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For the past three years, Soldotna has been the football standard on the Kenai Peninsula. The three-time defending small-schools state champs have rolled over every small-schools opponent they've faced in the last five years.

This season was no different.

The Stars, led by head coach Galen Brantley Jr., put up more than 3,000 rushing yards and looked poised to take a fourth straight title -- especially with Kenai Central as the challenger. SoHi defeated its crosstown, Northern Lights Conference rival in Week 8 of the regular season 52-27.

So when the Kards punched their ticket for a rematch against the Stars for the state title, they knew they were the underdogs.

"Everybody thought, 'SoHi's gonna do it again,'" said Kardinals head coach Jeff Baker.

While many might call Kenai's 21-10 victory over the Stars at Saturday's state title game a shock, it only re-affirmed what the Kards knew to be true: If we believe, anything is possible.

"Everybody underestimated us," said quarterback AJ Hull. "The biggest part is just believing that you can do it."

"Believing was that catalyst," Baker said about the win.

While walking down the halls of Kenai Central this week, Baker said as he passed team members, he'd mutter "Believe" to each of them. The same message was echoed at practice.

"My voice has been hoarse all week from yelling 'Believe' at practice," Baker said. "And they did."

The Kardinals handed Soldotna its first postseason loss since Brantley Jr. took over in 2007 and its first loss to a small-schools team since 2004.

"For these kids, it's got to be a lifelong effect," said defensive coach Jim Dawson about the win. "There was no option for coming out of here without being champions."

Hull, who was named Kenai's player of the game, said the whole team played as hard as it could the entire game. Injuries and fatigue were the farthest thoughts from the Kards' minds.

"You have nothing to lose and a whole year to recover," Hull said. It was that attitude that projected Kenai Central to its fifth state title in the last nine years, he added.

"This is a great feeling," Baker said. "A small group of young men did something that nobody else thought they could do."

Despite losing to SoHi earlier in the season, Baker and his team knew they could emerge victorious if given another chance.

"It's hard to beat a good team twice," he said. "Our kids are a very, very good team collectively."

Volunteer assistant coach Jim Beeson, along with Dawson, were part of the four straight titles from 2002 to 2005. Out of his now five state titles, Beeson said this year his winning squad was the least expected to win out of the five -- making the victory that much sweeter.

The quality of the coaching staff allowed this year's state championship to become a reality, he said.

"No one has an ego," Beeson said. It took a team effort from the coaching staff and players alike to nab the title, he said.