Sports

Birch Ridge Golf Report: Backward golf, 2-day tourneys mark August

August was a month of rain, some sun, backward golf and two-day championships. We hosted the Bassackwards Golf Tournament on Aug. 17. It is a… Continue reading

  • Aug 31, 2017
  • By Zac Cowan

Bird Homestead Golf Report: Rain has course looking lush

The rain is not all bad. Bird Homestead Golf Course has some amazing fairways and greens thanks to Mother Nature and our grounds crew. The… Continue reading

  • Aug 31, 2017
  • By Faith Link
Birch Ridge assistant pro Beau Forrest hits an approach shot to No. 18 during a playoff at the Kenai Peninsula Open at Birch Ridge Golf Course on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Nelson tops Forrest in playoff for Kenai Peninsula Open title

Palmer Golf Course pro Rob Nelson rode a dominating performance on the No. 9/18 hole complex at Birch Ridge Golf Course to a championship in… Continue reading

Birch Ridge assistant pro Beau Forrest hits an approach shot to No. 18 during a playoff at the Kenai Peninsula Open at Birch Ridge Golf Course on Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Football roundup: Nikiski gets 1st win of season

Nikiski rolled to its first victory of the year with a 24-6 win Saturday over Ketchikan. The Bulldogs (1-2) got two short scoring runs in… Continue reading

  • Aug 25, 2017
  • By Staff Report

CIA soccer gets 1st win of season

The Cook Inlet Academy coed soccer program picked up its first victory of the fall season Saturday with a 2-1 win over Lumen Christi. Lumen… Continue reading

  • Aug 26, 2017
  • By Staff Report
Nikiski’s Kaitlyn Johnson passes the ball Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, at the Shayna Pritchard Memorial Tournament at Nikiski. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Nikiski wins Pritchard tourney for 1st time

Two volleyball rivals. Intense defense. An incredibly emotional victory for one side. What month is it, anyway? Nikiski defeated Seward 16-25, 25-19 and 15-13 to… Continue reading

Nikiski’s Kaitlyn Johnson passes the ball Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, at the Shayna Pritchard Memorial Tournament at Nikiski. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Juneau running back Liam Van Sickle gets tackled by several Kenai defenders, including James Siamani (25) and John Grossl (65) Saturday afternoon at Ed Hollier Field in Kenai. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Improved Kenai shuts out Juneau on gridiron

Snap, run, score, repeat. A tough week of repetition will cure any football team of mistakes and errors, and after a brutal loss to North… Continue reading

Juneau running back Liam Van Sickle gets tackled by several Kenai defenders, including James Siamani (25) and John Grossl (65) Saturday afternoon at Ed Hollier Field in Kenai. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Kodiak swim teams sweep Homer in dual meets

The Kodiak swim teams swept Homer in dual meets Friday and Saturday in Kodiak. Friday, the Kodiak boys won 166-64 and the Kodiak girls won… Continue reading

  • Aug 26, 2017
  • By Staff Report

Denali Strabel, Patterson win Lost Lake

Denali Strabel, a graduate of Seward High School, and Scott Patterson won the Lost Lake Run on Saturday in the 15.75-mile trail race in Seward.… Continue reading

  • Aug 26, 2017
  • By Staff Report
Soldotna head football coach Galen Brantley Jr. hugs senior quarterback Brandon Crowder after Friday night’s 52-7 win over South Anchorage at Justin Maile Field in Soldotna. The win was the 100th in Brantley Jr.’s coaching career. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Stars get 52nd win of streak, Brantley gets 100th of coaching career

While the Soldotna Stars football team isn’t known for excessive frivolity in regular season games — they like to save that for the season-ending championship.… Continue reading

Soldotna head football coach Galen Brantley Jr. hugs senior quarterback Brandon Crowder after Friday night’s 52-7 win over South Anchorage at Justin Maile Field in Soldotna. The win was the 100th in Brantley Jr.’s coaching career. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Darrell Kincaid takes Soldotna Cycle Series pursuit race

Mike Crawford narrowly missed out on a sweep of the Soldotna Cycle Series at the finale Thursday at Tsalteshi Trails. Crawford had won the first… Continue reading

  • Aug 26, 2017
  • By Staff Report
Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Nikiski’s Kaitlyn Johnson (8) jumps up in excitement along with the Nikiski bench Nov. 11, 2016, at the Class 3A state volleyball tournament at the Alaska Airlines Arena in Anchorage.

