Kenai reaches final

The Kardinals punched their ticket into next week's ASAA small schools state title game by using an impenetrable defensive front and a few big plays on offense to march past Kodiak 34-13 on a damp Friday night at Anchorage Football Stadium.

"They just smothered us," Kodiak coach Todd Cook said. "It's hard to get something going when you can't get out of your own backfield."

The Kardinals (9-1) rushed for 229 yards and held Kodiak's backfield to only 17 yards on 34 carries. Of those 34 attempts, 15 were for negative yardage.

Billy Keifer, a running back/safety for Kenai, credited the team's defensive line and their top linebacker, Kyle Rogers, for making some big-time stops.

"He's an athlete," Keifer said about Rogers, a junior who had at least three sacks and two tackles for a total loss of 27 yards. "He makes those kind of plays every game."

"He's a beast," Cook added. "He should be playing in college."

Keifer, a senior, is psyched to have survived another week of the football season. He's been dreaming of this moment since the sixth grade when he moved to Kenai from Bethel and learned how to play organized football.

"We played backyard football in Bethel," said Keifer, who led all rushers with 113 yards on 21 carries.

Rogers said he's fantasized about the state title game since 2005 when he was in the seventh grade. That year Kenai won its fourth straight state championship.

Since then, Kenai has had to sit back and watch its neighbors and Northern Lights Conference rival Soldotna take over as the new small school dynasty.

"It's our time now," Rogers said.

For the first 24 minutes of Friday's game against Kodiak (5-4), Kenai looked as though it didn't want the chance to perhaps face Soldotna next week.

The Kardinals, who came into the contest with the best all-around team on paper, came out all-around flat.

On the game's opening drive, Kenai marched 47 yards on nine plays but couldn't convert a pass play on 4th-and-seven. Its next two unsuccessful drives ended with an interception and punt

Kodiak didn't look much better. The Bears punted on their first seven drives and finished with nine.

The Kardinals finally gave the game some life when sophomore quarterback A.J. Hull found his No. 1 target Bryson Lowe open in the end zone for a 19-yard touchdown pass with 8:35 left before halftime.

It wasn't until after the half when Kenai had to ward off some adversity when Kodiak tied the game 7-7 on Matthew Chavarria's 72-yard touchdown pass to Raphael Matautia.

Chavarria found Matautia open along the Bears' sideline, and after the 6-foot-3 receiver caught it, he broke a pair of tackles and dashed into the end zone.

But Kodiak's momentum boost was short lived.

Kenai responded to the Bears' touchdown with four consecutive scoring drives - a 3-yard and 50-yard run from Hull, an 18-yard touchdown reception from Lowe and an interception return from Kyle Dougherty.

"We got our swagger up after halftime," Rogers said.

Cook's Bears came prepared, but couldn't find any answers.

"We had a plan coming in and they just overpowered us," said Cook, who was trying to lead Kodiak into the title game for the fourth straight season.

Keifer had a plan too: Beat Kodiak so folks in Kenai can remember what it's like to bring home a state trophy.

"It feels good," Keifer said about beating Kodiak. "But it's not fulfilling. We're playing to win the state championship."

Alaska School Activities Association/First National Bank Alaska

State Football Championships

Kenai 34, Kodiak 13

Kodiak 0 0 7 6 -- 13

Kenai 0 7 13 14 -- 34

First Quarter

No scoring.

Second Quarter

Kenai -- Lowe 19 pass from Hull (Sutton kick) 8:35.

Third Quarter

Kodiak -- Matautia 72 pass from Chavarria (Cortez kick), 5:49.

Kenai -- Hull 3 run (Sutton kick), 3:14.

Kenai -- Hull 50 run (kick failed), 1:35.

Fourth Quarter

Kenai -- Lowe 18 pass from Hull (Sutton kick) 10:37.

Kenai -- Dougherty 5 interception return (Sutton kick), 6:55.

Kodiak -- Lepola 29 pass from Chavarria (kick blocked),4:47.

Kodiak Kenai

First downs 7 14

Rushes-yards 34-17 39-229

Passing yards 118 106

Return yards 47 80

Passes 5-17-2 8-24-1

Punts 9-38.8 4-28.8

Fumbles-lost 0-0 4-1

Penalties-yards 9-85 8-65

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Kenai: Kiefer 21-113, Hull 7-71, Rouswell 5-21, Herrmann 1-11, Creighton 2-10, Glibbon 2-4, Lowe 1-0, Sandahl 1-(-1). Kodiak: McFarlin 9-34, Lepola 3-19, Matautia 2-10, Kamai 1-2, Parsons 5-(-2), Watkins 8-(-6), Chavarria 6-(-40).

PASSING -- Kenai: Hull 7-23-1-89, Hayes 1-1-0-17. Kodiak: Chavarria 5-16-1-118, Lepola 0-1-1-0.

RECEIVING -- Kenai: Lowe 3-40, Risung 1-17, Diaz 1-17, Herrmann 1-11, No. 16 1-11, Kiefer 1-10. Kodiak: Matautia 3-86, Lepola 1-29, Parson 1-3.