The Soldotna football team defeated Palmer 76-7 in Railbelt Conference play on a rainy Friday night at Justin Maile Field at Soldotna High School.
The Stars are now 3-0 in the league and 3-0 overall, while the Moose fall to 1-2 in the league and 1-2 overall.
Soldotna offense was unstoppable, as the Stars scored all 11 times they had the ball. Seven of those scores came from more than 20 yards out.
“I was really happy with our kids effort,” Soldotna head coach Galen Brantley Jr. said. “I’m sure when we get to film we’ll find some things to work on.
“There are some of these games where you don’t want to come out and be sloppy and turn the ball over and let them hang around.”
Soldotna center Henry Williams said a good week of practice paid off.
“Just because it’s a team you’re supposed to win against doesn’t mean you don’t prepare,” Williams said. “I feel like we put in the time just like we would for any team.”
Soldotna’s defense also was stingy against a Palmer offense that didn’t hurt itself. Neither team fumbled on a rainy night, while the Moose committed just two penalties for 15 yards.
Trevor Michael had an interception for the Stars, while Landon Bauer recovered a short kickoff for a turnover.
The Stars had 514 yards of total offense, while Palmer had 154.
Soldotna was able to get seven different players in the end zone.
“We try and spread the ball around as much as we can and make sure, if we can, to try and get everybody in, in a blowout and let everybody know we love them,” Brantley Jr. said. “For the most part, this crew doesn’t even really care.
“They just like being around each other. It’s really been an enjoyable group to coach.”
That attitude is apparent in senior Gehret Medcoff, who ran for two touchdowns and 118 yards.
Brantley Jr. said he hasn’t dug into it lately, but thinks Medcoff is coming up on being the program’s all-time rushing leader.
“I try not to focus on that,” Medcoff said. “I’m trying to run the ball for my team and trying to win a state championship.”
Medcoff said his job is easy with the holes his line is opening. He gave special credit to Williams, Hakoa Montoya and Ala Tuisaula — linemen who have been with him since freshman year.
On defense, Medcoff has been racking up tackles for loss this season in a new position on the defensive line.
“I’m playing a new spot and it’s a great thing,” he said. “I enjoy it a lot. It’s mostly a speed thing — trying to throw a curveball once in a while.”
Brantley Jr. said quarterback Zac Buckbee had a great game keeping the ball safe. Buckbee ran for a 35-yard touchdown and also was 5 for 5 through the air with three touchdowns, including a 40-yard strike to Leigh Tacey.
In addition to Medcoff, Brantley Jr. said starting backs Wyatt Faircloth and Collin Peck were threats to score every time they touched the ball.
Faircloth caught two balls, both for touchdowns, and ran three times for 24 yards and another score. Peck ran three times for 53 yards and a score.
The second-string offense also got a pair of rushing touchdowns from Jaykob Kemp and a score from Trenton Ohnemus.
The highlight for the Moose was a six-play, 57-yard scoring drive to close the first half.
Quarterback Nolan Garner hit Logan Rolston with a 28-yard strike to set the Moose up at the Soldotna 1-yard line with 2 seconds left. Garner then scored on a quarterback sneak.
Next up for the Stars is a game at Bartlett on Friday at 6 p.m. The Golden Bears are the only Division I team SoHi faces this season.
Brantley Jr. said the two programs know each other well because Bartlett comes to SoHi’s camp every year.
“We match up really weird because we both want to kind of bully each other,” Brantley Jr. said. “So the one thing I do know is that it’s going to be physical and there’s going to be a lot of hitting.
“It’ll just be a really tough game between the tackles.”
Brantley Jr. said the Golden Bears will even get into the full house T and run the same offense that the Stars use.
“They’re a good team,” Williams said of the Golden Bears. “It’s definitely something we have to prepare for, and it’s going to be a good fight.
“I always think we’re going to win, but that might just be biased.”
On the injury front, Brantley Jr. said the Stars got through the Palmer game OK, but are still missing players. He said Luke Miller may be back in the next week or two, but Elijah Lee and Elias Brantley are not close to returning.
Stars 76, Moose 7
Palmer 0 7 0 0 —7
Soldotna 21 35 13 7 —76
1st Quarter
Sol — Faircloth 9 run (O’Reagan kick), 10:27.
Sol — Buckbee 35 run (O’Reagan kick), 8:14.
Sol — Faircloth 28 pass from Buckbee (O’Reagan kick), 3:46.
2nd Quarter
Sol — Tacey 40 pass from Buckbee (O’Reagan kick), 11:48.
Sol — Faircloth 4 pass from Buckbee (O’Reagan kick), 9:50.
Sol — Medcoff 42 run (O’Reagan kick), 6:08.
Sol — Peck 30 run (O’Reagan kick), 3:35.
Sol — Medcoff 40 run (O’Reagan kick), 1:43.
Pal — Garner 1 run (Lance kick), :00.
3rd Quarter
Sol — Kemp 65 run (kick failed), 6:14.
Sol — Ohnemus 8 run (Lu. Hillyer kick), 4:22.
4th Quarter
Sol — Kemp 14 run (Lu. Hillyer kick), 8:45.
Pal Sol
First downs 8 10
Rushes-yards 36-87 29-411
Passing yards 67 103
Comp-att-int 8-19-1 5-5-0
Punts 5-26.4 0-0
Fumbles 0-0 0-0
Penalties 2-15 8-95
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Rushing — Palmer: Krukoff 29-78, Doty 6-8, Garner 1-1. Soldotna: Medcoff 6-118, Kemp 2-73, Peck 3-53, Bock 3-51, Buckbee 1-35, Dickinson 6-26, Faircloth 3-24, Ohnemus 2-22, Walden 3-9.
Passing — Palmer: Garner 8-19-1—67. Soldotna: Buckbee 5-5-0—103.
Receiving — Palmer: Rolston 4-46, Eichenlaub 2-11, Craner 1-6, Nika 1-4. Soldotna: Faircloth 2-32, Gavalis 2-31, Tacey 1-40.
Palmer’s Logan Rolston is brought down by Soldotna’s Michael Dickinson on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, at Justin Maile Field at Soldotna High School in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Soldotna’s Andon Wolverton runs against Palmer on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023, at Justin Maile Field at Soldotna High School in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
