Joey Klecka

Soldotna’s Caleb Spence gets blocked by Kenai’s Preben Strende (left) Friday at the Powerade/Al Howard Tip-Off tournament at Soldotna High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai Central wins Tip-Off on tiebreaker

The Soldotna basketball team won the battle but lost the war at the Al Howard/Powerade Tip-Off Tournament at Soldotna High School this weekend. Friday, the… Continue reading

Soldotna’s Caleb Spence gets blocked by Kenai’s Preben Strende (left) Friday at the Powerade/Al Howard Tip-Off tournament at Soldotna High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

State wrestling preview: Homer working to regain crown

Wrestling is a numbers game, and the numbers are adding up for the Homer Mariners. Two years in a row at the Division II state… Continue reading

In his first match, boxer Melvin Clark, Jr., (left) evades a punch from his experienced opponent, Doug McFresh, during the Fight Before Christmas 2 matches on Saturday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. Both fighters were from Nikiski. After three rounds, McFresh won. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)

Fight Before Xmas brings excitement to Soldotna

Expect the unexpected. That was the apparent theme Saturday night at the jazzed-up Soldotna Regional Sports Complex, which played host to The Fight Before Christmas… Continue reading

In his first match, boxer Melvin Clark, Jr., (left) evades a punch from his experienced opponent, Doug McFresh, during the Fight Before Christmas 2 matches on Saturday at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. Both fighters were from Nikiski. After three rounds, McFresh won. (Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Central freshman Tucker Vann wrestles a Colony rival last Saturday at the North/South tournament at Soldotna Prep School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai, SoHi ready to battle at NLC wrestling tourney

The way the last four years have gone, most Northern Lights Conference wrestling teams are green with envy. That’s because the Colony Knights, whose school… Continue reading

Kenai Central freshman Tucker Vann wrestles a Colony rival last Saturday at the North/South tournament at Soldotna Prep School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Homer looks for region 3-peat in Seward

As a site of many of Alaska’s greatest moments, both sporting and political, Seward is a natural site for the 2017 Kachemak Conference wrestling tournament.… Continue reading

Kenai Central skater Jacob Keels scrambles to find the puck in front of Palmer’s Noah Keil, Friday at the Kenai Multipurpose Facility. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Palmer skates away from Kenai late

Kenai Central’s stock is rising, but the Kardinals aren’t quite there yet. The Kenai hockey team fell 6-2 to the Palmer Moose on Friday night… Continue reading

Kenai Central skater Jacob Keels scrambles to find the puck in front of Palmer’s Noah Keil, Friday at the Kenai Multipurpose Facility. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Homer’s Chris Cudaback (right) wrestles with Frank Urbano of Colony in a 170-pound battle at the North-South tournament Saturday at Soldotna Prep School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Knights take home crown at North-South wrestling meet

As a compelling preview of next weekend’s Region III meet in Kodiak, the North-South tournament held Friday and Saturday at Soldotna Prep School offered teams… Continue reading

Homer’s Chris Cudaback (right) wrestles with Frank Urbano of Colony in a 170-pound battle at the North-South tournament Saturday at Soldotna Prep School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna’s Braxton Urban skates off with the puck while Palmer’s Nathan Hooks and Soldotna’s Levi Brenner battle along the boards Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Palmer hockey beats SoHi with controversial OT goal

The puck takes a lot of weird bounces in the game of hockey. The Soldotna Stars were the victims of a weird bounce Thursday night,… Continue reading

Soldotna’s Braxton Urban skates off with the puck while Palmer’s Nathan Hooks and Soldotna’s Levi Brenner battle along the boards Thursday, Nov. 30, 2017, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Friday night broomball ready to roll

There is good and bad news regarding the upcoming Friday night Broomball League season in Soldotna. We’ll start with the bad news, which is the… Continue reading

Mapping the unknown with a new friend

I met someone recently. Their name is Strava. Although our relationship is still very new, there is a lot of excitement and electricity in the… Continue reading

Kenai Central’s Maria Salzetti leads a group of racers up Kill Bill hill Tuesday afternoon at the Turkey Skate race on the Tsalteshi Trails in Soldotna. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai skiers sweep Turkey Skate race amid snowfall

