemed untouchable. The Cook Inlet Conference champions shutout back-to-back opponents and blew out another.

But Friday was a different story as the Eagles faced what has likely been their greatest challenge of the season.

West needed a touchdown in the final minutes of regulation and another in overtime to rally and score a 26-23 win over Palmer during the ASAA large-schools semifinals at Anchorage Football Stadium.

After trailing in the first half, Palmer tied the score late in the third quarter and took the lead with 5 minutes left in the fourth. West needed the two late touchdowns to get past Palmer and advance to its second ASAA state title game in school history.

“I told them I’m proud of them,” Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen said of his players after the loss. “They really played a good game today, lot of great plays, both mentally and physically getting after it.”

Palmer (7-3), playing in its 10th ASAA state semifinal game since 1994, fell just shy of its fifth trip to a state title game.

West senior quarterback Tyrone Davis darted into the end zone on the Eagles’ first offensive play of the tiebreaker to push West past the Moose.

“They have a very athletic football team over there,” Christiansen said. “Hats off to West.”

Palmer had broken the 20-20 regulation tie with Jacob Inukai’s 24-yard field goal earlier in overtime. Alaska high school football rules give each team the ball at the 10-yard line with four downs to score either a touchdown or field goal. Palmer had the ball first during the overtime period. Facing 4th-and-goal at the 7, Palmer opted to kick. Winds whipped across AFS throughout the contest, but settled prior to the Inukai kick, and the senior knocked the ball through the uprights for his first career field goal.

“In overtime, we really needed that touchdown,” Christiansen said. “We’re disappointed we didn’t get it in.”

Palmer trailed 13-7 in the second half, but senior quarterback Zeth Merritt scored the first of his two touchdowns to tie the score at 13 with 1:05 left in the third.

Midway through the third, moments after the Palmer special teams blocked a West punt, Merritt plunged into the end zone from 1 yard to give the Moose the 20-13 lead.

West used its wildcat offense, led by speedy receiver Leroy Elliott, to force the game back to a tie score late in regulation. Elliott lined up in the wildcat, and scored on a 1-yard run to tie the game at 20.

The contest also featured the return of Palmer senior James Nisbett, who missed significant this season. After leading the state with 1,555 yards rushing as a junior, Nisbett battled injuries as a senior.

Nisbett sparked the Moose with his return, and rushed for a team-high 131 yards and a 12-yard first-quarter touchdown.

“It meant everything to us as a team,” Christiansen said of Nisbett’s return. “It made us more flexible in a lot of ways, made it able for us to do some things.”

Despite missing significant time, Nisbett finished his senior season with 826 yards. Senior Vincent Aumavae added 80 yards on 10 carries. Aumavae finished the season with a team-high 835 yards rushing.

Lui Faamasino led West with 146 yards on the ground. In addition to Elliott’s 1-yard score, the senior wide receiver caught seven passes for a game-high 95 yards. Davis threw for 192 yards.

West, the 2010 state champion, advanced to its second ASAA First National Bowl in the last four years, and will face CIC rival Service on Saturday. Friday’s win marks West’s eighth straight. Three of the last four came in dominating fashion. Prior to Nisbett’s touchdown midway through the first quarter, West Anchorage had gone nearly 140 minutes of game time without allowing a touchdown. The last touchdown scored against West came during the first half of a Week 7 win over Service.

West capped the regular season with a 23-0 win over South Anchorage and opened the playoffs with a 19-0 win over Lathrop last weekend.

West 26, Palmer 23

ASAA large-schools semifinals

Friday, Anchorage Football Stadium

First quarter:

West — Faamasino 5 run (Ortland kick) 10:10.

Palmer — Nisbett 12 run (Inukai kick) 7:27.

Second quarter:

West — Elliott 30 pass from Davis (kick failed) 4:23.

Third quarter:

Palmer — Merritt 5 run (kick failed) 1:06.

Fourth quarter:

Palmer — Merritt 1 run (Inukai kick) 5:03.

West — Elliott 1 run (Ortland kick) 1:51.

Overtime:

Palmer — Inukai 24 field goal

West — Davis 10 run

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:

RUSHING — Palmer: Nisbett 20-131, V. Aumavae 10-80, Merritt 8-17, B. Aumavae 5-31, Watson 1-23; West: Faamasino 21-146, Davis 10-60, Elliott 1-1.

PASSING — Palmer: Merritt 0-6-0—0; West: Davis 13-27-1—192.

RECEIVING — Palmer: none; West: Elliott 7-95, Rayford 4-83, Faamasino 2-14.