Late-arriving fans at the Eagle River-West Cook Inlet Conference football game Saturday were treated to a highly competitive second half of football at Tom Huffer Sr. Stadium in Chugiak. Each team scored one touchdown, with Eagle River outgaining the defending state champions in total offense.
Unfortunately for the Wolves, the damage had long since been done. Final score: West 55, Eagle River 6.
The Eagles flew out to a 48-0 halftime lead before taking their talons off the gas pedal and cruising to an easy victory over the winless Wolves.
"I've got to take my hat off to those kids and their coaching staff," said West coach Tim Davis, whose team improved to 3-1 in the CIC and 4-1 overall. "You have to respect a team that comes out down that much at the half and still plays their game."
Indeed, in a game whose outcome was decided by the end of the first quarter, the Wolves managed to leave the field with a measure of respect after refusing to quit down the stretch.
"They came out and they did what they did and played hard, and I really like that," said West running back Julo Tagalu, who rushed for a game-high 110 yards and three touchdowns on five carries.
West came out flying early, scoring five touchdowns in the opening quarter to take a 34-0 lead. Eagles quarterback Sean Duffy had 29- and 1-yard touchdown runs, Tagalu had scoring runs of 24 and 26 yards and Jordan Murchison added a 1-yarder.
Tagalu added a 33-yard touchdown run early in the second, and backup quarterback Sam Wedin capped an overpowering offensive half with his own 1-yard plunge shortly before halftime.
West outgained Eagle River (0-4 CIC, 0-5 overall) by an eye-popping margin of 321 yards to minus-26 in the first half.
Despite the dominant performance, Tagalu said he thinks the Eagles still have room to improve.
"It was OK. An OK victory," he said.
West's Turek Taylor intercepted Eagle River freshman quarterback Thad Heagy on the first play of the third quarter, and three plays later the Eagles cashed in for their final score, a 3-yard run by Ross Boling.
Playing against mostly backups, Eagle River finally came alive in the second half behind some strong running by captain John Wilson. Wilson rushed for a team-high 43 yards on seven carries, all of it coming after the break. The senior's 2-yard touchdown run with 8:47 left in the fourth quarter punctuated Eagle River's best drive of the season, a 12-play, 98-yard march that gave the Wolves their second touchdown of the season.
"I'm really happy with how we played in the second half," Wilson said.
In five games this season, Eagle River has now been outscored 315-12. But Wilson said the Wolves wanted to prove Saturday they could lose with dignity despite yet another lopsided defeat.
"We showed we weren't going to give up and lay down easily," he said.
Eagle River coach Matt Turner said his team's refusal to fold has been its hallmark.
"We just keep coming back week after week," he said.
Blowout football games can get ugly, but mutual respect seemed to win out Saturday. West's players consistently made a point of helping Eagle River players off the ground after delivering hard hits, and in the post-game handshake line, Eagles players seemed genuinely concerned for the three Eagle River players knocked out of the game because of injury.
"Obviously they know the situation we're in, so that showed a lot of respect on their part," Wilson said.
Davis said he was pleased with the way his team took care of business in clean, disciplined fashion.
"You've gotta keep your focus in a game like this, and I think we did that today," he said.
Eagle River's road doesn't get any easier next week when they host first-place Bartlett (4-0 CIC, 5-0 overall) at 2 p.m. Saturday. The game will double as homecoming for Eagle River as well as the inaugural game played at the Wolves' newly renovated stadium on Yosemite Drive in Eagle River.
West, meanwhile, will take a major step up in class Saturday when they face co-conference leader South (4-0 CIC, 4-1 overall) in a prime-time heavyweight bout scheduled for 7 p.m. at Anchorage Football Stadium.
Davis said he's expecting a battle.
"We know they want us this year," he said. "I think it's going to be a great football game."
Contact Matt Tunseth at mtunseth@alaskadispatch.com or 257-4335.
EAGLES 55, WOLVES 6
West 34 14 7 0 — 55
Eagle River 0 0 0 6 — 6
First Quarter
West — Duffy 29 run (Metcalf kick), 9:35
West — Tagalu 41 run (Metcalf kick), 6:22
West — Duffy 1 run (PAT missed), 3:29
West — Tagalu 26 run (Metcalf kick), 1:14
West — Murchison 1 run (Metcalf kick), :09
Second Quarter
West — Tagalu 33 run (Metcalf kick), 10:48
West — Wedin 1 run (Lena kick), 2:49
Third Quarter
West — Boling 3 run (Lena kick), 8:41
Fourth Quarter
Eagle River — Wilson 2 run (PAT missed), 8:47
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING — West: Tagalu 5-110, Boling 4-43, Duffy 3-37, Tuilimu 2-35, Murchison 4-18, Fehoko 2-15, Wedin 4-7, Bruce 1-0. Eagle River: Wilson 7-43, Roberts 6-40, Banks 5-3, Osborne 3-1, Thompson 2-(-5), Heagy 5-(-16).
PASSING — West: Duffy 7-14-0--106. Eagle River: Heagy 5-10-2--33, Thompson 1-3-0--(-3).
RECEIVING — West: Taylor 3-75, Bell 3-17, Leon 1-14. Eagle River: Barnes 2-26, Banks 2-0, Keith 1-7, Roberts 1-(-3).
Alaska Dispatch Publishing