The Seward Seahawks will face off against the Monroe Catholic Rams at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Seward is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Alaska's top teams: Nikiski, who was ranked fourth at the time (Seward was ranked second). The Seahawks took their game on Friday with ease, bagging a 70-0 win over the Bulldogs. The Seahawks have beaten the Bulldogs the last eight times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Bulldogs has come to flipping the script.
Seward's win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Ridge Conant, who rushed for 36 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Another big playmaker for the Seahawks was Quinn Humbert, who returned a punt for a touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Seward was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 399 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Seward didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Humbert and Lane Petersen. Seward got some further help from Cai Turner: he picked up a sack, forced one fumble, and made six total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Monroe Catholic played against Valdez on Saturday and won via forfeit.
Seward better keep an eye on Tristin Nicholson. He was instrumental in Monroe Catholic's win, rushing for 136 yards and two TDs. Nicholson really tore up the turf during one magnificent 80-yard run. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Mavencamp, who rushed for 67 yards and one score.
One reason for the win was Monroe Catholic's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for 12 sacks. Gabriel Schlieve led the group effort, picking up four of those sacks all by himself.
Seward's victory bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Monroe Catholic, the win got them back to even at 3-3.
Everything came up roses for Seward against Monroe Catholic in their previous matchup back in August, as the squad secured a 42-8 victory. In that contest, the Seahawks amassed a halftime lead of 36-0, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
