The Lathrop Malemutes (3-4, 2-3) headed to Soldotna (7-0, 5-0) on Saturday in hopes of pulling off what no team had done since they last did it themselves in 2021 – defeat the Stars in a regular season matchup. The upset-minded Malemutes pulled off the feat by a score of 35-28 to keep their late-season playoff push alive. Entering the game, signs of optimism were there for the Lathrop, who were looking to turn their season around after an uncharacteristic 1-4 start.
In their last two contests, they dominated Chugiak and Wasilla, scoring over 55 points in both meetings, while holding the opposition to under 15. The results placed the Malemutes at 3-4 on the year and 2-3 in the conference, as they slowly began their ascent in the standings in hopes of a potential playoff push. As things were clicking again for Lathrop, they faced their toughest test to date – the Soldotna Stars.
The defending state champions had been the same juggernaut of old, pushing out to a 7-0 record this season with Alaska’s winningest football head coach of all time at the helm – Galen Brantley Jr., who earned the distinction earlier this year with his 160th career win over West Valley. The last time Soldotna fell in the regular season dated back to August of 2021 when they lost to the Malemutes by a score of 27-21.
Since the turn of the decade, Soldotna had only lost three games in total – all coming against Lathrop, with the other two being in the 2021 and 2022 DII state title games. Outside .
