The Houston High School football team kept its winning streak going last weekend and rolled over the Mariners 20-8 in a home game at Homer High School.

The Hawks dominated the second half of the game and kept the Mariner offense from making a comeback.

The first touchdown of the game went to Homer with less than two minutes left in the first quarter, when Carter Tennison ran it in for 46 yards on a pass from quarterback Anthony Kalugin. Kalugin’s two-point conversion was successful to start the Mariners off with an 8-0 lead.

Houston answered with a touchdown in the second quarter when Owen Mulhaney ran it in for a 58-yard gain. Another touchdown by Mulhaney on a 5-yard gain with 30 seconds left in the third quarter and a successful two-point conversion brought the score to 14-8.

The Hawks clinched the game in the fourth quarter when Apete Sasiu intercepted a pass from Josh Bradshaw, who had gone in as quarterback when Kalugin suffered a knee injury on a tackle. Sasiu ran it back for a 24-yard return and a touchdown to settle the game, bringing Houston to 4-0 for the season. The Mariners dropped to 1-2.

Houston’s offense racked up 232 rushing yards to Homer’s 16, while Hawks quarterback Gavin Mulhaney contributed 18 passing yards. Homer’s Cade Hrenchir, Carter Tennison and Coda Wood worked with Kalugin to rack up 68 receiving yards to Houston’s 18.

Josh Manwiller lead the Homer’s defense with 18 out of their total 47 tackles, while Houston’s William McComish lead the Hawk’s defense with 6. Houston defense had 28 tackles overall.

Homer head coach Justin Zank praised the Mariners’ performance against Houston.

“I thought we played extremely well with the exception of a few big mistakes,” he said, referencing Houston’s interception and touchdown.

There are also several things the Mariners can improve on in weeks to come, Zank said.

“We’ve gotta fix our communication on the (offensive) line,” he said. “We as coaches can be better by putting our guys in a better situation when the box is stacked like that.”

Zank said he was proud of the way the Homer defense handled itself against Houston.

“This is a tough football team,” he said of the Hawks. “They’re 4-0 and we were right there the whole time. So I’m proud of the guys, but there’s a lot we can clean up for sure.”

The Mariners will host Valdez High School in a home game at 6 p.m. this Friday.

Reach Megan Pacer at mpacer@homernews.com.

Homer’s Josh Manwiller (53) tackles Houston running back Owen Mulhaney during a Friday, Sept. 6, 2019 football game at the Mariner field in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Homer quarterback Anthony Kalugin (12) tackles Houston’s Kennedy Fono during a Friday, Sept. 6, 2019 football game between the two teams on the Mariner field in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)

Houston’s Apete Sasiu intercepts a pass from Homer’s Josh Bradshaw before marking a touchdown during a Friday, Sept. 6, 2019 football game between the two teams at Homer High School in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Megan Pacer/Homer News)