Deep backfield carries South past Kenai in football opener

Members of South's first state championship football team from 2006 were on hand Saturday to watch the Wolverines earn a 27-13 win over Kenai in their first season-opening game at their new stadium.

South trailed 7-6 at halftime, but a powerful rushing attack that piled up 250 rushing yards carried the Wolverines to victory.

"Last year we really felt like we should have won the first game and kind of set a negative tone for the rest of the season," said South quarterback Jack Hanson, who used a quarterback sneak to put the Wolverines up by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

"It's good to get this positive win under our belt for all the 2006 guys that came here that we're honoring. It was good to get a win for them."

South went 83 yards in nearly 11 minutes on the first drive of the game, capped by a 1-yard touchdown run by fullback Cameron Kinnebrew to go up 6-0. The Wolverines failed on an attempted 2-point conversion.

Kenai got the ball for the first time with just over a minute left in the first quarter.

Late in the second quarter, a blocked punt by Kenai's Jarett Wilson put the Kardinals in good field position despite a personal foul that moved the ball back to South's 30-yard line.

A quick strike from Kenai quarterback Chase Gillies to Avery Heiber on third-and-14 set up a 9-yard touchdown run by Gillies.

Rykker Riddall nailed the extra point to give Kenai a 7-6 lead heading into the second half.

South forced Kenai into three-and-out on its first possession of the second half and drove the field to take the lead for good on another Kinnebrew touchdown run.

The teams traded two more touchdowns before Hanson's quarterback sneak put the Wolverines up by 14 points with 1:55 remaining in the game.

South coach John Lewis said the team's final scoring drive was the key drive of the game.

"Drive and put it in the end zone — that's what you have to do (in that situation)," Lewis said. "One coach asked, 'Should we start to run the clock down?' No, we have to finish the game — and they finished the game."

Kenai had the ball in South territory late, but a Ben Stearns interception in the end zone dashed the Kardinals' chance at a comeback.

Gillies led Kenai with 115 passing yards and 34 rushing yards. Kenai finished with minus-20 rushing yards, which forced Gillies to make a lot of plays himself.

Meanwhile, South garnered 77 rushing yards from Kinnebrew, 66 yards from Beck Stokes, 41 yards from Stearns and 35 from Evan Benedict in a crowded Wolverines backfield.

"We're confident with every guy we put in there," Hanson said. "They can score a touchdown on any play, so it's great to have all these guys back there. Really diverse backfield we have."

Kenai 0 7 0 6 — 13

South 6 0 14 7 — 27

First Quarter

South — Kinnebrew 1 run (Stearns run failed), 1:05.

Second Quarter

Kenai — Gillies 9 run (Riddall kick), 2:24.

Third Quarter

South — Kinnebrew 10 run (Houghton kick), 7:33.

South — Stokes 2 run (Houghton kick), 1:25.

Fourth Quarter

Kenai — Tuttle 5 pass from Gillies (Heiber pass failed), 8:26.

South — Hanson 1 run (Houghton kick), 1:55.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Kenai: Gillies 8-34, Heiber 1-(-3) Riddall 6-(-3), Tuttle 1-(-6),Baker 1-(-8). South: Kinnebrew 11-77, Stokes 15-66, Stearns 7-41, Benedict 10-35, Hanson 7-23, Bentz 1-8.

PASSING — Kenai: Gillies 9-17-1–115. South: Hanson 4-11-0–38.

RECEIVING: Kenai: Tuttle 3-58, Heiber 1-24, Dunham 2-22, Landry 1-8, Riddall 2-3. South: Bentz 3-25, Kinnebrew 1-17.

Wasilla 29, Eagle River 14

Aeron Milliron rushed for two touchdowns and 129 yards to lead Wasilla to a 29-14 win over Eagle River in a nonconference football game Friday night in Eagle River.

Eagle River led twice in the first half but was held scoreless in the second half.

Hunter George's two-yard scoring run gave the Wolves a 6-0 lead after one quarter and Cameron Smith's 59-yard touchdown reception from Thad Heagy gave them a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.

Wasilla grabbed a 15-14 halftime lead on Milliron's 59-yard touchdown run and expanded the lead in the second half with Sam McDermott's 29-yard run and Milliron's one-yard run.

Millrun finished with 129 yards and McDermott with 94.