After all, Fielder is a mere freshman. And his high school football apprenticeship under center included two games on the C team and one game on the junior varsity before he made the leap to varsity.
"It was confusing at first, learning the offense,'' Fielder said. "But my teammates pushed me through it.''
Friday night, the Warriors received a huge reward from the rookie. In his fourth varsity game, Fielder threw for 163 yards and four touchdowns in a 58-0 homecoming win over Houston at Veterans Memorial Field.
That nonconference victory served as a warm-up for next week's annual Potato Bowl clash with rival Palmer -- a game that will likely determine the final playoff spot in the Railbelt Conference.
Fielder became the Warriors' varsity starter through a series of events that included an injury and a position change. When Wasilla's top receiver, Izaak Probasco, went down with an injury, Warriors coach Glenn Nelson lost a wideout who was a deep threat. Senior quarterback Cody Pfeifer volunteered to move to split end.
"We saw Cody in a camp really catch the ball well,'' Nelson said. "We needed someone to stretch the field. He said, 'Try me -- you throw it, I'll catch it.' ''
Still, Pfeifer's position change meant the Warriors (3-4) still needed someone to replace him at quarterback. Nelson called up Fielder to varsity and he won a battle with junior A.J. Marshall for the job. Fielder was issued jersey No. 10.
"We weren't sure if that was his number or his age,'' Nelson cracked.
For the record, Fielder, who wears braces on his teeth, turned 15 last week.
Friday, he prospered against the Hawks (1-6), who don't even have a handful of seniors and are rebuilding.
Fielder threw first-quarter touchdown passes of 1 yard and 9 yards to Pfeifer, who leaped high to snag the second score. Fielder, who completed 10 of 14 passes and did not throw an interception, also connected on a 14-yard scoring strike to David Green and a 32-yarder to Zach Johnson.
Wasilla also received a 37-yard field goal from Paul Sliwa, a 56-yard touchdown return of a punt from Tyler Polis and a 21-yard scoring run from Isaiah Edwards. And Pat Chafin scored on a 35-yard run, then intercepted a pass on Houston's first play from scrimmage after that and returned the pick 22 yards for a touchdown.
Though Fielder is still getting comfortable at the varsity level, he said his youth isn't being held against him by his teammates, many of whom are three years older.
"They don't treat me like a freshman,'' Fielder said. "They treat me like the quarterback.''
Next week, Fielder really hits the big stage. The Potato Bowl, which annually ends the regular season and draws at least couple thousand fans, is set for Friday night at Wasilla.
"What a showdown,'' Nelson said.
Find Doyle Woody's blog online at adn.com/hockeyblog or call him at 257-4335.
Houston 0 0 0 0 -- 0
Wasilla 14 16 21 7 -- 58
First Quarter
Was -- Pfeifer 1 pass from Fielder (Sliwa kick), 7:48.
Was -- Pfeifer 9 pass from Fielder (Sliwa kick), :29.
Second Quarter
Was-- Green 14 pass from Fielder (kick blocked), 9:07.
Was -- Sliwa 37 FG, 4:08.
Was -- Polis 56 punt return (Sliwa kick), 2:13.
Third Quarter
Was -- Chafin 35 run (Sliwa kick), 8:35.
Was -- Johnson 32 pass from Fielder (Sliwa kick), 3:28.
Was -- Chafin 22 interception return (Sliwa kick), 2:35.
Fourth Quarter
Was -- Edwards 21 run (Sliwa kick), 2:45.
Houston Wasilla
First downs 5 10
Rushes-yards 21-(-39) 16-115
Passing yards 78 163
Return yards 120 46
Passes 10-18-3 10-14-0
Punts 5-23.4 0-0
Fumbles-lost 2-0 0-0
Penalties-yards 7-57 8-70
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING -- Houston: Dukes 7-14, Co. Buzby 4-12, Barron 1-4, Ch. Buzby 1-(-1), Qual 2-(-16), Frank 7-(-52) Wasilla: Chafin 1-35, Edward 1-21, Baker 1-20, Bydlon 3-21, Green 4-14, Polis 1-12, Spencer 2-4, Pevan 1-0, Fielder 2-(-9).
PASSING -- Houston: Frank 8-14-3-73, Qual 2-4-0-5. Wasilla: Fielder 10-14-0-163.
RECEIVING -- Houston: Barron 4-15, Qual 2-22, Co. Buzby 2-19, Ch. Buzby 1-18, Ruta 1-4. Wasilla: Green 3-35, Bydlon 2-48, Pfeifer 2-10, Polis 1-34, Johnson 1-32, Taylor 1-4.
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