East makes it an all-CIC football semifinals with win over Lathrop

East High senior Joshua Malnoske, sporting T-bird red hair, rushed for three touchdowns and nearly 250 yards to help defeat Lathrop 21-7 Saturday at East and to advance to the large-school state football semifinals.

Malnoske was quick to give credit to his offensive line.

"The line really stepped up," he said. "It feels great. I'm just glad we got the win, and we're looking forward to playing Service in the semis."

Lathrop (5-4) caught the Thunderbirds (7-2) by surprise in the first quarter with runs by a pair of wide receivers. R.J. Henry, who lined up under center and at wide receiver, moved the Malemutes down the field after a David Shepetko fumble recovery at midfield.

Wide receiver Ashonte Williams punched the ball in from three yards out and Lathrop went up 7-0.

"I think they caught us off guard putting a receiver back there," East coach Jeff Trotter said. "We hadn't seen it much this year. Good tactic. I thought they did the right thing and they kind of outflanked us a little bit."

[Bartlett rushes 508 yards in a 62-12 playoff win over Wasilla]

East, the No. 2 seed out of the Cook Inlet Conference, responded with a steady 15-play drive capped by a 20-yard Malnoske touchdown run.

Lathrop's next possession ended when East's Ryan Green intercepted Lathrop quarterback Joshua Hernandez at the East 15-yard line.

The Thunderbirds again marched down the field behind Malnoske and scored with less than a minute left in the second quarter for a 14-7 halftime lead.

"I was proud of them for the way they bounced back from that touchdown and the way that we were mistake-free — I thought that was huge," Trotter said. I told them (at halftime), 'We're not changing anything.' "

The second half showcased more defensive dominance from East. Malnoske scored his third touchdown in the fourth quarter, but the Thunderbirds didn't need it. East shut out Lathrop — the Railbelt Conference's No. 3 seed — through the final three quarters.

"If we can control the game and the clock like that, we're going to have a good outcome most of the time," Trotter said. "The defense has done their thing and they've kind of carried us all year."

[In an offensive shootout, Service rides defense past Chugiak and into semifinals]

Quarterback Sam Logoleo commandeered the East offense for the second straight game due to a season-ending injury to two-year starter Carson Washburn.

Trotter said East "went back to basics" with its running game so Logoleo wouldn't have to do too much himself. Unlike Washburn, Logoleo also plays on defense, where he's an all-conference defensive back.

"We didn't want to put too much on his plate because he's playing on both sides of the ball," Trotter said. "We knew fatigue could be a factor there. He told us what he thought would work and not work, and it really helped."

Logoleo finished with 16 rushing yards on nine carries and completed one pass for nine yards.

Henry led the Lathrop offense with 86 rushing yards. Wide receiver Kailen Martin added two catches for 39 yards.

Next weekend, East will face Service, the No. 4 seed from the CIC, in the state semifinals, which will feature four teams from the CIC. The Thunderbirds downed the Cougars 26-14 in the regular season.

"(Service) looked good last night and I think they're peaking at the right time," Trotter said. "Definitely a different team than when we played them last and we're really gonna have to buckle down to see how we're gonna stop those guys, 'cause they looked pretty dang good last night."

The other semifinals will feature West, the CIC's No. 3 seed, against Bartlett, the CIC's No. 1 seed.

ASAA will announce early next week which teams will play Friday night and which teams will play Saturday afternoon. Both games will be at Anchorage Football Stadium.

[West sacks Colony to grab spot in football semifinals]

[Check out all the scores from this weekend's state football games]

Lathrop    7   0   0   0 — 7

East           0   14  0  7 — 21

First Quarter

Lathrop — Williams 3 run (Kosa kick), 2:25.

Second Quarter

East — Malnoske 20 run (Reed kick), 7:28.

East — Malnoske 8 run (Reed kick), 0:42.

Fourth Quarter

East — Malnoske 39 run (Reed kick), 8:25.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Lathrop: Henry 16-86, Kent 4-14, Hernandez 3-14, Williams 3-11, Kosa 1-(-2), team 1-(-12). East: Malnoske 26-247, Poleo 5-29, Logoleo 9-16, Collins 3-7, Afuvai 2-6, Tauinaola 1-6, Paulsen 1-3, team 3-(-4).

PASSING – Lathrop: Hernandez 4-5-1–42. Henry 0-1-1–0. East: Logoleo 1-5-0–9.

RECEIVING – Lathrop: Martin 2-39, Kent 1-6, Henry 1-(-3). East: Malnoske 1-9.

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East High defeated Lathrop High 21-7 in a quarterfinal Alaska State Football Championship game at East High in Anchorage, Alaska, on Saturday, October 8, 2016. (Bob Hallinen / Alaska Dispatch News)