The Nikiski Bulldogs relied on a heavy run game Friday night at Kiwanis Field in Fairbanks to scratch out their first win of the season, a 43-34 victory over the Monroe Catholic Rams.
Nikiski (1-2) ran the ball 54 times for 386 yards to oust the same team they defeated in the 2013 small-schools championship.
Nikiski got the job done on the backs of Bulldogs senior Patrick Perry and Matthew Minium. Perry rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns in the successful effort, and Minium carried the ball 26 times for 171 yards and scored twice.
Perry scored all three of his touchdowns and ran for 156 yards in the first half as the Bulldogs, who attempted just one pass the whole game, built a 29-20 lead.
Perry opened the scoring with a 52-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. The Rams answered with quarterback Ryan Brantley connecting with Isaac Garcia for a 6-yard strike to make it an 8-6 game going into the second quarter, where the teams combined for five touchdowns.
The Rams had allowed just eight points in their first two games entering Saturday while the Bulldogs scored 20 in a loss to Valdez before being shut out by Thunder Mountain last week.
Perry and Minium both found the end zone within the first five minutes of the second quarter to extend the Bulldogs’ lead.
Perry scored his second of the half from nine yards out before Minium turned a Rams fumble into a 3-yard scoring run.
Brantley made it a two-score game when he found Jordan Higbee for a 58-yard strike with 3:38 left in the half. Perry answered right back with a 77-yard rumble to the end zone.
The Rams, who had won their first two games of the season, cut the deficit to 29-20 when they scored on a 23-yard run with 1:37 left in the first half.
Brantley was 10 of 16 through the air for 233 yards and three touchdowns. He added a 20-yard strike to Izak Lohrke late in the third quarter. Thomas finished with 62 yards on 13 carries and the touchdown.
Minium scored on a 12-yard run late in the third quarter before Tyler Olsen sealed the win with a 6-yard run with less than five minutes left in the game.
Kodiak 56, Homer 32
The winless season continued for Homer in a Friday night loss to the Kodiak Bears in Kodiak.
With junior Teddy Croft back in at quarterback, Homer was able to produce on offense, racking up 390 yards on offense, but the Mariners defense found difficulties in containing the Bears, giving up 324 rushing yards and 453 total yards. Kodiak managed to gain an average of 12 yards per carry on Homer.
Croft led the Mariners with 100 ground yards and three touchdowns, while airing the ball out for 202 yards on 13-for-26 efficiency. Croft had one touchdown pass but three interceptions hurt Homer’s chances.
Kodiak was led by running back Jay Miranda, who carried the ball to 218 yards and a pair of touchdown runs.
The two teams traded scoring plays in the first half, resulting in a 27-24 Kodiak lead at halftime.
Homer staked out a 15-13 lead after one quarter with a 21-yard connection from Croft to Joe Ravin, who finished with a game-high 119 receiving yards on five catches, and a 9-yard run by Croft.
A 30-yard field goal by Oliver Beck left Homer trailing 19-18 with 8:15 to go in the first half, but later in the quarter, Miranda broke free for a 70-yard run. The subsequent two-point pass from Kodiak quarterback Andeas Carros to Isaiah Galindez left the Bears leading 27-18.
Homer finished the first half with a timely touchdown run by Croft with 13 seconds left.
The game changer came late in the third quarter when Shaun Walton picked off Croft and returned it 53 yards to the end zone. Another two-point passing play by Carros led to a 35-24 Kodiak lead.
In the fourth quarter, Walton added to the lead with a 15-yard touchdown catch from Carros and another pick-six, this one going 30 yards to the end zone that left Kodiak leading 49-24.
Eielson 54, Seward 2
Jayden Manibusan and Tobias Dobashi-Noa recorded single-game career highs in rushing for the Eielson Ravens Saturday afternoon, combining for 254 yards and six touchdowns in a nonconference win over the Seward Seahawks at Buck Nystrom Field on Eielson Air Force Base.
Manibusan delivered four touchdowns from 12 carries for 153 yards. Dobashi-Noa contributed two touchdowns and 103 yards rushing on nine carries.
Seward dropped to 0-3 with the loss. Seahawks senior defensive lineman Ethan Schrock interrupted Eielson’s lead at the 6:56 mark of the second quarter with a sack in the end zone for a safety, Seward’s only points scored on the day.
The Seahawks were by senior running back Nicholas Woodard’s 66 yards on seven carries and senior tight end Rhett Sieverts’ four catches for 33 yards.
Seward employed three quarterbacks — seniors Nik Pahno and Michael Wilps and sophomore Chris Kingsland.
Seahawks junior running back Gavin Medcalf was taken off the field on a stretcher after sustaining a back injury after he was tackled after a 4-yard run with 5:12 left in the second quarter. Cinereski said that Medcalf told that he had tweaked his back on the way down to the ground.
Eielson junior quarterback Jeremiah Brown started after third-year starter and senior Antonio Griffith sustained an injury to his throwing hand during a 40-15 nonconference loss to the West Valley Wolfpack on Aug. 19 at Eielson.
