For as good as Wilson Lawson was in Lathrop’s run-and-shoot offense on Saturday, his biggest moment on the football field had nothing to do with the playbook.

The senior wideout scored an unconventional touchdown late in the fourth quarter because he was in the right place at the right time, recovering quarterback Boaz Balash’s goal-line fumble in the end zone to cap a 27-16 victory over South Anchorage at Lathrop High School.

With 4:30 to play, Balash looked to have a clear path to score before South defensive back Bryson Jackson charged in and forced a fumble at the 2, knocking the ball into end zone, where it was smothered by Lawson, much to the relief of Balash.

This win was Lathrop’s first over South in a series dating back to 2005, and it moved the Malemutes to 3-0 heading into a Week 4 showdown against Soldotna.

Prep Football

Week 3
Lathrop 27, South 16
Star Valley (WY) 35, Soldotna 28
Heritage (CO) 38, West 16
Juneau 52, North Pole 0
Barrow 48, Houston 12
Bartlett 28, West Valley 10
Palmer 14, Colony 7
Oakmont (CA) 28, East 13
Dimond 42, Homer 34
Service 44, Eagle River 0
Wasilla 21, Kenai 14
Chugiak 28, Redington 7
SWDP 42, Kodiak 6
Seward 66, Valdez 26
Nikiski 76, Monroe 44

Balash, a rising star underclassman and the coach’s son, showed poise beyond his years under center. Whether it was checkdowns or evading pressure, the kid’s got the goods, and he will only get better with age.

With the Malemutes using four wideouts, the sophomore did a nice job reading the field and spreading the ball to six different receivers on his way to completing 14-of-28 passes for 215 yards. His favorite targets were Eamon Johnson (3 catches, 85 yards) and Lawson (3 catches, 77 yards), and he threw TDs to Jaycee Brooks and Tayven Sullivan.

In the second quarter, Balash found Wilson for a 56-yard reception. In the third quarter, he was flushed out of the pocket and found Johnson for a 57-yard play after Johnson ripped the ball away from a South defender in midair and broke a tackle before going down at the 4. Two plays later, Sullivan punched it in to put the Malemutes ahead 20-9.

Balash was also clutch on the final drive in the fourth quarter, competing a 13-yard pass off play action to Gabriel Guffey and later hitting Brooks on 4th-and-4 to move the sticks. He looked right, flushed left and found Brooks at the 8. On the next play, Balash scrambled out of the pocket before getting hit near the goal line and losing the ball, but Lawson was in the right place at the right time.

That play capped a five-minute drive that took 11 plays and chewed up 65 yards, including 31 by Sullivan on the ground.

Defensively, Lathrop got two sacks from Johnson and one sack from Sagatea Joseph Lavataim and Amir Simmons, while Brooks, Tyson Tiumalu and Dalton Koch each forced a fumble.

South (2-1) got strong games from running back Ethan Yarrington (17 carries, 114 yards) and Jackson, who piled up 113 yards of offense to go with an interception and forced fumble on defense.

However, the Wolverines couldn’t get out of their own way for the most part, committing a bunch of penalties and turning the ball over five times. They fumbled on the first snap from scrimmage and gave it away on each of its three possessions in the third quarter. Yet, somehow, South held a 9-7 lead after being gifted a safety by Lathrop after a shotgun snap went through the hands of Balash and out of the back of the end zone.

South also forced two turnovers in the second quarter, getting a forced fumble and recovery by Austin Duffus and an interception by Jackson. The Wolverines made a goal-line stand at the end of the third quarter, thanks to a big-time tackle by Ezekiel Lealaisalanoa (who also had a 35-yard run in the second quarter).

South carried that momentum to offense, marching 99 yards to pull within 20-16 on Yarrington’s 15-yard run with 9:12 to play. The senior running back hurdled a defender at the 5 on his way to the end zone to cap the drive, which saw him amass 50 yards and regularly drag tacklers after contact.

Earlier in the drive, Yarrington came through on 4th-and-1 from South’s own 12 after barreling his way for a 10-yard gain.

South Anchorage 7 2 0 7 – 16
Lathrop 7 6 7 7 – 27
FIRST QUARTER
Lathrop – Brooks 5 pass from Balash (Tansy kick), 10:51
South – Jackson 3 run (Jackson kick), 3:20
SECOND QUARTER
South – Safety, ball snapped through back of end zone, 8:01
Lathrop – Sullivan 8 pass from Balash (kick missed), 4:05
THIRD QUARTER
Lathrop – Sullivan 1 run (Tansy kick), 10:29
FOURTH QUARTER
South – Yarrington 15 run (Jackson kick), 9:12
Lathrop – Lawson recovered fumble in end zone (Tansy kick), 4:22
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING
South – Yarrington 17-114, Jackson 10-85, Lealaisalanoa 4-45, Drumm 4-23, Souhala-Tuinel 2-11. Lathrop – Sullivan 15-67, Balash 9-59.
PASSING
South – Jackson 2-6-28, Yarrington 0-1-0. Lathrop – Balash 14-28-215.
RECEIVING
South – Davis 1-14, Drumm 1-14. Lathrop – Johnson 3-85, Lawson 3-77, Brooks 3-19, Pulgarin 2-14, Sullivan 2-7, Guffey 1-13.