Wasilla nips Palmer

"I sit here and freeze," the junior said. "I feel like a fan."

Friday at Veterans Memorial Field at Wasilla High, Perry got a chance to be the man and he made the most of it. He kicked a game-winning, 30-yard field goal as time expired to seal a 23-22 Railbelt Conference win over Palmer.

Not only did the kick lock up a share of the Railbelt Conference title for Wasilla (6-2, 5-1 Railbelt), it secured a rare victory in the Potato Bowl, an annual grudge match between the Warriors and the Moose. Coming into Friday's game, the Warriors owned just eight victories in 32 previous Potato Bowls, with its last victory coming in 2007.

"It's amazing, just the history of the whole thing," said Wasilla defensive tackle Chris Capo. "Palmer and the Potato Bowl is our biggest game of the year."

Capo said scores from the last 20 Potato Bowls were posted in the locker room for all the players to look at this week, and he said the Warriors felt even winning a state championship wouldn't be good enough to remove the sting of losing again to Palmer.

Wasilla will be in a strong position to make a run toward a state title when the playoffs begin next weekend. The Warriors finished the regular season with the same conference record as Railbelt foes Juneau and West Valley, but earned the conference's No. 1 seed for the playoffs through a point- differential tie breaker. Perry's big kick gave the Warriors the opportunity to host a first-round game.

Perry, who said soccer is his primary sport, was kicking practice balls into a net on the sideline for several minutes before his talents were needed. The practice paid off, because Perry's kick was so high and straight it was actually one of the least dramatic moments of a wild final quarter.

Wasilla trailed by eight points after three quarters, 22-14, but with 4:33 remaining, Mitchell Rilatos scored a 1-yard touchdown to pull the Warriors within two points. After a failed two-point conversion attempt, the Warriors attempted an onside kick and succeeded in recovering the ball at midfield.

Two plays later, Wasilla quarterback Ben Fielder broke free on a big run. He looked as though he was pulling away from a pack of Palmer defenders and would score a go-ahead touchdown, but when he reached the Palmer 5-yard line, he fumbled the ball and lost possession.

"I thought I lost it for my team," Fielder said. "It devastated me, but my teammates picked me up."

Palmer, which racked up more than 200 yards on the ground, took possession with 3:50 remaining, but the Wasilla defense limited the Moose to three running plays for six yards, forcing the Moose to punt.

"My defense, I can't thank them enough," said Fielder.

After taking over at midfield and going nowhere on three plays, Wasilla faced fourth-and-10 to go at the Palmer 40-yard line. The Warriors ran an end-around reverse play to wide receiver Tyler Anderson, who picked up 11 yards and kept the drive alive.

"We only practiced that play once yesterday, without pads," Anderson said. "I gotta give all the credit to Nick Parks, who threw an incredible block."

Anderson said winning the Mayor's Cup, the trophy that goes to the winner of the Potato Bowl, was one of the Warriors' biggest goals of the season.

"There are 24 seniors on this team," he said. "I know it means the world to all of us."

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Reach Jeremy Peters at jpeters@adn.com or 257-4335.

Palmer 7 7 8 0 -- 22

Wasilla 0 7 7 9 -- 23

First Quarter

Palmer -- Buresch (Wisner kick), 4:25

Second Quarter

Wasilla -- Anderson 24 pass from Fielder (Perry kick), 11:06

Palmer -- Ahrens 2 run (Wisner kick), 2:13

Third Quarter

Wasilla -- Teeling 2 run (Perry kick), 6:54

Palmer -- Buresh 24 run (Ahrens run), 3:22

Fourth Quarter

Wasilla -- Rilatos 1 run (pass failed), 4:33

Wasilla -- Perry 30 field goal, :00

Palmer Wasilla

First downs 18 21

Return yards 43 37

Rushing 39-206 37-207

Passing yards 68 144

Passing 7-12-0 10-23-1

Punts 3-40.3 3-28.0

Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-1

Penalties 9-57 6-37

Individual stats

Rushing -- Palmer: Ahrens 25-104; Buresh 7-67; King 3-18; Chadwick 2-13; Nisbett 2-4. Wasilla: Teeling 26-108; Rilatos 7-54; Fielder 3-34; Anderson 1-11.

Passing -- Palmer; Buresh 7-12-0 -- 68; Wasilla: Fielder 9-22-1 -- 127; Teeling 1-1-0--17.

Receiving -- Palmer: Nisbett 3-37; Lee 2-9; Straight 1-12; Chadwick 1-10. Wasilla: Anderson 3-58; Kuiper 3-38; Teeling 2-31; No. 82 1-15; Adair 1-0.

Week 8 Prep Football schedule

Friday's Results

Wasilla 23, Palmer 22

Juneau 53, Lathrop 8

Homer 42, Houston 20

Colony 42, North Pole 39

Barrow at Seward, late

Sitka at Ketchikan, late

Renton (Wash.) at Thunder Mountain, late

Today's Games

Kodiak at Valdez, 11 a.m.

Chugiak at East, AFS, noon

West Valley at Skyview, 1 p.m.

Delta at Monroe, 1 p.m.

Nikiski at Eielson, 1 p.m.

South vs. Eagle River, at Chugiak, 2 p.m.

Soldotna at Kenai, 2 p.m.

Bartlett at Dimond, 7 p.m.

Service at West, AFS, 7 p.m.