Nick Sorrell, News & Sports Director for KSRM Radio Group in Kenai, Alaska and Play-by-Play announcer for the Soldotna High School Stars football team called into First Bank of Wyoming Sports Friday to discuss the Star Valley at Soldotna matchup on August 28.

(0:00) Duke and Dow with you live in studio today for Sports Friday, and joining us live over (0:05) the phone all the way to the north in Seldotna, Alaska, along the Kenai River and announcer (0:12) for the Seldotna High School Stars, that is Nick Surrell joining us this morning to talk (0:18) the matchup between Star Valley and Seldotna on August 28th. (0:22) Nick, good morning. (0:23) How’s the coast of Alaska this morning? (0:27) Oh, it’s just beautiful, man.

(0:28) I mean, we got sunshine this morning, we’re sitting it about, I just lost my thermostat, (0:33) I had it up on my screen, but you know, mid-40s, it should climb up into the 60s today, that’s (0:38) a nice summer day in Alaska. (0:39) Yeah, that actually sounds wonderful. (0:42) Sounds quite pleasant.

(0:43) It sounds wonderful. (0:44) Nick, for people who, you know, we’ve been talking about this game and obviously it’s (0:50) coming up next month, but for people who don’t know anything about the Seldotna Stars, kind (0:55) of give us a rundown of what they might be able to expect in this matchup. (1:03) Well, I mean, imagine if you had, since the World Cup, we’ll use a football analogy here, (1:10) I want you to imagine if Argentina went and dropped themselves into the middle of like (1:15) a men’s soccer league in some random city in the United States, how dominant they would (1:19) be.

(1:20) That’s how dominant the Seldotna Stars have been in Alaska football for the last, gosh, (1:24) 18, 19, almost 20 years now. (1:28) Galen Brantley, the head coach, he took over in 2006, 2007 of that program, won his first (1:36) 29 straight games, and since then has a record of 179 and 10. (1:42) It took him 17 years to lose his 10th career game.

(1:47) At one point they had like a 59 game winning streak, 14 state championships over that stretch. (1:52) I mean, they’ve been just an absolute wrecking ball in Alaska football. (1:57) That’s incredible.

(1:57) That’s absolutely incredible. (1:59) What do you, as someone who’s connected to the program, what do you attribute that success (2:04) to over that course of years? (2:06) Talk to us about the culture of that program and what makes it tick. (2:09) You know, it’s a very Belichickian style system in that the way Brantley coaches his players, (2:16) it’s one of camaraderie, but also a system of do your job.

(2:21) Everybody knows how to do their job, and they know how to execute their job to perfection, (2:26) and that’s his expectation, and they pull it off very, very well. (2:30) Each guy on the team gets out there every single day on the field, in practice, in games, (2:35) and they’re just doing what they’re supposed to do, and he has a game plan. (2:39) He has his playbook.

(2:40) Every player’s bought in. (2:41) Every coach is bought in, and it’s like Novocaine. (2:44) You just give it time, and it’ll work every single time.

(2:46) I love the remember the Titans reference there. (2:49) That’s good stuff. (2:50) Right? (2:50) Yeah.

(2:51) When you look at Soldat and I, give us a rundown of what team philosophy is like, offense, (2:58) defense. (2:58) What are some things that they like to do? (3:02) Well, the team motto is pound the rock. (3:04) They pound the rock, and they do it a lot.

(3:07) I mean, they will run the ball, and they’ll run it down your throat relentlessly, and it (3:11) just seems like an inevitability. (3:13) You know, they’ll be running, running, running, and then before you know it, it’s an 80-yard (3:16) run. (3:17) Teams know what’s coming.

(3:19) They’re prepared for it. (3:20) They’ve watched game film. (3:21) They know who’s going to get the ball.

(3:23) They know the plays, and it still works. (3:25) They still see that ball go a downfield as the linemen doing their job, and stars usually (3:31) come up with some great running backs. (3:33) Over the last, over the tenure of Galen’s career, they’ve had three Gatorade Players (3:39) of the Year.

