Joey Klecka

Soldotna’s Kylin Welch pulls off a move in the boys 1-meter diving event Saturday at the ASAA First National Bank State Swimming & Diving Championships at the Bartlett High pool. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Area swimmers, divers take on state’s best for championships

Hundreds of piercing screams muffled the sound of splashing water in the the warm, humid air inside the Bartlett High School pool Saturday afternoon at… Continue reading

Soldotna’s Kylin Welch pulls off a move in the boys 1-meter diving event Saturday at the ASAA First National Bank State Swimming & Diving Championships at the Bartlett High pool. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Stars make it back to state volleyball

Thanks to a renewed mindset, the Soldotna volleyball program is back to dancing. The Stars punched their ticket to the Class 4A state tournament Friday… Continue reading

Prep hockey season preview: New faces in coaching spots

Three Kenai Peninsula hockey teams. Three new head coaches. There’s a new order hitting the rinks this season at the high school level, and the… Continue reading

Service goaltender Jordan Watson blocks a shot from Kenai Central’s Levi Mese (5) Thursday at the Peninsula Ice Challenge at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

SoHi, Kenai drop games to Monroe, Service

Local squads did not fare well on the first day of the Peninsula Ice Challenge at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. The day began with… Continue reading

Service goaltender Jordan Watson blocks a shot from Kenai Central’s Levi Mese (5) Thursday at the Peninsula Ice Challenge at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

State swim preview: Local programs looking for individual success

The Alaska swimming and diving state championships reward teams with heavy rosters and deep relays. That much is apparent when perusing through the state record… Continue reading

Weekend wrestling roundup

Soldotna, Kenai Central, Nikiski, Voznesenka and Seward took on all comers at the King of the Mountain wrestling tournament Friday and Saturday in Seward. The… Continue reading

Soldotna sophomore Bailey Leach (12) battles for the ball against Kenai Central’s Nikki Prior Friday night at Soldotna High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Friday: SoHi volleyball sweeps Kenai

The Soldotna Stars had a lot to celebrate Friday night. After a senior night celebration put seniors Ella Stenga, Cally Christianson and Shaylynn Zener in… Continue reading

Soldotna sophomore Bailey Leach (12) battles for the ball against Kenai Central’s Nikki Prior Friday night at Soldotna High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai River Brown Bears forward Gil Garcia works out of the corner against Minnesota Magicians defensemen Caydon Meyer (8) and Charlie Weiand (55) on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Brown Bears topple Magicians

It was the story of the kid who left home facing his old team. Kenai River Brown Bears netminder Gavin Enright did just that Thursday… Continue reading

Kenai River Brown Bears forward Gil Garcia works out of the corner against Minnesota Magicians defensemen Caydon Meyer (8) and Charlie Weiand (55) on Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna’s Portia Padilla swims the 50-yard breaststroke at the Soldotna Pentathlon on Sept. 22, 2017, at Soldotna High School. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Region III swim preview: SoHi girls looking for 3rd straight team title

The stakes are always highest with pressure on the line, and for the Soldotna girls swimming and diving team, the pressure will certainly be high… Continue reading

Soldotna’s Portia Padilla swims the 50-yard breaststroke at the Soldotna Pentathlon on Sept. 22, 2017, at Soldotna High School. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
A cyclist races by the trailhead sign in the Polar Vortex bicycle race Saturday afternoon at the Tsalteshi Trails in Soldotna. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Cyclists converge on Polar Vortex

A field of 44 local and visiting cyclists challenged the tight and narrow confines of the Polar Vortex course on a bright, chilly Saturday afternoon… Continue reading

A cyclist races by the trailhead sign in the Polar Vortex bicycle race Saturday afternoon at the Tsalteshi Trails in Soldotna. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Saturday: Brown Bears top Mudbugs in shootout

Saturday, the Kenai River Brown Bears rewarded the home crowd for helping to bring the team back from inactivity with a 5-4 shootout victory over… Continue reading

Homer senior Chris Cudaback (48) tackles Utqiagvik running back Ben Heather Saturday in the ASAA First National Bank Division III state championship at Machetanz Field in Palmer. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

