Saturday’s title clash between Soldotna and Kenai for the Alaska medium-schools football crown featured big plays, crushing hits, dramatic moments and spirited performances.
Yet, perhaps the biggest play of the night came on two kneeldowns in the final minute of the contest.
After watching from the sidelines all season long due to a ligament tear in his knee in SoHi’s season opener against South Anchorage, senior running back Drew Gibbs got one last opportunity to suit up and take a snap with the Stars to wrap up a season filled with emotion and memories.
With Gibbs in the backfield on the final snap of the night, the Soldotna Stars recorded a 33-18 victory over Kenai to claim their fourth consecutive medium-schools championship and eighth in 10 years.
“It’s amazing to play out with the kids you’ve been playing with since we were nine years old,” Gibbs said amid the postgame congratulatory scrum. “It’s an honor to play for SoHi, and I couldn’t imagine a better way to go out, even with the injury. I’m proud to be a SoHi football player.”
This year marked the third-straight undefeated season for the Stars, who ended 10-0.
SoHi coach Galen Brantley Jr. praised the Kardinals for allowing the Stars to celebrate once it was clear the game would go to Soldotna, and added that the respect the two fierce rivals hold for each other is immense.
“Coach (John) Marquez was gracious enough to make sure his kids understood the gravity of the situation and allowed us to do that,” he said. “My hat’s off to Kenai for letting us do that.”
The Stars totaled 260 rushing yards, while Kenai had 136. SoHi senior Kristian Palaniuk led SoHi’s rushing attack with 25 carries for 126 yards and three touchdowns.
Kenai quarterback Chase Gillies finished with 103 yards on 5-for-10 passing and a touchdown. Kards senior running back Andrew Welborn had 69 yards on 19 carries.
The win also gave Soldotna its state-record 39th straight win. SoHi scored 20 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to break open a one-point contest.
“I’m proud of my kids and what they did this year, and the character they showed,” Kenai coach Marquez said. “I would step on the football field with those kids any time, any day, against anybody in the state.”
EIELSON 49, NIKISKI 14
It may be labelled as small-schools football, but Saturday’s matchup between the two teams fighting for the third-tier division of the Alaska high school state football championship was one of the biggest.
After three hours, the Ben Eielson Ravens had claimed their second-straight small-schools title at Dimond Alumni Field in a sloppy 49-14 contest against the Nikiski Bulldogs.
“This is crazy,” said Eielson coach David DeVaughn. “I don’t think I can put this feeling into words.”
Eielson became the first team to win back-to-back small-schools titles since Soldotna pulled the trick in 2008 and 2009.
To get there the Ravens had to endure a hard-nose Nikiski squad that gave them trouble.
Ten total turnovers, including three interceptions by Nikiski quarterback Cade Anderson, marred the game as the two heavyweights battled for supremacy on a soggy turf soaked from overnight rains.
Eielson racked up 438 team rushing yards with three players eclipsing the 100-yard mark.
The Bulldogs lost sophomore running back Rykker Riddall (821 season rushing yards) to injury early in the second quarter.
“You can’t lose a 1,000-yarder in the beginning of the game and expect to win,” coach Riddall said. “Hats off to (Eilson). They got after it, and we just couldn’t make enough plays. We’re not going to hang our heads off the field. We’re going to keep our heads up and walk off with pride.”