(3:40) Robbie Smithwick, Anthony Griglione, and Brenner Furlong, and Brenner Furlong averaging, gosh, (3:46) I can’t remember, in his, I think it was 2018, averaged like 12 yards a carry or something (3:54) like that all season long, so I mean, it was pretty impressive. (3:57) Speaking this morning with the play-by-play voice of the Saldanha Stars, Nick Surrell (4:02) with KSRM Radio Group in Saldanha, Alaska, and again, that matchup coming up on August (4:07) 28th. (4:08) So, Nick, when that game happens, who are some of the players that will be maybe some (4:14) focal key points for Saldanha, and when our listeners are listening to the game, maybe (4:19) some names that they would recognize? (4:23) You know, a couple guys that are returning this year that were solid starters for the (4:29) Stars last year as juniors.

(4:31) Chase Hall was an All-State fullback last year, so you very well may hear his name several (4:36) times. (4:38) Now, a name you might not hear, but a guy who is going to be a big contributor, a fantastic (4:43) lineman, offense and defense, Cotto LaPoulle, the LaPoulle brothers, his older brother Kenai (4:48) graduated last year, but they have been rock-solid for this squad, and they’re just guys, they (4:54) do what they’re told, you know, and they are very committed, and they’re really strong. (4:59) They’re workhorses, so Cotto LaPoulle, Zach Kemp is likely going to be a starting quarterback.

(5:05) They have a couple other guys, Carter Hillier, he’s an All-State tackle from last year, so (5:09) I mean, those are some names you will likely hear. (5:12) But this is one, man, I’m so stoked for this game. (5:15) What do you got? (5:15) I think the Braves come in 33-game win streak, is that right? (5:20) Yep, that is correct.

(5:23) Okay, so yeah, the Braves come in on a 33-game win streak, two or three consecutive state (5:27) titles, the Stars come in, they’re on a 13-game win streak, they’ve got three consecutive state (5:32) titles, 46-0 between these two teams coming into this game. (5:36) Two great streaks, I mean, one of them’s going down either way, but that’s impressive. (5:40) It’s always a treat to see two titans get together on the field.

(5:44) It really is incredible, and yeah, the championships between the two and the culture, the programs (5:52) seem very similar, the size of the school seems very similar, and I hear people ask me (5:57) all this time, they say, how did this happen? (6:01) How did Star Valley and Soldatna get on the same schedule? (6:04) What have your coaches told you, what have you heard on how that all went down? (6:08) Well, you know, with Alaska football, and it’s separated into three different divisions (6:13) up here, and now the geography of the state is something that people don’t necessarily (6:18) always take into account when they’re thinking about sports in a state like Alaska. (6:23) You have Barrow, up at the very top part of the state, they’re a Division II program, (6:29) Soldatna, or excuse me, a Division III program, Soldatna, on the southern Kenai Peninsula of (6:34) the state. (6:35) Those two programs are separated by over a thousand miles, and you can only travel that (6:41) distance by plane.

(6:42) Now, those two teams don’t necessarily play each other a lot, but Soldatna does play a (6:47) lot of teams from Fairbanks, which is, if you drive there, it’s going to take you eight (6:51) hours to get there, and so, I mean, the infrastructure in Alaska is an amazing and a fascinating (6:58) thing, and presents a huge challenge for teams traveling, so the reason I bring that up is (7:03) because when you have squads that are, you play a lot of the same teams as most teams (7:08) do around the country, but specifically in Alaska, sometimes you deal with a smaller (7:13) pool of teams that you’re going up against, and the Stars, as dominant as they have been (7:18) here in Soldatna and around the state, they’re always hungry and looking for a bigger, stronger (7:24) challenge, and so this is one of the products of that seeking and Brantley trying to find (7:29) a team that he thinks can challenge his squad, because frankly, there hasn’t been hardly (7:34) anybody in the state that can do that. (7:36) There’s been one team from Fairbanks, Lathrop, who got the Soldatna Stars twice in the Parastate (7:41) Championships four and five years ago, but since then, it’s only been Lathrop and nobody (7:46) else, and so Soldatna’s constantly looking for a challenge out there. (7:51) So this is not the first time this has happened, at least as I understand it, as far as you talk (7:57) about the dynamics of looking outside of Alaskan, in fact, some of the tips and tricks (8:05) that Star Valley’s using have come from the Soldatna staff.

