Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion Kenai Kardinals' Chase Logan tackles Soldotna Stars' Drew Gibbs, Saturday, October 4, 2014, at Soldotna High School in Soldotna, Alaska.

Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion Kenai Kardinals' Chase Logan tackles Soldotna Stars' Drew Gibbs, Saturday, October 4, 2014, at Soldotna High School in Soldotna, Alaska.

Soldotna football holds off Kenai

  • By Wesley Remmer
  • Sunday, October 5, 2014 12:03am
  • Sports

Drew Gibbs made plays with his feet the entire game.

He made a play with his hands to end the game.

The Soldotna junior intercepted a Kyle Foree pass in the end zone on the final play of a 21-14 victory over rival Kenai Central on Saturday at Justin Maile Field, lifting SoHi to its 27th-consective victory and a ninth-straight Northern Lights Conference championship. The Stars finish 7-0 overall and 3-0 in conference play, while Kenai Central goes to 3-4 and 2-1.

“Right place at the right time,” Gibbs said of the final play. “Luckily I was able to make the catch.”

After forcing a Stars three-and-out and getting a 22-yard return from Chase Gillies on a short punt, the Kardinals took over at the SoHi 11-yard line with 23 seconds remaining.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

A 2-yard run on first down and a spike to stop the clock on second gave the Kards a final play with five seconds to play at the Stars’ 9-yard-line.

Foree, who replaced starting quarterback Jace Baker after Baker left with an injury in the second half, took the final snap from shotgun with an empty backfield and slung the ball toward the end zone, where Gibbs was the first to it.

“We knew they were going to pass,” said Gibbs, who finished with 82 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. “I just dropped back and there it was.”

The final drive wasn’t the Kards’ only chance to tie the game in the fourth.

On their previous possession, they drove 79 yards on 14 plays — all runs — only to turn the ball over on downs at the Stars’ 1-yard line after Foree was stuffed on a fourth-down quarterback keeper from the 1.

For the Stars, the two-time medium-schools state champions, it was the biggest test of the season. Kenai Central held the ball for more than 50 plays and led much of the way.

It was the ninth straight regular-season victory for SoHi over Kenai Central.

“I couldn’t be happier with their effort,” SoHi coach Galen Brantley Jr. said of his players. “They battled all game and kept working, and found a way to pull it out.”

Kenai Central, a physical team with a run-first attitude, set the tone on the opening drive when it marched 65 yards on 16 plays to take a 7-0 lead on a 2-yard plunge by Foree.

It wasn’t until the nine-minute mark of the second quarter when the Stars struck, using a 3-yard Ty Fenton run to pull within 7-6.

The Kards took a 14-6 lead into halftime after Baker hit Gillies in stride over the middle for a 31-yard touchdown pass inside the final minute of the second.

Although that proved to be the Kards’ final points, coach John Marquez praised his team’s performance.

“That’s the type of game made for the movies,” he said. “It’s wonderful for the fans, it’s wonderful for the kids — our guys fought the whole way.”

The Stars tied it at 14 with 4:21 to play in the third on a 5-yard Fenton run before taking the lead for good early in the fourth on a 7-yard Gibbs run.

Brantley Jr. praised the effort of his offensive line, especially junior Sage Hill and senior Dylan Schultz, both of whom stepped in for injured players.

Hill, Schultz and Co. helped the Stars eclipse 200 yards rushing led by Gibbs’ 82, 67 from Fenton and another 52 from Bailey Blumentritt.

For the Kards, Chase Logan led the way with 93 yards on 22 carries. Foree finished with 25, while Andrew Welborn added 39 on nine attempts.

Now it’s on to the playoffs for both teams. SoHi enters as a No. 1 seed and will face Juneau-Douglas. Kenai Central enters as a No. 2 seed and faces North Pole. Both games are Saturday in Anchorage.

Marquez likes his team’s chances.

“Don’t let our record fool you,” he said. “We are a legitimate threat. The guys turned the page today, and I think we are a force to be reckoned with.”

Stars 21, Kardinals 14

Kenai 7 7 0 0 –14

Soldotna 0 6 8 7 –21

1st Quarter

Ken – Foree 2 run (kick good), 3:34

2nd Quarter

Sol – Fenton 3 run (run failed), 9:13

Ken – Gillies 31 pass from Baker (kick good), :55

3rd Quarter

Sol – Fenton 5 run (run good), 2:28

4th Quarter

Sol – Gibbs 5 run (kick good), 10:48

Kenai Soldotna

First downs 8 10

Rushes-yards 43-175 47-212

Passing yards 51 45

Comp-att-int 3-9-1 4-6-0

Return yards 72 34

Punts 4 2

Fumbles-lost 0-0 3-2

Penalties-yards 6-31 3-20

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing – Kenai: Welborn 9-39, Logan 21-93, Foree 8-25, Baker 5-18. Soldotna: Fenton 14-67, Gibbs 22-82, Blumentritt 9-52, Furlong 2-11.

Passing – Kenai: Baker 3-8-0-51, Foree 0-1-1-0. Soldotna: Furlong 4-6-0-45.

Receiving – Kenai: Gillies 3-51 Soldotna: Waldon 1-14, Gibbs 1-4, Duke 1-11, Blumentritt 1-16.

Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion Kenai Kardinals' Jace Baker has control of the ball and starts to sprint down the field, Saturday, October 4, 2014, at Soldotna High School in Soldotna, Alaska.

Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion Kenai Kardinals’ Jace Baker has control of the ball and starts to sprint down the field, Saturday, October 4, 2014, at Soldotna High School in Soldotna, Alaska.

More in Sports

Nick Varney
Reeling ‘Em In: Watching the fish roll in

The incoming tide was headed our way so we could restart our game of “Spot the violations” as the silvers rolled in.

Martin Flora leads Jerry Parsons on the way to winning the Modified Dirty 30 on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at Twin City Raceway in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Flora wins Modified Dirty 30 at Twin City Raceway

Martin Flora of Fairbanks won the Modified Dirty 30 on Saturday, July… Continue reading

tease
Janssen, Fallon win 1st 2 weeks of Salmon Run Series

The Salmon Run Series at Tsalteshi Trails just outside of Soldotna drew… Continue reading

tease
Results posted for Races 1 and 2 at Soldotna Cycle Series

The Soldotna Cycle Series held its first two races of the season… Continue reading

tease
Twins sweep road trip, win 14th straight game

Editor’s note: The story corrects the length of the Twins winning streak.… Continue reading

Daniel Steffensen bats against the Post 35 Road Warriors on Saturday at Coral Seymour Memorial Park as part of the 100th anniversary of American Legion Baseball in Alaska. (Jonas Oyoumick/Peninsula Clarion)
100 years of Legion baseball in Alaska celebrated Saturday

Twins defeated the Post 35 Road Warriors

Zac Cowan putts a golf ball into a hole during the Alaska Sign Source Pro Am at Birch Ridge Golf Course in Soldotna, Alaska, on Monday, July 14, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Azzara, Moore win Birch Ridge Pro Am

The top four pros were rounded out by Zac Cowan with 78 and Bill Engberg at 84.

tease
1st Soldotna Cycle Series of the year draws 49

The first Soldotna Cycle Series race took place Thursday, July 10, at… Continue reading

Nick Varney
Reeling ‘Em In: Can things get even better?

The silvers are starting to get their finny freak on at our famous Nick Dudiak Fishing Lagoon.

Most Read

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Peninsula Clarion relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in