Soldotna 42, Eagle River 7
The Soldotna Stars steamrolled another Alaska opponent on Friday with a mercy rule win over the Eagle River Wolves. Arguably, though, the Stars may have seen the best offensive game played by an opponent in the last two seasons.
The Wolves moved the ball methodically against Soldotna on several extended drives throughout the game, but the Stars showed bend-but-don’t-break resiliency by only allowing Eagle River to find the end zone once in the third quarter.
Any accolades for the Eagle River offense cannot be translated to the Wolves’ defense that the Stars, quite literally, ran over.
Enter one Andon Wolverton.
Wolverton turned in a stunning performance on Friday despite only touching the football seven times. He converted five of those seven touches into touchdowns. The SoHi junior ran for 226 yards and 4 touchdowns on 6 carries (an average of 38 yards per touch) and 1 catch for 18 yards and a touchdown.
The only non-Wolverton touchdown belonged to SoHi Senior Wyatt Faircloth, who took a 52-yard run to the house in the 3rd quarter. Faircloth had another touchdown run of 50+ yards called back earlier in the game because of a personal foul penalty against Soldotna.
Soldotna remains unbeaten this season, extending its winning streak to 17 games dating back to last season. The Stars are 7-0 overall and 5-0 in DII Railbelt Conference play. ASAA has Soldotna second in the Railtbelt behind North Pole, which is also 5-0 in conference play but is 6-1 on the season overall.
Next up: The Stars face an old rival in the Lathrop Malamutes, who will make the trip down to the peninsula this Saturday, Oct. 5 at 2:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN 1140 AM, 96.9 FM, and radiokenai.com. Tune in at 1:45 for pregame coverage.
Kenai 63, Kodiak 0
Recap provided by Bob Bird
The Kenai Kardinals struck early and often in the first half to a 56-0 lead against the Kodiak Bears. The Kards never missed a point-after attempt by the Roman Mosquito/Zane James/Sawyer Vann trio.
With QB Tony Perez guiding the team, the Kards breezed through the contest immediately when Vann’s opening kickoff put Kodiak deep into their own territory. QB Robert Anderson pitched a lateral pass into thin air, which was recovered on the 2-yard line, leading to a Kainoa Taylor TD.
Bobby Hayes scored four TDs, three by rushing and also on a 79-yard swing pass that sprung him loose. Also reaching paydirt were Makai Johanson and two by Aasen Campanella. In the 2nd half, the Kardinal bench served the team well, with back-up QB Garrett McCanna connecting to Zach Armstrong for a TD pass of 9 yards for the only score in the mercy-clock 2nd half. Armstrong had two interceptions as well, earning Player of the Game honors.
Kodiak’s early nervousness led to fumbles and running-back miscues, but it steadied as the game progressed. The Bears, despite the lopsided score, earned numerous first downs, especially when Boe McCarthy replaced starting quarterback Robert Anderson. Anderson then began running and receiving for effective yardage, as did HB Steven Pascua.
With the win, the Kardinals are now 2-2 in DIII Mid-Alaska Conference play, 3-4 overall, and jump to 4th in the conference.
Next up: The Kardinals head to Homer on Friday, Oct. 4, for a winner-take-all game with the Homer Mariners to see who advances to the DIII State Playoffs. The game will be broadcast on ESPN 1140 AM, 96.9 FM, and radiokenai.com. Tune in at 4:45 for pregame coverage.
Nikiski 54, Valdez 14
The Nikiski Bulldogs took care of business against the Valdez Buccaneers for the second time this season and for the fourth straight time in the last two seasons.
The Bulldogs locked up the #2 seed heading into the 9-man State Playoffs, which begin this weekend.
Next up: Nikiski hosts the Monroe Catholic Rams on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 1:00 p.m. for a chance to advance to the 9-Man State Championship, where the Seward Seahawks await a potential rematch of the 2023 title game. The game will be broadcast on KSRM 920 AM, 92.5 FM, and radiokenai.com. Tune in at 12:45 for pregame coverage.
