Homer football brings home back-to-back state titles

The Mariners varsity football team took the Division III State Champions title for the second year in a row following their 20-0 win against Barrow on Saturday, Oct. 18 in Wasilla.

Homer has won the state championships three times in the last four years.

Head coach Justin Zank said that the game was tough and Homer “definitely had to earn” their victory.

“It was 6-0 at the half. Barrow’s defense was tough, so we just had the one touchdown pass in the first half, and then we … were able to score again with another touchdown pass to Justus Grimes towards the end of the third quarter,” he said. “In the fourth quarter, Nik Macauly ran it in from midfield to really put the game away for us.”

Zank said the Mariners’ defense played “lights out,” and the team also “won the battle of field positioning.”

Four Homer players were chosen as “players of the game” — seniors CJ Burns, Emelian Melkomukov, and Jackson Snaric, and sophomore Dawson Stokes. Two Barrow players were also named players of the game.

Zank said that Snaric had a “key” interception with a return. Burns played both sides of the ball, throwing two touchdown passes and having some “big plays” on defense. Melkomukov had the first half touchdown catch, and Zank said that Stokes “played really well on defensive line.”

The Mariners are also back-to-back ASAA Academic Award winners. Zank said that the award goes to the team with the highest cumulative grade point average out of all the teams participating in the playoffs each year.

“The record speaks for itself on how we played this year and the level of athletes we had on our team,” Zank said. “I want everybody to know that our guys aren’t just good football players, they’re really excellent human beings, and I’m just really proud of this team.”