West’s ground-and-pound rushing attack chewed up close to 300 yards and the Eagles maintained a clean sheet defensively to highlight Saturday night’s 52-0 win over host Dimond at Don Winchester Field.

Senior halfback Manny Maga led the way with 119 yards and scored two of his football team’s five rushing touchdowns as the Eagles improved to 2-0 in the Cook Inlet Conference.

West finished with 442 yards of total offense, including 287 on the ground behind Maga, a 190-pound freight train who regularly trucked would-be tacklers in his path.

Defensively, the Eagles gave Dimond ballcarriers no where to go and extended their scoreless streak to eight quarters. The defense also scored for the second straight week after recording safeties in each of the second and fourth quarters.

Prep Football

Week 2 Scores
Saturday
West 52, Dimond 0
Juneau 17, East 14
Lathrop 42, Eagle River 0
Seward 48, Nikiski 12
Kodiak 40, Monroe 12
SWDP 90, Valdez 0
Friday
Colony 26, Service 10
South 13, Bartlett 0
Soldotna 49, West Valley 19
Wasilla 35, Chugiak 15
Palmer 32, North Pole 26
Kenai 68, Redington 18
Barrow 40, Homer 22

Led by dynamite defensive lineman Aizehn Lauano, West’s formidable front dominated the line of scrimmage and made life unbearable for the Lynx. Lauano recorded a half dozen tackles, registered a sack and tacked Dimond running back Jordan Leonard in the end zone for a safety with 2:08 to go before halftime.

Jezekaiah Tufue added 11 tackles and two sacks, while Jayciano Cabesas had the team’s lone interception.

The West defense held Dimond to 68 total yards – 38 rushing, 30 passing – and smothered the Lynx, resulting in nine of 21 rushes going for zero or negative yards. In other words, a whole lotta nada.

The Eagles improved to 42-26-1 against Dimond dating back to 1966, with Saturday’s result being the most lopsided since a 55-6 West win in 2018.

West hasn’t allowed a point in the first two games of the season as the Eagles have outscored opponents 119-0.

The offense has been just as impressive, with Maga setting the tone on West’s second possession. After turning it over on downs on the opening drive, the Eagles were pinned on their own 20 and looking at a 1st-and-25 situation.

No worries. Maga broke off a 31-yard run on the first play. The next carry went for 17 yards and the one after that for 15.

In three plays, Maga put the Eagles into the red zone. After an incomplete pass (probably to let their star running back catch his breath), Maga broke loose up the gut for a 17-yard TD run. He was virtually untouched until the goal line and you’re not stopping him on the doorstep with a full steam.

His personal 80-yard scoring drive made it 7-0, and things got only worse for Dimond (0-2) after that.

Quarterback Parker Grimm scored on a 9-yard scamper to cap a nine-play, 70-yard drive and make it 14-0. Grimm looked to be contained at the 7 before a shaking his defender and diving for the pylon.

Maga’s second TD came on a 1-yard dive made it 21-0.

Backup quarterback Tagum Pogtis raced in for a 7-yard scoring run, followed by a safety and Grimm passing TD to push the lead 37-0 at halftime.

West is loaded at QB with Grimm and Pogtis, who combined for nine completions and 155 yards passing. In last week’s 57-0 win over Bartlett, both signal callers threw for a TD and rushed for a TD.

Wideout Isaiah Sosa-Carpenter hauled in four receptions for 63 yards, including a 13-yard TD. The West basketball star showed off his hops by outjumping two Dimond defenders in the end zone.

Another West receiver who looked good was Truss Irwin, who made three catches for 58 yards, including a 33-yard reception from Pogtis, after two nice cutback moves allowed for yards after contact.

Irwin also caught a TD pass from Pogtis, making it 44-0 in the third quarter.

Dimond’s Braden Pili accounted for 61 of his team’s 68 yards and regularly had no space to run or throw. He did well to escape the pocket on many scrambles that would have been sacks for most of the other QBs in the CIC.

West Anchorage 14 23 13 2 – 52
Dimond 0 0 0 0 – 0
FIRST QUARTER
West – Maga 17 run (Sandberg kick), 6:14
West – Grimm 9 run (Sandberg kick), 1:31
SECOND QUARTER
West – Maga 1 run (Sandberg kick), 7:11
West – Pogtis 7 run (Sandberg kick), 2:22
West – Safety, Leonard tackled in end zone by Lauano, 2:08
West – Sosa-Carpenter 13 pass from Grimm (Sandberg kick), 0:50
THIRD QUARTER
West – Irwin 8 pass from Grimm (Sandberg kick), 8:50
West – Maccandless 1 run (PAT failed), 1:35
FOURTH QUARTER
Safety, Pili tackled in end zone, 1:31
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING
West – Maga 11-119, Grimm 8-44, Faaea 2-38, Silva-Solia 3-19, Maccandless 3-17, Chanhtseng 1-15, Pogtis 2-14, Vargas 2-13, Moemoemaletuiga 3-8.
Dimond – Pili 9-31, Cash 2-5, Leonard 10-2.
PASSING
West – Grimm 6-15-97, Pogtis 3-4-58, Sosa-Carpenter 0-1-0. Dimond – Pili 5-8-30.
RECEIVING
West – Sosa-Carpenter 4-63, Irwin 3-58, Moemoemaletuiga 1-17, Chanhtseng 1-17. Dimond – Converse 2-11, Adams 2-9, Evans 1-8.