The Homer Mariners staked their claim as the leaders of the Peninsula Conference with a emphatic 38-0 win Saturday over Nikiski at Homer High School.
Senior Teddy Croft took control of the game with three touchdown passes and 185 passing yards, while picking up 140 yards rushing and a scoring run.
Homer’s fifth straight win placed the Mariners atop the Peninsula Conference standings at 2-0 (and 5-1 overall), while Nikiski dropped to 2-1 in conference, tied for second with Redington, and 3-3 overall.
Overall, Homer had a field day against Nikiski’s defense, outgaining the Bulldogs 453 to 161 in offensive yards. Nikiski junior Cody Handley racked up 92 rushing yards on 17 carries, but that was about all the Bulldogs could muster. Senior Ian Johnson was limited to 20 yards on 10 handoffs, and sophomore quarterback Michael Eiter threw 4 for 12 for 25 yards.
Croft accounted for all four Homer touchdowns in the first half, starting with a 35-yard scoring strike to Noah Fisk. Croft added a 52-yard rushing touchdown, a 58-yard passing score to Justin Sumption and a 63-yard connection to Fisk to give the Mariners a 25-0 halftime lead.
Fisk scored twice on the ground in the second half to ice the victory, finishing with 54 rush yards for the day. Including his 116 receiving yards, Fisk finished with 170 yards of offense himself.
Homer will travel to play Redington next week, while Nikiski hosts Division III rival Eielson.
Monroe 15, Seward 0
The Seahawks were blanked by the Monroe Catholic Rams Saturday in a nonconference meeting of Division III teams.
The loss was Seward’s fifth straight, dropping the Seahawks to 1-5 overall this season. Seward remains 0-2 in the Peninsula Conference.
Redington 20, Voznesenka 8
The Huskies held off the Cougars in a Peninsula Conference clash Saturday at Redington High School.
Voznesenka dropped to 0-2 in the conference and 1-3 overall, while Redington moved to 2-1 in conference play, putting itself in a virtual tie for second in the standings with Nikiski, and 4-2 overall.
Mariners 38, Bulldogs 0
Nikiski 0 0 0 0 —0
Homer 13 12 6 7 —38
First quarter
Hom — Fisk 35 pass from Croft (kick failed), 10:30
Hom — Croft 52 run (Johnson kick), 7:52
Second quarter
Hom — Sumption 58 pass from Croft (kick failed), 9:54
Hom — Fisk 63 pass from Croft (kick failed), :23
Third quarter
Hom — Fisk 2 run (kick failed), 7:41
Fourth quarter
Hom — Fisk 14 run (Johnson kick), 11:34
Nik Hom
First downs 9 19
Rush yards 38-136 36-219
Pass yards 25 234
Comp-att-int 4-12-0 8-16-1
Return yards 14 32
Punts 3 0
Fumbles-lost 1-1 1-0
Penalties-yards 1-15 9-40
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing — Nikiski: Handley 17-92, Johnson 10-20, Harris 6-21, Payne 2-1, Eiter 2-(-2), Berry 1-4. Homer: Croft 15-140, Fisk 9-54, Heimbold 6-26, Sumption 1-0, Love 4-4, Bernier 1-(-5).
Passing — Nikiski: Eiter 4-12-0—25. Homer: Croft 5-11-0—185, Felde 3-5-1—49.
Receiving — Nikiski: Johnson 2-11, Handley 1-9, Berry 1-5. Homer: Fisk 3-116, Sumption 2-59, Ravin 2-45, Croft 1-14.
