North Pole faced West Valley in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Patriots fell 26-13 to the Wolf Pack. Having soared to a lofty 31 points in the game before, the Patriots couldn't push the score so high this time.
North Pole's defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Michael Putnam, who picked up 99 receiving yards and one touchdown. Putnam didn't just play on offense: he also made five total tackles and defended one pass in addition to snagging an interception.
North Pole didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Elijah Johnson and Putnam.
West Valley's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Landon Wiedmaier, who rushed for 140 yards on only 13 carries, and also picked up 38 receiving yards. Jacob Sherer was another key player, rushing for 84 yards and one TD.
North Pole now has a losing record of 3-4. As for West Valley, their win ended a five-game drought at home dating back to last season and bumped them up to 3-4.
We've got plenty of inter-conference action coming up soon. North Pole is set to challenge their familiar foe Soldotna at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Meanwhile, West Valley will take on rival Lathrop at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
