The Soldotna football team defeated Teton High School 35-7 on Saturday at Holt Arena on the campus of Idaho State in Pocatello.
Soldotna head coach Galen Brantley Jr. won his 159th game at the helm of the Stars to draw even with Rod Christiansen, who retired in 2018, for the most wins in Alaska history.
“I feel like a turtle on a fencepost. Other people put me there,” Brantley Jr. said. “I’ve had phenomenal assistant coaches over the years, and players. I feel like I’m just a part of the success the program has had.
“To be honest with you, I just don’t really care for any of the attention that I’ve gotten for it.”
In this case, the turtle is the hare.
If the Stars (3-0 overall) are able to celebrate their homecoming by defeating West Valley on Friday, Sept. 6, Brantley Jr., a 1993 graduate of SoHi, will pass Christiansen with just nine losses on his record.
While it took Christiansen 28 seasons to get to 159, Brantley Jr. got there in the third game of his 18th season. And there’s a good chance he would have gotten there in 17 seasons if the 2020 season wasn’t shortened to four games by the pandemic.
Saturday’s victory against Teton (0-2) had the familiar Brantley Jr. template — a game controlled by a nearly unstoppable ground game and stout defense.
At 600 students, Teton, of Driggs, Idaho, lost in the state championship game in its Idaho division least season. The game against SoHi, last year’s Division II state champ, was being played as part of the Rocky Mountain Rumble.
Junior halfback Andon Wolverton and senior halfback Wyatt Faircloth got started on big games by both scoring in the first quarter to put the Stars up 14-0.
Brantley Jr. said the Timberwolves were cutting SoHi’s guards and tackles to take away the fullback.
“At that point, you’ve really forced us to be halfback dominant,” Brantley Jr. said. “And both of those two did a very good job.
“They definitely played us more right-handed. And so that gave Andon some opportunities to make plays, and he didn’t disappoint.”
Early on in the first quarter, Brantley Jr. said it became clear the heat, humidity and elevation would have a big impact on his team. The temperature was 90 degrees and Pocatello sits at 4,500 feet.
“Lots of cramps, and we pounded the fluid, too,” Brantley Jr. said. “It was pretty wild.
“It was interesting, seeing kids you know are in good condition fade like five times quicker than they normally would. It’s not their fault. They’re giving everything they have. Their bodies are just shutting down.”
Brantley Jr. said this was a team win because he had to go to backup players early just to give the starters a break.
In the second quarter, a Faircloth fumble recovery set up a 3-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Owen Buckbee for a 20-0 lead at the half.
The Stars had that lead despite throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble in the first half.
Brantley Jr. said some big pass plays were there, but after the second interception he called just two more passes and ate up the rest of the game on the ground.
In the third quarter, touchdown runs by Faircloth and Wolverton put SoHi up 35-0.
The Timberwolves scored in the fourth quarter on a run by Colt Kay.
Brantley Jr. again lauded a great team effort on defense.
“They have some good players,” the coach said of Teton. “There’s a reason they played for a state championship.”
Brantley Jr. said Faircloth tackled well at linebacker and senior Trevor Michael set a hard edge. He said the secondary held up well in the passing game, and senior Elijah Lee and junior Theo Huff made big plays on the line.
