The visiting Homer football team defeated Kodiak 52-0 on Friday in Mid Alaska Conference action.
The Mariners, the defending Division III champions, move to 1-0 in the league and 3-0 overall. Kodiak drops to 0-1 in the league and 0-3 overall.
“I’m happy with the guys and the way they performed given they were on a very long ferry ride overnight and arrived the day of the game,” Homer head coach Justin Zank said. “We were still able to perform the way we did.
“We traditionally haven’t been able to do that in the past — travel well and play well.”
The Mariners grabbed a 38-0 lead after the first half en route to the blowout win.
In one half of work, Preston Stanislaw continued to impress at quarterback. He rushed 16 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns. He also passed for 73 yards and a score to CJ Burns.
“His vision, going through progressions and checkdowns — he’s playing better than we could have hoped for right now,” Zank said.
Jake Tappan also had a pair of rushing touchdowns in the first half. Zank said Tappan has stepped up as a selfless leader.
The Homer defense contributed to the fast start, forcing four turnovers in the first half. Tappan and Oak Anderson had interceptions, while Donovan Milstead and Mikifor Reutov had fumble recoveries. Wyatt Counts, from his middle linebacker position, led the team in tackles.
In the second half, backup quarterback Chris Martishev ran wild, with 10 rushes for 99 yards and two scores.
Homer stays in conference play Saturday, traveling to Kenai Central at 2 p.m.
“I think it’s going to be a fun game and it’s going to be a tough game,” Zank said. “We’re going into a hostile environment. We know what to expect going into it.
“We’d better come to play, or it’s going to be tough.”
MARINERS 52, BEARS 0
Homer 16 22 8 6 — 52
Kodiak 0 0 0 0 — 0
First quarter
Hom — Burns 9 pass from Stanislaw (Stanislaw run), 9:22
Hom — Tappan 1 run (Stanislaw run), 3:26
Second quarter
Hom — Stanislaw 20 run (Tappan run), 4:59
Hom — Tappan 4 run (run failed), 3:58
Hom — Stanislaw 13 run (Stanislaw run), 1:34
Third quarter
Hom — Martishev 13 run (Martishev run), 2:24
Hom — Martishev 19 run (run failed), 7:42
Individual statistics
Rushing: Homer — Stanislaw 16-124, Tappan 10-23, Matishev 10-99. Kodiak — Bungay 11-27, Anderson 12-(-16), Loya 3-4, Macapugay 1-(-8), Pascua 4-5.
Passing: Homer — Stanislaw 7-12-1— 73. Kodiak — Anderson 0-5-2 — 0.
Receiving: Homer — Burns 2-37, Tappan 2-13, Reutov 1-23.
Seward 38, Nikiski 14
The host Seahawks recovered from a 14-0 deficit in the first quarter to notch the nonconference nine-man football victory.
Both teams are in the Great Land Conference, but only their second game of the season will count in the league. Seward is 2-0 overall, while Nikiski is 1-1 overall.
Seward head coach Tyler Mallory said his team made some mistakes early to fall behind, but then the Seahawks were able to settle in.
Mallory also said Emerson Cross stepped in at quarterback after Brett Gilmore was injured. Mallory said Cross did a good job leading the team. The coach added Gilmore is still working through the injury, but should be able to return soon.
According to Mallory, linemen John Van Buskirk, Shawn McClain and Jack Gardner helped the Seahawks settle down by opening holes for the backs.
Kupono Albino ran for four touchdowns and had multiple big plays on defense.
Also on defense, Mallory said Noah Price led the unit with a lot of big tackles. Mallory also said Hunter Forshee-Kurtz also was solid on defense and punt returns. Gideon Schrock also had multiple sacks for Seward.
“Our assistant coach and I have put together a solid plan for the kids,” Mallory said of the defense. “Every team has been pretty run heavy, and we’ve been able to control the gaps and make it difficult to run the ball.”
The Bulldogs received a rushing touchdown from Truit McCaughey and a fumble recovery for a touchdown from Everett Chamberlain.
“Hats off to coach Mallory,” Nikiski head coach Matt Trammell wrote in a text message. “His kids were hungrier and more prepared.”
Nikiski hosts Valdez on Friday at 6 p.m. Seward travels to play Eielson on Saturday at noon. Both games are still nonconference.
“They’re a fast team,” Mallory said of the Ravens. “We’re going to face a lot of speed compared to the other two teams we’ve played.
“We’re going to have to set an edge and not let them get to the outside where there’s a lot of space. We’ll also have to make sure we tackle.”
Kenai Central 54, Redington 14
The visiting Kardinals topped the Huskies in nonconference action Friday.
Both teams are in the Mid Alaska Conference, but only the second game counts for conference.
Kenai is now 2-1 overall and has completed the nonconference portion of its schedule.
Redington is 0-3 overall and also has completed its nonconference schedule.
William Wilson led the way for Kenai, rushing for two touchdowns and 140 yards and catching one ball that went for a 27-yard touchdown.
Zeke Yragui threw for two touchdowns and 191 yards, while Yragui also ran for a touchdown and had an interception return for a touchdown.
Bobby Hayes ran for 117 yards and a touchdown, while Logan Myers also had a touchdown run.
The Kardinals host Homer on Saturday at 2 p.m.
