By Jeremiah Bartz
Frontiersman.com
As they entered the fourth week, the midway point of the 2025 season, the Houston Hawks and Kenai Central Kardinals shared a few similarities. Both squads were at 1-2 overall with lopsided losses to small schools rivals Homer and Redington. Both teams earned their victory against Kodiak. Houston’s came on the field, and Kenai scored a win by forfeit during the opening week.
Those similarities were shown on both sides of the ball Friday night. But Kenai landed the final blow with a late touchdown to secure a 31-22 win over the Hawks at Houston High School.
“We were expecting just an absolute knockdown, drag out fight,” Kenai head coach Jake Brand said after the win. “That’s kind of what we expected. On paper, watching film, we knew we were just about dead even with Houston.”
Senior Kainoa Taylor broke to the left corner of the end zone from 12 yards out to help the Kards secure the victory with less than three minutes to play. That run came on the heels of Gunnar Stanley’s back-breaking 38-yard run for the Kards.
“That’s a great one-two punch,” Brand said of Taylor and Stanley.
The Kards needed that combo to best the valiant rally led by Houston senior quarterback Blake Baskett. With just less than six minutes left in regulation, Baskett hit Blake Iverson on the right sideline for a 67-yard scoring strike. After the play, Houston was charged with a 15-yard personal foul, pushing the 2-point conversion to the 18-yard line. Baskett responded by muscling his way to the end zone to convert, and cut Kenai’s lead to 23-22.
“I’m very impressed with No. 2,” Brand said of Baskett. “Watching him last year, we had another close one last year down at our house and just barely pulled that one off. I wasn’t expecting how big and strong and how much better at passing the ball he got. He really impressed me.”
Baskett finished with 156 yards passing and three touchdowns, and added 41 yards on the ground. His favorite target was Iverson, who hit the end zone on each of his three catches for 119 yards.
Houston took the first lead of the game early in the second quarter with an Iverson 25-yard touchdown catch. But Stanley gave the Kards the biggest swing of the contest.
Stanley scored on consecutive non-special teams plays in the second quarter. With 4:51 left in the half, Stanley broke free for a 25-yard touchdown. On the first play of Houston’s ensuing drive, Stanley picked off a pass and returned it 33 yards for a score.
That helped give Kenai a 16-8 lead.
Houston cut the deficit to 16-14, with Iverson’s second touchdown catch of the game, a 37-yarder, on the Hawks’ first drive of the third quarter.
One of Kenai’s biggest plays of the game gave the Kards a two-score lead on fourth down. Quarterback Garrett McKenna scored from 5 yards out.
Kenai finished with 210 yards rushing in the win. Stanley had game-high 115, and Taylor added 96.
Houston had 279 yards of total offense, with 156 through the air and 123 on the ground.
Kenai improved to 2-2 overall in the Division III standings, and Houston now sits at 1-3. This was the first Mid Alaska Conference game for both teams. The Kards travel to Kodiak next week, and the Hawks hit Homer.
Contact Frontiersman managing editor Jeremiah Bartz at editor@frontiersman.com
Kenai 31, Houston 22
Friday, Houston High School
First quarter:
No scoring
Second quarter:
Houston — Iverson 25 pass from Baskett (Green run) 9:06.
Kenai — G. Stanley 26 run (Dambacher pass from McCanna) 4:51.
Kenai — G. Stanley 33 interception return (Taylor run) 4:30.
Third quarter:
Houston — Iverson 37 pass from Baskett (run failed) 9:09.
Kenai — McCanna 5 run (Pancoast kick) 0:13.4.
Fourth quarter:
Houston — Iverson 67 pass from Baskett (Baskett run) 5:55.
Kenai — Taylor 22 run (G. Stanley run) 2:48.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Kenai: Taylor 19-96, G. Stanley 13-115, McCanna 12-5, K. Stanley 3-(-5); Houston: Johnson 9-46, Baskett 9-41, Green 8-36, Iverson 1-(-6).
PASSING — Kenai: McCanna 4-8-2–40; Houston: Baskett 9-19-2–156.
RECEIVING — Kenai: Gonzalez 2-19, Dambacher 1-13, G. Stanley 1-8; Houston: Slaton 4-21, Iverson 3-119, Johnson 2-36.
Kenai junior Kyron Gonzalez makes a catch near midfield during a 31-22 win over Houston on Friday, Sept. 5 at Houston High School in Houston, Alaska. (Photo by Jeremiah Bartz/Frontiersman)
Kenai senior Kainoa Taylor breaks away for a gain during a 31-22 win over Houston on Friday, Sept. 5, at Houston High School in Houston, Alaska. (Photo by Jeremiah Bartz/Frontiersman)