2017 season volleyball preview: Nikiski, Seward hungry for more at state

Experience and success are often closely linked in a sport like volleyball, where the delicate, quick-trigger oneness of a team is molded by years of… Continue reading

Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion Nikiski’s Kaitlyn Johnson (8) jumps up in excitement along with the Nikiski bench Nov. 11, 2016, at the Class 3A state volleyball tournament at the Alaska Airlines Arena in Anchorage.
Soldotna lineman Wendell Tuisuala wraps up Dimond running back Ryan Beach, Aug. 18 at Justin Maile Field in Soldotna. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Week 3 football preview: Brantley on doorstep of win No. 100 with SoHi

The list of the all-time winningest football coaches in Alaska is one steeped in history and hard work. A quick look at the Alaska High… Continue reading

Soldotna lineman Wendell Tuisuala wraps up Dimond running back Ryan Beach, Aug. 18 at Justin Maile Field in Soldotna. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Bird Homestead Golf Report: Fall Classic goes off successfully

Bird Homestead Golf Course and the Caribou Hills Cabin Hoppers hosted the 13th Annual Fall Classic this last weekend. The weather held out all day… Continue reading

  • Aug 25, 2017
  • By Faith Link
Soldotna junior Kodi McGillivray receives a serve during a 3-0 loss to Colony on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, at Colony High School. (Photo by Jeremiah Bartz/Frontiersman)

Colony volleyball sweeps Soldotna

PALMER — The Soldotna Stars have spent their preseason working to fill the void left by losses from the 2016 starting lineup. Despite opening the… Continue reading

  • Aug 24, 2017
  • By Jeremiah Bartz
Soldotna junior Kodi McGillivray receives a serve during a 3-0 loss to Colony on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, at Colony High School. (Photo by Jeremiah Bartz/Frontiersman)

Brown Bears start training camp

The Kenai River Brown Bears opened up training camp Monday at the Kenai Multi-Purpose Facility, preparing for their season opener Sept. 20 in Minnesota against… Continue reading

Kuhns, Blanning have strong finishes at Humpy’s Marathon

Two Kenai Peninsula runners had strong results Sunday in the Humpy’s Marathon at the Anchorage RunFest. Recent Homer High School graduate Lauren Kuhns won the… Continue reading

  • Aug 22, 2017
  • By Staff Report
Chris Morin putts for birdie on the 18th green Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017, at the Kenai Golf Course during the Kenai Open. Morin’s putt came up short and the three-time defending champ lost by one stroke to Max Dye. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Dye holds off Morin, Eskelin for Kenai Open title

Bobby Jones famously said, “Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half inch course … the space between your ears.” That statement was cast in… Continue reading

Chris Morin putts for birdie on the 18th green Sunday, Aug. 20, 2017, at the Kenai Golf Course during the Kenai Open. Morin’s putt came up short and the three-time defending champ lost by one stroke to Max Dye. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Crawford goes 8 for 8 at Soldotna Cycle Series

Mike Crawford made it 8 for 8 at the Soldotna Cycle Series, winning the hardest course of the nine-race series Thursday at Tsalteshi Trails. Crawford… Continue reading

  • Aug 19, 2017
  • By Staff Report
West’s Declan Dammeyer and Ethan Davis fail to catch Dimond’s Santiago Prosser in the final steps of the boys race Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017, at the Tsalteshi Invitational. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Gibson, Kenai girls win Tsalteshi Invite

#EndOnEmpty is off to a good start. Led by an individual championship from Addison Gibson, the Kenai Central girls, spurred on by this year’s team… Continue reading

West’s Declan Dammeyer and Ethan Davis fail to catch Dimond’s Santiago Prosser in the final steps of the boys race Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017, at the Tsalteshi Invitational. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)