West Valley opens flag football season with shutout win over Lathrop

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (KTVF) - First year head coach of the West Valley flag football program Noah Harris emphasized early that the team will rely on its defense early in the season, while the offense will come later on.

That is also how the Wolfpack’s season-opener against the Lathrop Malemutes went, as the defense performed early and often, while the offense came through late.

The game was wet - not terribly so - but enough to play a factor in footing and passing in a defensive battle that featured goal line stands from each team and couple of interceptions to keep the game scoreless.

With about three minutes to go, West Valle sophomore quarterback Aysha Peter found Aaliah Hanson, who got loose in the secondary to get open for the connection for six points.

““I know Aaliah can run, so I was like ‘just throw it as far as you can and she will run and catch it,’” said Peter after the 6-0 victory. “I just had to trust Aaliah a lot.”

The defense continued to be as stifling as it was the first three quarters, shutting down Lathrop on the final possession to come away with the season-opening victory for Fairbanks North Star Borough District Schools.

“It was just straight grit,” said Harris. “It was straight grit by the young ladies not giving up and playing as a team. We didn’t make too many mistakes and we stayed in the game and Aysha made a great pass on that touchdown play.”

West Valley will look to carry this momentum into Tuesday’s matchup with the Hutchison Hawks, while North Pole also see its first action of the season Tuesday when they host Lathrop.

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