West rolls to 43-8 win over Wasilla in state football quarterfinals

Facing a "win or you're done" scenario for the second time in as many games, West High successfully answered the bell Friday night and easily advanced in the Division I football playoffs.

But the shrill, piercing sound of the referees' whistles after penalties continued to ring in the collective ears of the Eagles, and they know that could pose problems moving forward.

Bruising junior running back Niko Fa'amasino opened West's scoring on its third play from scrimmage and the Eagles dispatched a gutsy Wasilla squad 43-8 in a First National Bowl quarterfinal at West. One week ago, Fa'amasino pulled the same stunt, a touchdown on the third play, during the Eagles' postseason-clinching Cook Inlet Conference win over Dimond.

Fa'amasino's 13-yard scoring run 56 seconds into play was set up by his own 9-yard run and junior Dhar Montalbo's 46-yard reception from quarterback Bubba Mendoza. Montalbo said quick starts like the ones displayed in the Eagles' last two outings are a delicious part of a healthy game plan.

"It's like waking up in the morning and not having your breakfast," said Montalbo, an all-CIC linebacker selection who finished with four catches for 124 yards and two scores on offense against Wasilla. "Without that breakfast, you're not going to work. You're not going to function.

"It's those kinds of starts that really get us going."

With the win, West (5-4 record) advanced to next week's semifinals and a meeting against the winner of Saturday's 2 p.m. tilt at Bartlett between the second-ranked Golden Bears and fifth-ranked Service. In other Division I playoff action Friday, third-ranked Colony crushed South 47-0 out in the Valley.

The Knights, who squeaked by the Wolverines by a single point in the opening week of the regular season, will meet either top-ranked East or Chugiak in the semifinals. The Thunderbirds host the Mustangs on Saturday at 2 p.m.

On Friday, West parlayed its early lead into 43 unanswered points, including a 23-point second quarter. But the Eagles were again plagued by penalties. In last week's 55-6 regular-season finale win at Dimond, West committed 16 fouls for 183 yards.

Against Wasilla, the Eagles were whistled offside three times on the Warriors' first possession and called for 11 penalties in the first half. For the game, coach Tim Davis' team finished with 14 penalties for 107 yards. Those numbers likely won't cut it in the semifinals.

"The mental focus to win every play isn't determined by the opponent or the scoreboard," Davis said. "That's just life — taking care of the details. Just because the day may appear to be easy doesn't mean I can neglect cleaning the bathroom or taking out the trash.

"On the field, when you lose those little details, things can start to fail. It's difficult to relay that message to kids, for sure. But that's what we're here for, to help develop great habits. We know we must be better."

Mendoza, the versatile left-handed signal caller, paced West's offense with 178 passing yards and three touchdowns. Fa'amasino finished with 62 rushing yards on seven carries. David Carson and Josh Stoltz also scored touchdowns and junior kicker Ivan Tillman booted a 24-yard field goal in the second quarter.

The Eagles totaled 398 yards of total offense to Wasilla's 122.

The Warriors' Junior Matthews picked up his team's biggest gain with a 26-yard run in the closing minutes. The play helped lead to quarterback Byson Malave's 1-yard scoring plunge with 1:34 left to play.

Despite the tough loss and an end to their 3-6 season, Matthews said the Warriors were pleased with their effort. He finished with 35 yards on 15 carries and Austin Hacker tallied 40 rushing yards on 12 carries.

"We went out there to have fun because football is fun," Matthews said. "For some of us, this may be our final game so we wanted to enjoy playing in it together as a family."