Brown, who has been the Ravens backup signal caller for two seasons, complete two of three passes for 52 yards, and both completions went to sophomore wide receiver Mathew Scarboro. The junior also ran eight times for 31 yards and scored on a 2-yard burst with 4:53 left in the first quarter for a 12-0 lead.
Brown’s first-quarter touchdown was sandwiched between 4-yard scoring runs by Manibusan (7:46 left in the first) and Dobashi-Noa (1:21 left).
The Ravens defense kept the 0-3 Seahawks from building on the safety and Eielson regained its offensive momentum later in the second quarter.
Dobashi-Noa sprinted down the right sidelines for a 74-yard touchdown with 5:08 left and Manibusan plunged into the end zone from a yard out 1:58 before halftime.
“There’s no excuse,’’ Seward coach Kelly Cinereski said. “We just didn’t tackle and they ran the ball well, blocked well, and we didn’t play the defense we were supposed.”
Manibusan produced a 30-yard touchdown run with 9:51 left in the third quarter, and tacked on a 27-yard scamper with 3:18 left for a 47-2 lead.
Dylan Kovacs closed the scoring with 1:34 left in the third, as the Ravens senior linebacker returned an interception 30 yards after he corralled a pass that bounced off a Seward’s receiver helmet.
Houston 40, Voznesenka 6
The Cougars dropped to 0-2 on the season with a loss to Aurora Conference opponent Houston Saturday afternoon in Homer.
Fairbanks News Miner reporters Tim O’Donnell and Danny Martin contributed to this report
BEARS 56, MARINERS 32
Homer 15 9 0 8 — 32
Kodiak 13 14 8 21 — 56
1st quarter:
Kod — Carros 1 run (kicked failed), 10:17
Hom — Ravin 21 pass from Croft (Croft pass from Felde), 8:47
Kod — Galindez 24 pass from Carros (Francisco kick), 7:53
Hom — Croft 9 run (Beck kick), 2:22
2nd quarter:
Kod — Carros 3 run (pass failed), 11:57
Hom — Beck 30 field goal, 8:15
Kod — Miranda 70 run (Galindez pass from Carros), 3:01
Hom — Croft 6 run (run failed), :13
3rd quarter:
Kod — Walton 53 interception return (Francisco pass from Carros), 3:58
4th quarter:
Kod — Walton 15 pass from Carros (pass failed), 11:44
Kod — Walton 30 interception return (Carros run), 10:48
Hom — Croft 4 run (Ravin pass from Croft), 7:44
Kod — Miranda 35 run (Francisco kick), 7:32
Hom Kod
First downs 17 13
Rushes-yards 52-188 27-324
Passing yards 202 129
Comp-Att-Int 13-26-3 7-14-0
Punts 2 1
Fumbles-lost 2-1 3-3
Penalties 10-66 3-35
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:
Rushing — Homer: Love 20-71, Croft 26-100, Woo 1-4, Rios 1-(-1), Heimbold 4-14. Kodiak: Carros 7-108, Galindez 2-4, Miranda 15-218, Hodson 3-(-6).
Passing — Homer: Croft 13-26-3 — 202. Kodiak: Carros 7-14-0 — 129.
Receiving — Homer: Felde 5-49, Ravin 5-119, Heimbold 1-24, Beck 1-7, Love 3-3. Kodiak: Galindez 1-24, Walton 4-41, LaDera 1-34, W. Brewer 1-30.
BULLDOGS 43, RAMS 34
Nikiski 8 21 8 6 —43
Monroe Catholic 6 14 6 8 —34
1st Quarter
Nik — Perry 52 run (Minium run) 4:43.
Mon — Garcia 6 pass from Brantley (two point failed) 1:43.
2nd Quarter
Nik — Perry 9 run (kicked missed) 8:19.
Nik — Minium 3 run (Eiter kick) 5:01.
Mon — Higbee 58 pass from Brantley (two point failed). 3:38.
Nik — Perry 77 run (two point good).
Mon — Thomas 23 run (Gray pass from Brantley) 1:37.
3rd Quarter
Mon — Lohrke 20 pass from Brantley (two point failed) 2:20.
Nik — Minium 12 run (Minium run) 1:27.
4th Quarter
Nik — Olsen 6 run (kick failed) 4:22.
Mon — Lohrke 44 pass from Brantley (Thomas run) 2:55.
Nik Mon
First downs 12 11
Rushes-Yard 54-386 31-135
Comp-Att-Int 1-1-0 10-16-0
Passing yards 3 233
Return yards 142 144
Punts 0-0 0-0
Fumbles-Lost 5-2 4-3
Penalties-yards 7-60 10-75
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — Nikiski: Perry 13-183, Minium 26-171, T. Olsen 3-16, Johnson 9-5, Eiter 2-6. Monroe: Thomas 13-62, Davis 4-42, Brantley 10-21, Garcia 3-7, Gray 1-3.
PASSING — Nikiski: Johnson 1-1-0—3. Monroe: Brantley 10-16-0—233.
RECEIVING — Nikiski: Payne 1-3. Monroe: Garcia 4-39, Higbee 2-71, Lohrke 2-64, Davis 2-59.
