Perfection Denied...Twice...In Quarterfinal Round of Alaska High School Football Playoffs

by Jeff Fisher
Alaska High School Football Huddle

Two perfect seasons came to crashing halts Saturday in the opening round of the Alaska high school football playoffs.

In the Large Schools quarterfinal round, top-ranked and unbeaten Anchorage West was manhandled by North Pole 36-12. Ironically, it was North Pole that began the season as the #1 team in the big school classification. The Anchorage Daily News reports that the Patriots blew this one open in a three-minute span of the third quarter with three touchdowns.

On the Small Schools side of the equation, The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner details the end of Eielson's season. The second-seeded Ravens lost their first game of the season 24-14 to Kodiak. The Bears entered the postseason with a 4-4 record.

The Anchorage Daily News recaps the four Small Schools quarterfinal games, as all four Northern Lights Conference teams advanced to the semifinals.

Alaska High School Football Scores
Saturday, October 3, 2009

Playoffs - Quarterfinal Round

Large Schools
Chugiak 16 Juneau-Douglas 14 Juneau Empire game story
North Pole 36 Anchorage West 12

Small Schools
Homer 24 Nikiski 15
Kodiak 24 Eielson 14
Kenai 47 Barrow 13
Soldotna 41 Monroe 0

High School Football Playoffs Underway in Alaska

by Jeff Fisher
Alaska High School Football Huddle

It made me smile today when I read the first line of the Bartlett Flies Past Colony in the Anchorage Daily News that said there was snow in the mountains as the first round of the Alaska high school football playoffs began Friday.

Ever since I was a little kid, I've thought there's something romantic about football and snow.

Friday night, Bartlett and Palmer moved on to the Large Schools semifinals next week.

Alaska High School Football Scores
Friday, October 2, 2009

Bartlett 34 Colony 12 Anchorage Daily News game story
Palmer 48 Anchorage South 12 Anchorage Daily News game story

Indiana High School Football Post-Season Begins...Six Weeks and Counting

By Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

The 36th annual Indiana high school football playoffs begin tonight with 317 teams vying for state titles in five classifications. All five state champs are back to defend their titles starting with Carmel in Class 5A, which is coming off a regular season ending loss to Ben Davis, which leads Class 5A with seven all-time state championships since 1985.

Sheridan will be looking for it's fifth straight title in 1A, while Bishop Chatard is going after the three-peat in 3A. Bishop Chatard owns nine titles between 3A and 2A since 1983.

Here's a look at the scores from last year's championship games...

5A- Carmel 16 Pike 7
4A- Evansville Reitz 33 Lowell 14
3A- Bishop Chatard 31 St. Joseph's (South Bend) 7
2A- Ft. Wayne Bishop Luers 21 Heritage Christian 6
1A- Sheridan 34 Rockville 28

Alaska To Crown Champs Today

By Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

Juneau-Douglas is back to defend its 2007 Alaska Big Schools high school football championship, while Soldotna is looking for the three-peat in Saturday's Small Schools championship game in Anchorage.

Juneau-Douglas (6-4), which has won two of the last three Big Schools titles, will face Service (7-3), which is playing in its first title game since 1999. Click here to read a preview story on Service. Click here to read a preview story on Juneau-Douglas.

It's deja vu all over again in the Small Schools championship as two-time defending champ Soldotna faces Kodiak for the third straight year for the title. The Stars are riding a 28-game win streak. A win by Soldotna will equal the straight record for consecutive wins. Anchorage East currently holds the record at 29.

Click here to read a preview story on Soldotna. Click here for a preview story on Kodiak.

Alaska To Crown First State Champs This Weekend

By Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

Alaska's Big Schools high school football championship game will feature two teams that weren't expected to make it to the title game. With seven losses between them, defending state champ Juneau-Douglas (6-4) will face Service(7-3) for the title on Saturday.

Juneau made it back to the championship game with a 28-27 come-from-behind win Saturday against unbeaten Anchorage South in the semifinals. Click here to read a recap of that game.

Service will play for its first title since 1999 after beating Alaska's other unbeaten big school North Pole 27-12 on Friday. Click here for a Service/North Pole recap.

In the Smalls School semis, Barrow's season of first ended with a 19-13 loss to Kodiak. Kodiak will play two-time defending state champ Soldotna, a 69-33 winner over Eielson on Saturday. Soldotna is now within one win of tying Alaska's consecutive win streak of 29 set by Anchorage East between 1985 and 1987.

Click here for a Kodiak/Barrow recap. Click here for the Soldotna/Eielson recap.

Alaska Semifinals Set

By Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

The Final Four of the Alaska high school football playoffs in Big Schools and Small Schools classification will descend upon Anchorage Football Stadium for a pair of doubleheaders next Friday and Saturday.

In Big Schools, defending champ Juneau-Douglas will take-on Anchorage South on Saturday afternoon at 1 o'clock while North Pole will face Service Friday night for the right to advance to the state title game.

North Pole and Service advanced to the semis with wins over Saturday. North Pole shutout Colony 34-0, while Service knocked-off Bartlett 35-20. Click here for a recap of Service's victory.

Meanwhile, a snow covered field didn't slow down Barrow as the only team from above the Arctic Circle won its first-ever playoff game beating Houston 46-18. Barrow will face Kodiak Friday afternoon at 4 o'clock in the semis. Kodiak beat Nikiski 33-15 on Saturday afternoon.

In the other quarterfinal match-ups Saturday, two-time defending state champ Soldotna blew-out Valedez 75-14 scoring 63-points in the first half. Soldotna will face Eielson in the semis. Eielson beat Kenai 40-14 on Saturday afternoon.

Click here to go to the Alaska High School Football Huddle for more news from around the state.

Semifinal Match-Ups
Big Schools at AFS
North Pole vs. Service, Friday 7PM
South vs. Juneau, Saturday 1PM

Small Schools at AFS
Barrow vs. Kodiak, Friday 4PM
Soldotna vs. Eielson, Saturday 4PM

Defending Champ Juneau and Anchorage South Open Alaska Playoffs With Wins

By Jeff Fisher
The High School Football Huddle

Defending Alaska Big Schools state champ Juneau-Douglas had no problems in the opening round of the Alaska state football playoffs, but second seed Anchorage South got a scare.

Juneau, which won state titles in 2005 and 2007, beat Palmer 34-14 behind five touchdowns and 264 yards rushing from Alex Fagerstrom, who was last year's Alaska Offensive Player of the Year.

Juneau will face South in next week's semifinals, which beat Dimond 21-13 in Friday's nights quarterfinal match-up in Anchorage. Last year Juneau beat Anchorage South in the state semis on the way to its second state title.

Click here for a Juneau-Palmer game recap.

Click here for a South-Dimond recap.