Wolfpack shock Warriors at WHS

WASILLA — Lathrop has been the talk of the Interior and the Railbelt Conference. But Marquece McCrae and the West Valley Wolfpack had a message to share with the Alaska football world Friday night.

“Don’t forget about West Valley,” McCrae said as his team celebrated a 20-13 win over the Wasilla Warriors at Veterans Memorial Field in Wasilla.

Big plays sparked the Wolfpack. Each of West Valley’s three scores were 40 yards or more. And McCrae sealed the victory snagging an interception off a jump ball at West Valley’s own 1-yard line during the final seconds of regulation.

“We really wanted it. We’re still hungry,” McCrae said.

West Valley’s first conference win, combined with Lathrop’s first loss of the season Friday, makes for an interesting jumble in the Railbelt.

Colony upset Lathrop 28-23 at CHS Friday night, dropping the Malemutes to 2-1 in Railbelt play. Colony improved to 1-1 in conference. Wasilla dropped to 1-2 in conference, with the loss to West Valley. The Wolfpack are also 1-2.

“If anybody thinks we’re done, you better watch out,” McCrae said.

Defending conference champion Palmer, which blasted Homer 48-0 in nonconference play Friday, is 1-0 and still has three Railbelt games remaining.

Friday at Wasilla, West Valley junior quarterback Charles Suddeth threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for another. He hit tight end Forrest Clark on a 40-yard score in the first quarter to give his team the 6-0 lead.

In the second quarter, five plays after Wasilla posted its first score, Suddeth broke free for a 45-yard touchdown to give his team the 13-6 lead.

In the third quarter, Suddeth connected with Dv’nn Cooks on a 43-yard scoring pass. West Valley struck for the big plays, but McCrae said it’s the work put in throughout the game that led to the victory.

“It’s not just one play. We work for it on every play. It’s a team thing,” McCrae said.

The key play defensively for the Wolfpack came during Wasilla’s final possession. Down by a touchdown with about four minutes remaining, Wasilla took the ball on its own 34-yard line. Sparked by a pair of Cash McGregor catches and two fourth-down conversions, Wasilla put together a 13-play drive.

But on the 13th play, Wasilla found itself facing fourth down for the third time during the drive. With the Warriors at the West Valley 23, senior quarterback Josiah Williams rolled out and lifted a pass toward the end zone. At the 1-yard line, McGregor and McCrae both went up for the jump ball. McCrae got the better position and was able to come down with the potentially game-saving interception.

“I was just waiting for it,” McCrae said of the pass. “I wanted it so bad. I wasn’t going to let it go.”

McGregor finished the game with five catches for 76 yards.

Despite missing the entire first quarter, Wasilla’s Devin Otto rushed for a game-high 116 yards in the loss. He also scored an 11-yard touchdown in the first half to put the Warriors on the board. Zack Garnett added a 2-yard score in the second half for WHS.

Otto quickly helped Wasilla tie the score in the second quarter. Otto ran the ball four times during Wasilla’s first five plays of the second, gaining 35 yards and notching the 11-yard score. Otto finished with 44 yards in the second quarter alone, and continued as his team’s workhorse in the second half. He had 14 carries for 72 yards during the final two quarters.

Otto’s 30-yard run was a key play on Wasilla’s second scoring drive. Garnett was able to punch the ball across the goal line with the Warriors facing 4th-and-goal at the 2.

For Suddeth and West Valley, it was feast or famine for the big play Wolfpack.

Suddeth finished with a team-high 75 yards in the win. He had two rushes for 45 yards each, but also had five carries for negative yardage. Of Suddeth’s four completions in the game, three were for 29 or more yards.

That big-play-or-bust theme was evident during West Valley’s final scoring drive. Cooks had all three of his catches during that 8-play, 92-yard drive. Cooks initially bobbled the ball on his third catch, but was able to make the grab. He then broke multiple tackles and sprinted 43 yards for the score.

West Valley 20, Wasilla 13

Friday, Veterans Memorial Field

First quarter:

West Valley — Clark 40 pass from Suddeth (kick failed) 9:53.

Second quarter:

Wasilla — Otto 11 run (run failed) 10:39.

West Valley ¬— Suddeth 45 run (Williams kick) 7:49.

Third quarter:

West Valley — Cooks 43 pass from Suddeth (Williams kick) 3:14.

Fourth quarter:

Wasilla — Garnet 2 run (O’Laughlin kick) 6:07.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:

RUSHING — West Valley: McCrae 17-48, Suddeth 8-75, Williams 5-11, Cooks 2-1; Wasilla: Otto 23-116, Williams 7-5, Garnet 6-54, McGregor 5-12, Thomas 4-11.

PASSING — West Valley: Suddeth 4-7-0—124; Wasilla: Williams 8-12-2—156.

RECEIVING — West Valley: Cooks 3-84, Clark 1-40; Wasilla: McGregor 5-76, Dawkins 1-51, Dedrick 1-16, Thomas 1-13.