By Inches: Barrow escapes with Div. III football crown over Homer

First-and-goal from 2 yards out and 10 seconds on the clock. No timeouts. That was the situation the Homer Mariners football team faced with a… Continue reading

Homer senior Chris Cudaback (48) tackles Utqiagvik running back Ben Heather Saturday in the ASAA First National Bank Division III state championship at Machetanz Field in Palmer. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna sophomore Jersey Truesdell attempts to tackle Palmer running back Larry Cutsforth (27) Saturday in the ASAA First National Bank Division II state championship at Machetanz Field in Palmer. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

SoHi wins 6th straight state football title with win over Palmer

Call it a six-pack. For a sixth straight year, the Soldotna Stars are reigning supreme as state football champions of the Division II level, thanks… Continue reading

Soldotna sophomore Jersey Truesdell attempts to tackle Palmer running back Larry Cutsforth (27) Saturday in the ASAA First National Bank Division II state championship at Machetanz Field in Palmer. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna linebacker Wendell Tuisaula eyes Palmer reciever Skyler Hale (15) in the second half of the 2016 medium-schools state football championship in October 2016 at Palmer High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Stars seek 6th straight state crown in Palmer rematch

In their search of a sixth straight state football championship, the Soldotna Stars will have to rely on a deep roster and a slew of… Continue reading

Soldotna linebacker Wendell Tuisaula eyes Palmer reciever Skyler Hale (15) in the second half of the 2016 medium-schools state football championship in October 2016 at Palmer High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Division III preview: Homer ready for 1st state football crown

It’s been a year of firsts for high school football in Homer. Why not add one more? Since Alaska’s smallest division of prep football became… Continue reading

Soldotna running back Cody Quelland (2) stiff arms North Pole’s Chris Berrellez Saturday at the ASAA First National Bank state football semifinals at Palmer High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

SoHi earns 6th straight state title berth with semi win over North Pole

By the time the North Pole Patriots got moving in their state semifinal rematch against Soldotna, it was too late. As is the case for… Continue reading

Soldotna running back Cody Quelland (2) stiff arms North Pole’s Chris Berrellez Saturday at the ASAA First National Bank state football semifinals at Palmer High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Nikiski sophomore Michael Eiter delivers a pass against the Eielson rush Sept. 22 at Nikiski High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Homer leads peninsula teams into Division III football playoffs

In a division that sees its fair share of blowouts, the smallest division of high school football in the 49th state could be primed to… Continue reading

Nikiski sophomore Michael Eiter delivers a pass against the Eielson rush Sept. 22 at Nikiski High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna’s Brenner Furlong turns upfield after eluding Kenai’s Jarett Wilson on a kickoff return Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, at Ed Hollier Field in Kenai. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Last year’s semi lurks in SoHi’s memory

The monster 57-game win streak that the Soldotna football team currently owns saw one of its biggest scares last October in a state semifinal battle… Continue reading

Soldotna’s Brenner Furlong turns upfield after eluding Kenai’s Jarett Wilson on a kickoff return Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017, at Ed Hollier Field in Kenai. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Nikiski junior Bethany Carstens attempts to spike a ball by Anchorage Christian middle hitters Kira Keller (12) and Kelsey Smallwood (7) Friday at Nikiski High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Friday: Nikiski volleyball tops ACS, Seward

For a time Friday night, it looked like the Nikiski volleyball team could do nothing right. With Anchorage Christian Schools dropping game balls on Nikiski’s… Continue reading

Nikiski junior Bethany Carstens attempts to spike a ball by Anchorage Christian middle hitters Kira Keller (12) and Kelsey Smallwood (7) Friday at Nikiski High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai Central senior Riana Boonstra races to the finish of the Division I girls race Saturday at the ASAA First National Bank Alaska Cross-country State Championships at Bartlett High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Homer’s Daigle wins Div. II girls state XC crown

With race leader Ruby Lindquist of Seward in her sights and noticeably slowing, Homer’s Autumn Daigle keyed in on her last reserve of power in… Continue reading

Kenai Central senior Riana Boonstra races to the finish of the Division I girls race Saturday at the ASAA First National Bank Alaska Cross-country State Championships at Bartlett High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)