Senior uses career night to help Wasilla football snap a 15-game losing skid

What you need to know:

• Wasilla High School's Brandon Wadleigh helped the Warriors beat Chugiak 35-15 this month, ending a 15-game varsity losing streak and giving the team its first conference victory since 2023.
• The senior rushed for a career-high 201 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, averaging 9.6 yards per attempt.
• Wasilla rallied from an early 15-0 deficit, scoring 28 points in the second half as the team improved to 1-1.
• Short on time but need the local news scoop? Get free weekly news in your inbox for Mat-Su, from Mat-Su.

It had been a long time since Brandon Wadleigh and his Wasilla Warriors teammates had the chance to celebrate a varsity prep football victory. But Wadleigh used a career night to help the Warriors snap a 15-game losing streak that dated back to the 2024 season.

Wadleigh rushed for 201 yards and two scores to help lead Wasilla to a 35-15 Northern Lights Conference victory over the Chugiak Mustangs Aug. 21 at Chugiak High School.

“It meant so much seeing my teammates all happy after the game,” Wadleigh said during a team practice Wednesday afternoon at Wasilla High. “It felt surreal.”

Wasilla’s last varsity win was nearly two years ago — Aug. 30, 2024 — a 31-14 victory over Barrow High School in Utqiagvik. Wadleigh was on that varsity team as a sophomore. But the Whalers are a nonconference opponent. The win over Chugiak was the first conference victory of their varsity careers for Wadleigh and his teammates. Prior to last weekend’s win, Wasilla’s last conference victory was also against Chugiak, 13-7 on Aug. 25, 2023.

Wadleigh and his varsity teammates had a rough 2025 season, finishing 0-8. The veterans returned in 2026 ready to work, he said.

“This team really wants it,” Wadleigh said.

Chugiak jumped to a quick 15-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Warriors used a 28-point second half to improve to 1-1 during the young season.

“We started off with a couple of mental mistakes, but we cleaned it up,” Wadleigh said. “It shows the mental toughness of this team, how we really want it.”

Wadleigh plays on both sides of the ball. He plays in the defensive backfield. On offense, Wadleigh is among a group of versatile athletes head coach Matt Jaronik likes to use at different skill positions.

“There’s a bunch of different ways we want to use them, whether it’s running back or slot receiver like in Brandon’s case,” Jaronik said.

Jaronik said he has about five guys he can move around.

“We’re just trying to be versatile,” Jaronik said.

As the game evolved, the Warriors gave Wadleigh a more prominent role in the running game. The result was 201 yards on 21 carries with a pair of touchdowns. The senior averaged 9.6 yards — basically a first down — per carry.

“I wouldn’t be able to do any of this without my line blocking,” Wadleigh said.

His rushing total is a career high for Wadleigh by far. It’s also the most by a running back in Jaronik’s six-year tenure as head coach. Former Wasilla standout Devon Teeling set the school record with 293 yards rushing against North Pole in 2011.

Wadleigh has been playing football since he was 5 years old. He is also on the Wasilla track and field team. Wadleigh plans to play at the next level and has been in contact with coaches from college football programs.

Off the field, Wadleigh said Advanced Placement statistics is among his favorite courses at WHS.

Jeremiah Bartz is a longtime local journalist based in Palmer and has been a sportswriter in Alaska for nearly three decades. He writes about student activities for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, where he works full time as a community relations coordinator.