"Almost every time we executed a good play on offense, you could count on seeing a yellow flag somewhere on the field," he said. However, Blake was quick to absolve the field officials of any overly-critical calls.
"Oh, we pretty much deserved all of them," he added.
The Mariners gave up 165 yards in penalties against the Lions in nonconference action last Friday, three yards more than their total offense. Many of Homer's penalties were for such simple infractions as lining up off-sides.
"Things like that happen," Blake said. "But it happened to us three plays in a row. We've got to quit making those kinds of mental mistakes."
Blake could only dream of what the score might have been without the plethora of negative yardage from penalties.
"At one point we started a series on the ACS 30-yard line," Blake said. "Within minutes we were back on our own 30-yard line due to nothing but penalties."
Nevertheless, a considerably more powerful Mariner defense held the ACS offense to just 41 total yards, and forced the Lions to punt eight times.
Senior fullback Bryan Smith punched in two touchdowns for Homer and finished the day with 52 yards on nine carries, averaging just under seven yards per carry. Smith powered his way in for six points on a 3-yard run in the first quarter. His second score came in the fourth on a 15-yard slam through a wall of ACS defenders.
"That's basically what we've been counting on from Bryan this year," Blake said. "He's our 'power man.'"
Junior Jason West added 62 yards on 14 carries, and picked up his first touchdown of the season early in the fourth quarter.
Quarterback Canyon McKinstry completed four of 10 passes for 62 yards, connecting with senior Jake Fraley on an 8-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. McKinstry also ran for six points on his own later in the quarter. Junior receiver Brandon Moffett picked up 50 yards receiving on two passes.
With the win, Homer improves its record to 1-1 on the season, and 0-0 in conference play.
The Mariners travel to North Pole this weekend to face the Patriots, who punished Soldotna 51-0 two weeks ago, and more recently shut out the Skyview Panthers by the same score.
Coach Blake said he anticipates a strong Patriot offense and has been looking at ways to shut down their powerful rushing game. On top of that, he said he has also been trying to figure out ways to keep his players mentally prepared and focused after a 15-hour bus trip.
"We plan to drive about as far as Wasilla on the first day," Blake said. "Then we'll stop, get a practice in, and stay over in Wasilla before heading out again the next morning."
Blake said he had asked for permission to let the team sleep over at Wasilla High School due to lack of funding for any overnight trips.
"We really have received a lot of support from other schools," Blake said. "It's great to get that kind of reception from a school that we're not even playing at all this season."
The Mariners return home from North Pole for a short stay, before heading off to Sitka next weekend. Blake said he is concerned about how the scheduling interferes with his players' new school year, but is left without other options.
"The guys basically get one full day of school in before we have to fly out to Sitka," Blake said. "It's hard for them to get behind in the first week."
According to Blake, he recognizes the frustration of scheduling for students and teachers alike, but hopes they understand that Homer High School had nothing to do with it.
"The athletic director in Kenai made up our schedule this year," Blake said. "It's just the way they do it every year.
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