South gets past PHSBy Jeremiah Bartz
Frontiersman
Published on Sunday, August 10, 2008 1:57 AM AKDT ANCHORAGE — The Palmer Moose are no strangers to working through a few growing pains.
Last year, the Moose suffered a season-opening loss to Dimond on the turf of Anchorage Football Stadium and were a mere 1-3 at the half-way mark of the 2007 campaign. But despite the early losses, Palmer steadily improved and eventually advanced to the large-schools state title game.
Now a year later, the Moose find themselves in a similar place after a 19-6 loss to South Anchorage Friday on the turf of Anchorage Football Stadium. 
  
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“There’s a lot of guys who haven’t seen much varsity action,” Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen said after the loss. “I just don’t think we believed we were a team that could compete. We sort of do now. I think we’re going to pull together though.”
South, which appeared in the state semifinals last season, scored 19 unanswered points to claim the nonconference victory over the 2007 state runner-up Moose.
Palmer took the early 6-0 lead in the contest, thanks to a pair of field goals by junior Zach Zegzdryn, but Christiansen admitted the game could have had a different outcome if the Moose would have been able to punch the ball into the end zone.
“That was very un-us to settle and even try for three,” Christiansen said.
Palmer took the opening kickoff and used a nine-play, 60-yard drive to get inside the 10-yard line. But the Moose lost yardage on consecutive plays after facing 2nd-and-goal at the 2-yard line, and settled for Zegzdryn’s 22-yard field goal.
Following an interception by Palmer senior defensive back Mitch Swetzof midway through the second quarter, the Moose once again found themselves in the red zone. With 1st-and-10 at the 12, the Moose were unable to cross the goal line, and Zegzdryn gave his squad the six-point lead with a 29-yard kick.
South took the 7-6 lead late in the second quarter when quarterback Colin Graham connected with receiver Taylor Eisenheimer on a 50-yard scoring strike. The Wolverines took control of the game by scoring twice within a 54-second span, late in the third quarter.
Gabe Holland scored on a seven-yard run to give South the 13-6 advantage, and the Wolverines took the 19-6 lead with Jordan Lagrone’s 2-yard touchdown run.
Ryan Clay led the Wolverines with 53 yards rushing, and Graham — the lone returning starting quarterback in the Cook Inlet Conference —completed 11-of-15 passes for 231 yards.
Palmer, a team that annually sports one of the top ground games in the state, debuted virtually a brand new backfield.
Junior Dustin Silva made his first start at quarterback, and juniors Brennan Bohman (12 carries, 34 yards), Coleman Ahrens (nine carries, 51 yards) and Johnny Daly (seven carries, 57 yards) supplied the bulk of the offense.
The Moose travel to Lathrop next week.
South 19, Palmer 6
Friday, Anchorage Football Stadium
First quarter
Palmer — Zegzdryn 22 FG, 5:51.
Second quarter
Palmer — Zegzdryn 29 FG, 6:49.
South — Eisenheimer 50 pass from Graham (Eisenheimer kick), 4:47.
Third quarter
South — Holland 7 run (kick failed), 3:46.
South — Lagrone 2 run (pass failed), 2:51.
Individual statistics
RUSHING — Palmer Ahrens 9-51, Daly 7-57, Bohman 12-34, Silva 7-(-4), Scoresby 2-11, McCall 1-4, Zegzdryn 1-1; South: Clay 7-71, Holland 7-53, Afualo 7-20, Lagrone 4-12, Spencer 4-3, DeWolf 2-(-7).
PASSING — Palmer: Silva 0-5-1—0; South: Graham 11-15-1—231.
RECEIVING — Palmer: none; South: Eisenheimer 3-97, Colbern 4-95, Hanley 2-19, Holland 1-12, Clay 1-8.
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