(8:09) What are some other teams that have come onto the schedule for the Stars in this way? (8:17) They played, I think it was Teton in Idaho last year, and I believe they may have played (8:23) them one other time, and interestingly, I think Star Valley, I think the Braves played (8:28) Teton the same year that the Stars played Teton, either last year or the year before. (8:33) Both teams kind of put the hurt on that Idaho squad, and so here in Alaska, there’s some (8:41) Division I programs, West Anchorage, there’s Diamond High School Service, those have all (8:46) been some strong programs, but every time one of those Division I, when the Stars, you (8:52) would think, punch above their weight class, they usually come out on top of that one too. (8:56) One of the coolest things is from 2012 to 2018, Soldatna had the third longest active (9:05) winning streak in the country, they won 59 straight games, and they lost their season (9:10) opener to the Division I team, West Anchorage, in 2018, and they lost that one on a literal (9:16) last second play.

(9:18) It was ruled a touchdown as time expired for the West Anchorage Eagles, but there’s (9:23) people who go both ways. (9:25) A lot of people will say, of course they will, but they’ll say, I don’t think it was a touchdown, (9:28) but after that loss, so I went on to win 22 more games in a row. (9:33) So you’re talking about a team that over a nine year span was 81-1, so this is some real (9:38) pedigree coming onto the field here for both squads.

(9:41) I love it, so really excited about the matchup like you were talking about. (9:44) In fact, Star Valley’s Week 2 game is in a college stadium against a school from Canada, (9:52) Raymond Canada, and nobody’s talking about Raymond Canada. (9:57) We’re playing a Canadian school, no one’s even talking about it.

(10:00) Everybody’s talking about Soldatna, Alaska, and that’s how excited the fan base in the (10:07) school and the student body is for this game. (10:09) And you know, part of it is, of course, Nick, part of it is we get to go to Alaska. (10:15) I mean, come on now.

(10:16) That’s part of the big draw and attraction to it. (10:18) So speaking to our fan base, for those who are going to make the trip to the north, to (10:23) the Kenai Peninsula, to watch this football game, give us one or two things that you highly (10:29) recommend people do while they’re there. (10:32) Fish.

(10:33) The Kenai River is world famous for red salmon fishing, and that’s one thing you absolutely (10:41) have to do. (10:42) And I know mountains are nothing new to folks from Wyoming, but one thing that everybody (10:47) notes when they come to Alaska, and when I say note, I mean that in the smallest possible (10:55) way, because really, note is not the best word. (10:58) It’s a wow factor, are the mountains here in Alaska.

(11:00) If you have a chance to do a little bit of hiking and just see some of the sights here (11:06) in Alaska, if you go to like Seward, you can see some fjords, and I’m talking like you (11:11) have ocean and then multi-thousand foot mountains jutting up out of the ocean in these beautiful (11:18) fjords. (11:19) There’s like tours you can do out on the water. (11:21) Just enjoy the beauty of Alaska, but definitely try and get yourself a red fishing pole and (11:28) get on the river and do some fishing.

(11:29) Love it. (11:30) Nick Sorrell, News and Sports Director with KSRM Radio Group in the Kenai, Alaska Peninsula (11:35) at Soldotna Voice of the Soldotna Stars, August 28th, seven weeks from today, 2 p.m. kickoff (11:42) time by the way, I understand, correct Nick? (11:44) An afternoon kickoff? (11:45) 2 p.m. kickoff time, that is my understanding. (11:47) I don’t know how much time you have, but just one thing that I want to note about this game, (11:51) an interesting dynamic that I’m very fascinated to see how this little kind of game within (11:55) the game plays out, it’ll be the third game of the year for Soldotna.

(11:59) So they’ll come into this game with some game experience with this year’s squad. (12:03) So advantage Soldotna there, however, it’ll be the first game of the season for the Braves, (12:08) so advantage the Braves, they’ll have film to study. (12:11) Stars won’t have film to study on the Braves team quite yet.

(12:14) So a little interesting dynamic that I’m curious to see how that one plays out in this game. (12:18) Very good point. (12:19) Very, very valid, for sure.

(12:21) Absolutely. (12:21) Nick, thank you so much for your time. (12:22) We look forward to touching base with you over the next couple of weeks ahead of this (12:26) game.

(12:26) Thank you. (12:27) Absolutely. (12:28) Yeah, thanks for the call, guys.

(12:29) Have a great day. (12:30) You bet. (12:30) It’s Nick Surrell with KSRM Radio Group in Soldotna, Alaska.

(12:35) That game, August 28th, 2 p.m. kickoff time in Soldotna. (12:40) First Bank of Wyoming Sports Friday on the SBI Radio Network.