South football team hopes to bounce back

The South Wolverines' goal this season is simple: get back to the Dark Side mentality that helped forge a decade of dominance in Alaska's large-school football division.

For the Wolverines, who often play Darth Vader's theme music before games, the Dark Side is more than a reference to the "Star Wars" movies or the black uniforms they wear.

It's about unity and toughness.

"When we talk about the Dark Side and Star Wars and all that, I want uniformity and I want perfection when we come out," South coach John Lewis said.

"We're not the rebels running around here. We dress a certain way, and we act a certain way and we play a certain way."

Since the school opened in 2004, South has compiled a 79-45 record and claimed three state titles. They won their last state championship in 2014, when they were 11-1.

But lately the bad guys have just been, well, bad.

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After going 76-32 in their first 11 seasons, the Wolverines went 2-6 in 2015 and 1-7 last season, when they were 0-5 in Cook Inlet Conference play. After beating Kenai in its season opener, South lost the rest of its games by double digits.

Lewis said South committed more turnovers last season than in all of its previous seasons combined, and recorded its fewest number of first downs.

"We went through five deep snappers," Lewis said. "Rome burnt down quick."

When the team started losing, it struggled with morale, Lewis said. Instead of unity, there was finger-pointing in the locker room.

So Lewis had to make some changes.

Gone are 30 players from last year's squad and a handful of assistant coaches. Even so, South's roster is still almost up to last year's total, Lewis said. There are expected to be more than 100 Wolverines on the field between the varsity, JV and C teams.

There are also some new faces on the sidelines. Longtime Barrow coach Brian Houston is wearing black and gold this season.

Houston moved to Anchorage after 12 years with the Whalers, including the last five as head coach.

"I did everything from help pick the colors of the uniforms to help find referees, to fundraise to get equipment — everything under the sun there," Houston said.

He ended up at South by chance. Houston ran into South assistant coach Walter Harmon while walking out of a Fred Meyer store and Harmon mentioned South had an open assistant coaching spot. Houston decided to join the staff and now coaches JV and varsity offensive lines.

Houston said South is moving to a spread offense, similar to what he ran for 12 years at Barrow, so he's been able to help with the transition.

"The kids, as soon as I met them, I just see the look in how hungry they are right now to want to win and want to work," Houston said. "I'm just excited to be here."

And the players are ready to win again.

The seniors on this season's team were freshmen the last time South won a state title, and the coaches have put leadership on their shoulders.

Senior quarterback Paoa Bentz, who switched to QB from running back late last season, said the team feels closer.

"We're a lot more of a family," he said. "Even off the field we're doing things together, team bonding stuff.

"Then on the field, everybody is bringing each other together. Players are having a lot more fun, and that's really what it's all about."

Some of Lewis' training regime this year included some Navy SEAL-like conditioning, designed to help the Wolverines develop speed and camaraderie.

The Wolverines will get an idea of where they stand when they suit up against Thunder Mountain on Saturday. Alaska's season opens this weekend with seven games Friday and seven games Saturday.

"We're all excited, we're all ready to showcase what we have," Bentz said. "I think everybody is going to be surprised at what we have to give this year."

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Alaska football

Friday's games
4 p.m. — West Valley at Eielson
6 p.m. — Nikiski at Kenai, 6 p.m.
7 p.m. — Juneau at Houston
7 p.m. — North Pole at Palmer
7 p.m. — Chugiak at East
7 p.m. — Soldotna at West
7 p.m. — Redington at Monroe Catholic

Saturday's games
2 p.m. — Ketchikan at Eagle River
2 p.m. — Kodiak at Homer
2 p.m. — Valdez at Seward
3 p.m. — Thunder Mountain at South
4 p.m. — Wasilla at Bartlett
4 p.m. — Colony at Service
6 p.m. — Lathrop at Dimond