The Seward nine-man football team opened its season with a 54-12 victory over Nikiski on Saturday at Nikiski Middle-High School in nonconference action.
Nine-man football is entering its third year in Alaska. The Seahawks have yet to lose in the format, defeating the Bulldogs in the last two state title games.
Senior Emerson Cross, stepping up to the starting quarterback role this season, made sure Seward stayed perfect in nine-man play.
Cross rushed seven times for 49 yards and three touchdowns, and also was 5 of 10 passing for 160 yards and two touchdowns.
“I think we’re coming together really well,” he said. “We weren’t really sure. We lost a lot of seniors, but we came together and pulled through.
“I think this team will be just as good as last year, if not better.”
Lane Petersen caught four balls for 125 yards and two touchdowns for Seward.
“Emerson’s been a leader for us for years,” Seward head coach Tyler Mallory said. “He’s a great kid. He works hard and holds himself accountable and holds others accountable.
“Lane had a great game. He’s playing through some injuries, but he had a great game on offense.”
Seward’s other two touchdowns were manufactured by the defense by Ridge Conant. In the first quarter, Conant returned a fumble 8 yards for a score, and in the third quarter he returned an interception 45 yards for a score.
“I’m happy with the effort on defense,” Mallory said. “We held them to six points on defense until the very end, when we had our backups in.
“They fought hard and we scored twice on defense. You can’t ask for much more than that.”
The game also marked the debut for Nikiski head coach Mark Smith. With 13 players dressed for the game and temperatures in the sunny 60s, Smith knew it would be a tough contest.
“The W isn’t as important as the learning experience and as the effort and attitude right now,” Smith said.
Smith said, with some exceptions, he liked what he saw from his team.
“The second half, we had some better attitudes and some better efforts,” he said. “It got away there in the first half.
“So we challenged them to come out and put something on the field they could be proud about.”
Filling in at quarterback, Kaiden Parrish emptied the tank by rushing 21 times for 160 yards and two touchdowns.
“Our starter was gone this week, so overall it was a pretty good job for him of doing a position he’s not used to,” Smith said.
Rex Wittmer was the biggest player on the field and played on the lines, in addition to rushing 11 times for 38 yards.
“Except for getting wrapped one time, he never came off the field,” Smith said. “He had a great game and just kept pushing. I’m proud of him today.”
It would often take three Seahawks to bring Wittmer down.
“We just beat him with speed, not really physicality,” Cross said of Wittmer.
Mallory said linebacker Micah Brueckner went the distance on defense.
“Micah Brueckner rocked it,” Mallory said. “He came downhill. He probably made 15 tackles today, if I had to guess right now.”
Mallory said he would have liked to run the ball better on offense, but the pass game made up for it.
“Just practice all summer long getting the chemistry with the receivers,” Cross said.
Smith said Trigger McCaughey had some big hits on defense, while Mason Doth filled in on offense and defense in whatever position was needed, even if Doth hadn’t practiced it.
The Nikiski coach said he’ll be looking forward to getting players back, because with all the space on the field, nine-man football takes a lot more than nine players.
“Hopefully our school and community can see why we need guys to play,” Smith said. “We need more bodies. We need more players. We need more experience.
“Same thing for Seward, too. Talking to their coach, they dressed out 17, which is not a whole lot more than 13.”
Seward is at Monroe Catholic at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 23. Nikiski also has a long trip to face Interior Grappling Academy in Fairbanks at 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23.
Saturday
Seahawks 54, Bulldogs 12
Sew 30 16 8 0 —54
Nik 6 0 0 6 —12
1st Quarter
Sew — Cross 6 run (Schrock run), 8:34.
Sew — Conant 8 fumble return (Cross run), 7:09.
Nik — Parrish 75 run (run failed), 5:17.
Sew — Petersen 60 pass from Cross (run failed), 4:57.
Sew — Cross 25 run (Cross run), 0:20.
2nd Quarter
Sew — Petersen 30 pass from Cross (Turner run), 3:53.
Sew — Cross 17 run (Campbell from Cross), 0:42.
3rd Quarter
Sew — Conant 45 interception return (Campbell pass from Cross), 9:23.
4th Quarter
Nik — Parrish 18 run (pass failed), 2:17.
Sew Nik
First downs 6 7
Rushing yards 19-123 40-203
Passing yards 160 20
Comp-att-int 5-10-0 4-13-1
Punts 0-0 0-0
Fumbles 3-3 2-1
Penalties 8-65 4-26
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing — Seward: Schrock 3-23, Cross 7-49, Conant 3-11, C. Cross 2-14, Staggs 1-(-4). Nikiski: Parrish 21-160, T. McCaughey 3-(-3), Wittmer 11-38, B. McCaughey 3-8, Broussard 2-0.
Passing — Seward: Cross 5-10-0—160. Nikiski: Parrish 4-13-1—20.
Receiving — Seward: Petersen 4-125, Brueckner 1-35. Nikiski: Nelson 3-22, Doth 1-(-2).
Seward’s Lane Petersen makes a catch in front of Nikiski’s Brody Nelson on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, at Nikiski Middle-High School in Nikiski, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Seward’s Ridge Conant and Cai Turner and Nikiski’s Mason Doth scramble for a fumble Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, at Nikiski Middle-High School in Nikiski, Alaska. Conant would pick up the ball and score. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Seward’s Camden Schrock is tackled by Brody Nelson of Nikiski on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, at Nikiski Middle-High School in Nikiski, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Mark Smith instructs the team during his first game as Nikiski head coach Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, at Nikiski Middle-High School in Nikiski, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
