PALMER — When Soldotna started its three-match tour of the Matanuska-Susitna valleys Thursday night at Palmer High School, Stars head coach Bruce King said SoHi middle hitter Katelynn Kerkvliet was fighting back pains that made it difficult for her to even move around on the floor.

But when the Stars faced Colony and one of the Northern Lights Conference’s top middle hitters, Knights senior Allison Leigh, on Saturday, Kerkvliet stepped up when the Stars needed her the most.

HOUSTON — Kenai Central was looking for its first win of the 2012 season. Houston was looking for its first victory over Kenai since joining the Northern Lights Conference.

But as fireworks filled the sky above Houston High School to cap the host team’s homecoming festivities

Friday night, it was the Kardinals who were celebrating.

Senior Grayden Mendenhall scored his third touchdown of the game with 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter to help the Kardinals ice a 33-25 win over the Hawks on Houston’s homecoming night.

PALMER — The Colony Knights made history, hosting and winning the first prep football game played on artificial field turf in the Matanuska-Susitna valleys, and they beat a defending state champion in the process.

Senior quarter Rob Lorentz threw for nearly 300 yards to lead the Knights to a 44-20 win over Kenai Central, the reigning medium-schools champs, during his team’s debut on turf Friday night at Colony High. 

PALMER — A night after playing a 21-inning, 5.5-hour marathon, the Peninsula Oilers’ road game against the Mat-Su Miners probably felt like a sprint. But in the match that lasted a mere 2 hours and 9 minutes, the Miners were the first out of the gate, and won the race.

Clint Freeman sparked the Miners with a two-run shot in the fourth inning and Jay Calhoun pitched seven innings of four-hit shutout ball to lead the Miners to a 3-0 win over the league-leading Oilers at Hermon Brothers Field in Palmer Thursday night.