The Kenai Central football team celebrated senior day with a 63-0 victory over Kodiak on Saturday at Ed Hollier Field in Kenai.
By claiming the Salmon Bowl, the Kardinals clinched a spot in the Division III playoffs by improving to 2-2 in the Mid Alaska Conference and 3-4 overall. Kodiak is 0-4 and 0-7.
Barrow has the top seed locked up in the playoffs at 4-0, while Redington will be No. 2 at 3-1. Kenai and Homer (2-2) will battle for the third seed Friday, Oct. 4, at 5 p.m. in Homer. The loser must make a frigid trip to Barrow for the first round of the playoffs.
The Kardinals jumped all over the Bears by forcing five turnovers in the first half to take a 56-0 lead at the break. The second half was played under a running clock.
Kenai has made the playoffs and stayed alive to defend its Division III crown despite being hit hard by injuries this season.
“Not everyone was there that could have been there,” said Kenai senior Roman Mosquito, a center on offense and linebacker on defense. “It didn’t matter.
“We had what we needed, we gave it our all on every play, and we had the turnout we wanted.”
Zach Armstrong had two interceptions and a fumble recovery in the first half, while Sawyer Vann had an interception and Isaac Potton recovered a fumble. Preston Lawrence also had an interception in the second half for Kenai.
That meant lots of quick, short scoring drives for the Kards.
In the first quarter, Kainoa Taylor scored on a 2-yard run, Bobby Hayes scored on a 51-yard run and Aasen Campnella scored on a 16-yard run.
In the second quarter, Makai Johansen scored on a 4-yard pass from Tony Perez, Campanella scored on an 8-yard run, then Hayes scored on a 10-yard run, 74-yard pass from Perez and 5-yard run.
In the fourth quarter, Armstrong closed the scoring when he snared a 16-yard pass from Garrett McCanna.
Hayes rushed for 173 yards and also had the 74-yard reception.
“I know Kodiak still doesn’t have a win this season, so I don’t want to pile it on, but some of it is also our kids correcting mistakes they’ve been making on offense and defense,” Kenai head coach Jake Brand said. “It’s a good victory.”
Both Brand and Mosquito said a key during all the injuries is the team has stuck together.
“Although they have been injured, they’ve been at practice helping the people that have taken their places get better,” Mosquito said. “We’ve all been working together to try to make the best team we can.”
Brand said the injuries also have given some underclassmen a chance to step up and make a mark. He mentioned junior Lawrence and sophomore Jamal Barnes.
The seniors are Perez, Zane James, Johansen, Keegan Roumell, Campanella, Hollan Chadwick, Delen Byrd, Tyler Van Sky, Cole Langham, Hayden Hughes, Hayes, Mosquito, Dayne Focose, Austin Thompson, Rohan Hansen, Lochlyn Roney, Armstrong, Vann, Grady Adams, Tamia Barnes and Gabe Joanis.
Brand said the nice thing with having so much depth is even a lot of injuries have left the team with experience. Brand said he was the junior varsity coach when the group came in, then Brand became varsity coach before the group’s sophomore year.
“So they’ve been on this ride with coach (Blake) Taplin and I the entire time,” Brand said. “They really are our team that we have molded with our own hands.
“They’re four-year guys for us, it shows, and we love them.”
Kodiak head coach Rich Gonzalez said he does not have the luxury of that depth and experience. Kodiak traveled with 21 players. The Bears also lost 10 seniors and have just six this season.
Gonzalez said Kodiak got a youth program last season, which should help. He said freshman quarterback Ben Mccarthy came on in the second half and showed the future could be bright.
The first-year head coach said the next big step is to start putting wins on the board in order to draw more players to the program.
Friday at
Saturday
Kardinals 63, Bears 0
Kod 0 0 0 0 —0
Ken 21 35 0 7 —63
1st Quarter
Ken — Taylor 2 run (Vann kick), 10:33.
Ken — Hayes 51 run (Vann kick), 7:30.
Ken — Campanella 16 run (Vann kick), 5:11.
2nd Quarter
Ken — Johansen 4 pass from Perez (Vann kick), 11:54.
Ken — Campanella 8 run (Vann kick), 11:36.
Ken — Hayes 10 run (Vann kick), 5:33.
Ken — Hayes 74 pass from Perez (Vann kick), 2:36.
Ken — Hayes 5 run (Vann kick), :04.
4th Quarter
Ken — Armstrong 16 pass from McCanna (Vann kick), 10:45.
Kod Ken
First downs 9 8
Rushing yards 38-48 23-224
Passing yards 40 137
Comp-att-int 5-13-4 8-11-0
Return yards 46 74
Punts 3-21.7 1-28.0
Fumbles 3-2 0-0
Penalties 3-30 7-45
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing — Kodiak: Anderson 14-(-1), Hill 6-(-8), Pascua 8-30, Peterson 1-(-13), Nidoy 1-12, Mccarthy 5-11. Kenai: Taylor 3-8, Hayes 11-173, Campanella 5-41, Perez 2-14, Johnson 2-(-12).
Passing — Kodiak: Mccarthy 1-2-1—15; Anderson 4-11-3—25 Kenai: McCanna 2-3-0—37; Perez 6-8-0—100.
Receiving — Kodiak: Hill 2-14, Pascua 1-3, Sorio 1-8, Anderson 1-15. Kenai: Campanella 2-24, Johansen 3-24, Hayes 1-74, Armstrong 2-15.
Kodiak’s Kaden Hill runs against Kenai Central’s Makai Johansen on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at Ed Hollier Field at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Kodiak quarterback Robert Anderson looks to throw under pressure from Kenai Central’s Roman Mosquito on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, at Ed Hollier Field at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