Win the race, beat the piñata. That was the reward Tuesday afternoon for the girls and boys winners of the Turkey Skate races at the… Continue reading

Kenai Central’s Maria Salzetti leads a group of racers up Kill Bill hill Tuesday afternoon at the Turkey Skate race on the Tsalteshi Trails in Soldotna. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Central forward Levi Mese (5) celebrates the first of his five goals against Soldotna with Matt Hagel on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2017, at the Kenai Multi-Purpose Facility. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Kenai Central hockey topples Soldotna

A five-goal outburst from Levi Mese fueled the Kenai Central hockey team to a 10-1 North Star Conference victory over Soldotna on Tuesday night at… Continue reading

Kenai Central forward Levi Mese (5) celebrates the first of his five goals against Soldotna with Matt Hagel on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2017, at the Kenai Multi-Purpose Facility. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
A scrum of Kenai River and Bismarck players gather around the Brown Bears net Friday night at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Bobcats sweep Brown Bears

Looking to avoid a weekend sweep at home, the Kenai River Brown Bears took time out with 23.2 seconds left on the clock and down… Continue reading

A scrum of Kenai River and Bismarck players gather around the Brown Bears net Friday night at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Central’s Karl Danielson races at the 2017 ASAA state nordic skiing championships Feb. 24 at Kincaid Park in Anchorage.

Peninsula teams enter XC ski season with streak intact

Since the year 2000, a peninsula team has won a region Nordic ski title each and every year, whether it be boys or girls. To… Continue reading

Kenai Central’s Karl Danielson races at the 2017 ASAA state nordic skiing championships Feb. 24 at Kincaid Park in Anchorage.
A group of Soldotna High School skiers make their way up a hill Thursday afternoon at the Tsalteshi Trails adjacent to Skyview Middle School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Trail etiquette: Do’s and don’t’s of using recreation facilities around town

There’s a time and place for everything, and for local recreation trails, the emphasis lies on the place. The various trails on the central peninsula… Continue reading

A group of Soldotna High School skiers make their way up a hill Thursday afternoon at the Tsalteshi Trails adjacent to Skyview Middle School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Friday: SoHi falls to West Valley at 4A state volleyball

Friday: SoHi falls to West Valley at 4A state volleyball

The Soldotna Stars volleyball squad had quite a week. It just didn’t end the way they dreamed it would. Before the three-day Class 4A state… Continue reading

Friday: SoHi falls to West Valley at 4A state volleyball
Nikiski junior Bethany Carstens (7) teams up with senior Jamie Yerkes to put up a block Friday against Barrow at the Class 3A state volleyball tournament at West High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Friday: Nikiski bows out of 3A state volleyball tournament

Nikiski’s dreams of a return to the state final were extinguished Friday morning in a loser-out bracket loss to Barrow. A day after falling 3-1… Continue reading

Nikiski junior Bethany Carstens (7) teams up with senior Jamie Yerkes to put up a block Friday against Barrow at the Class 3A state volleyball tournament at West High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna junior Brittani Blossom digs a ball Thursday against Bartlett at the Class 4A state volleyball tournament at West High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

State volleyball: SoHi swept by Bartlett in 4A quarters, Nikiski dropped by Valdez at 3A level

The Stars find themselves with their backs against the wall again. A week after falling into a similar hole at the region tournament, the Soldotna… Continue reading

Soldotna junior Brittani Blossom digs a ball Thursday against Bartlett at the Class 4A state volleyball tournament at West High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Nikiski duo Rylee Jackson (10) and Jamie Yerkes (9) block a shot from Soldotna’s Ella Stenga, Oct. 3 at Nikiski High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Nikiski determined to make noise at 3A state volleyball

Moments after being crushed in an all-or-nothing championship fight under the bright lights of the state championship stage, the Nikiski volleyball crew slunk off to… Continue reading

Nikiski duo Rylee Jackson (10) and Jamie Yerkes (9) block a shot from Soldotna’s Ella Stenga, Oct. 3 at Nikiski High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Soldotna volleyball ready for state run

Last Friday’s Northern Lights Conference tournament semifinal victory was one of the sweetest for the Soldotna volleyball team in a while, but for the Stars,… Continue reading