Placer High’s first game of the season had an unusual aspect to it- our rivals were visiting from over 2,000 miles away.
The Alaskan football team came to California to face the Hillmen for Placer’s first home game of the 2011 season.
Hailing from South Anchorage High School, these players have been preparing for this game for quite some time. According to Varsity Coach Mike Sabins, this event has taken a lot of preparation and has been a few years in the making.
“Coach Montoya knew the South Anchorage coach from a few years back, and they have wanted this game to happen. It just took a few years to get all the funds together.”
Brenden Soto, corner and number 26 on Anchorage’s team was one of several that were excited to duke it out on the field. The team showed anticipation and some nerves for the game, even though they had already begun their season back home. Anchorage has already played 4 league matches, as opposed to Placer who had not had an official game yet.
Placer gave a warm welcome to the new team and included them in the first Hill Friday Rally of the year, and the city of Auburn also extended free passes to the Fair for Saturday night. Although the players were all new to California, they were quick to befriend students and other players.
The question that everyone is asking when they hear about the team is: How are they managing the heat? With Alaskan temperatures peaking around 70, Auburn’s toasty 95 was definitely a new experience for them. Anchorage Runningback Tommy Hopp said of
the heat:“It’s definitely hot here. We’re kind of dying.”
Although South Anchorage is rated roughly 1500 spots higher nationally than Placer, they aren’t coming in to this game cocky. Tommy went on to say:
“Placer plays a lot of tough teams. We know it will be a challenge, but we’re confident in our team.”
Placer was not blind to the Alaskans possible advantage either.
PHS Junior Jalen Lewis said “They might be a strong team in Alaska, but this isn’t Alaska.”
With it being the first game of the season, adrenaline was pumping and emotions ran high for the Hillmen and the Wolverines alike.
Although Anchorage came in optimistic, the game can only be classified as a blowout. Placer claimed the victory with a wide margin, the ending score being 65-40.
The Alaskan team watched respectfully as PHS students, athletes and coaches gathered on the field and sang the Alma Mater in celebration. Placer shook hands and said farewell to the Alaskan team, sending them home with a good experience and new friends.