Historic season comes to close for Mariners

• Iron-willed M’s battle Soldotna, fall 44-20 in semifinal

by Aaron Selbig
Homer Tribune

Playing under the bright lights of Anchorage Football Stadium in the biggest game of their lives, the Homer Mariners (6-3 overall, 3-3 Northern Lights Conference) surprised everyone – except maybe themselves – by staging a competitive, ferocious, punch-for-punch battle with the three-time defending champion Soldotna Stars (8-2 overall, 6-0 NLC).
Right from the opening kickoff, the Mariners – who hadn’t made the playoffs in four years and won their first-ever playoff game last week against Nikiski – showed they had come to play, as they took a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the game on a 19-yard touchdown toss from Cole Jacobsen to Jeremiah Carr.
The Homer contingent of fans at AFS – about 50 strong and huddled against a steady rain under blankets and umbrellas – went crazy, rattling cowbells, stomping on the metal bleachers and screaming for the underdog M’s.
After Soldotna running back Chris Nolden tied things up with a breakaway 60-yard touchdown scamper, Homer’s “Midget Mafia” defense stiffened, forcing consecutive punts to close out the first quarter. In the meantime, Homer’s offense kept pounding away, sticking to the ground-based, single-wing offense that brought them within a game of the state championship.
When running back David Craig paved the way for a two-yard touchdown run by Jacobsen early in the second quarter, the Mariners jumped out to a 13-7 advantage that would last most of the rest of the half.
However, with 1:56 left before halftime, the Stars took a big gamble, going for it on fourth down and two on their own 33-yard line. Bouncing into the Mariner secondary, running back Philip Bennett broke free for a 67-yard touchdown run and a 14-13 Soldotna lead.
In the second half, Soldotna’s wing-T offense began to exert its will. A 20-yard touchdown run by quarterback Tanner Fowler – following an earlier defensive touchdown – gave the Stars a 27-13 lead with four minutes left in the third quarter.
The Mariners – bloodied, but not broken – simply would not give up.
Taking a handoff at midfield, Anthony “Rocket” Resetarits busted through the Soldotna defensive front, hit a narrow gap and motored downfield for a 48-yard touchdown run that brought the Mariners to within seven points going into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, however, the big and talented Stars finally proved too much for the scrappy Mariners. After three consecutive scores gave Soldotna a 44-20 advantage in the closing minutes, the Homer sideline went quiet for the first time in the game.
After the game, as Soldotna celebrated their victory and a shot at a fourth consecutive title, Homer Head Coach Camron Wyatt tried to console his heartbroken team.
“We said at the beginning of the season that the state championship would go through the Stars, right?” asked Wyatt of his team as they fought back tears. “Well, we came and visited them again, didn’t we?
“That was absolutely awesome. I am so very proud of every single one of you. To come out on this field and hook it up like you did … I am so proud of you,” Wyatt continued. “I’m proud to a part of your team and I’m glad you let me be around you. That was great work today. It’s been a great journey.”
“Boys, that was one hell of a game,” said an emotional Jacobsen. “Thank you guys so much. You guys have more heart than anyone I’ve ever met in my life. You are the best group of people I will ever know.”
Jacobsen, who racked up 43 rushing yards on top of his first-quarter touchdown pass and second-quarter touchdown run, was named one of the Players of the Game.
Resetarits led the Mariners with 90 rushing yards on just nine carries, while Craig collected 65 hard-fought yards on 15 carries. Both undersized running backs took plenty of violent hits, as well, but kept grinding throughout the game.
“For our last game of the season, we put everything out there we could,” said Craig. “We were completely focused the entire time and everyone wanted to win real bad. We gave it everything we had.”
“It’s so emotional for them,” said Wyatt. “They’ve learned so much about themselves and the people around them. Win or lose, they‘re going to carry the experience into the rest of their lives.”
Although the team will lose 16 of its 26 starters to graduation next year, Wyatt said the 2009 Mariners have paved the way for the continued success of the Homer High football program.
“That leaves a core of 10 players who now know what it’s like to play on a championship field,” he said. “When they get back to Homer, they’re going to tell their friends, ‘You’ve got to come with us for the ride.’”

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Posted by Newsroom on Oct 14th, 2009 and filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.