Alaska State Final Live Stream

[alaskacat]

Well Kenai Kardinals upset Soldotna 21-10 to make it their 5th State small school championship. The Game is archived at the site below and is to be rebroadcast tomorrow at 11:30 AM Texas time.

Chugiak and Bartlett hit the field at 7:30 in the big school championship and should be a good one .

http://events.powerstream.net/003/02451/ATTFB/

[alaskacat]

Supremacy on the line today
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Bartlett faces Chugiak, Kenai takes on Soldotna in state championships.

By MATT TUNSETH
mtunseth@adn.com

Published: October 16th, 2009 10:37 PM
Last Modified: October 17th, 2009 01:44 AM

When the nation's earliest high school football practices began in July, 31 teams scattered 1,300 miles from the Pacific rainforest to above the Arctic Circle dreamed of playing today with a state championship on the line. When the dust settled, two pairs of schools whose practice fields lie a combined 20 miles apart wound up in Anchorage with a chance to call themselves Alaska's best.


Kenai and Soldotna, bitter Twin Cities rivals with long histories of football success, will kick off today's 2009 First National Bowl when they take the field at noon with the small-schools title at stake. Soldotna is the three-time defending champ, while Kenai won the four crowns preceding the Stars' current run.

One crosstown clash will follow another when Bartlett and Chugiak square off at 4:30 p.m. with both state and city bragging rights at issue.

Bartlett finished third in the Cook Inlet Conference behind West and South, while the Mustangs wound up fourth in the CIC following a lopsided season-ending loss to the Golden Bears. But both teams came on strong in the playoffs, with Chugiak knocking off Railbelt Conference champion Juneau and Railbelt No. 3 Palmer to reach the final. Bartlett crushed Railbelt No. 2 Colony in the Valley before taking care of Railbelt No. 4 North Pole last week at AFS.

"It still hasn't hit me yet," said Chugiak quarterback Chris Wood. "It's like Alaska's Super Bowl."

BARTLETT VS CHUGIAK


RECORDS: Bartlett 8-2, Chugiak 7-3

TIME: 4:30 p.m.

RADIO: FM 93.7 (pregame show at 3:30 p.m.)

TV: KTUU Channel 2 (live)

LAST MEETING: Bartlett beat Chugiak 35-3 in the final game of the regular season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Bartlett's Jamal Hale (1,160 yards) and Cyrus Chenault (1,154 yards) are in exclusive company. Only four other pairs of Alaska backs have run for at least 1,000 yards for the same team in the same season. Chugiak kicker Bryan Maley made an 18-yard game-winning field goal in overtime last week against Palmer to put the Mustangs in the championship game.

THE SKINNY: Chugiak coach Duncan Shackelford's prediction for today's game?

"I think it's gonna be run, run, run, pass when it's open," he said.

Bartlett's John Jessen agreed, saying he believes the matchup between the run-first teams will be settled on the ground. But, he added, quareterbacks Chris Wood of Chugiak and Willie Highlander of Bartlett aren't entirely out there for show.

"There might be some surprise passes on either side," Jessen said. "Their quarterback has had some over-100-yard games, and ours has too."

Wood has completed 4-of-10 passes for 36 yards in the playoffs with one touchdown and one interception, while Highlander is 2-for-7 for 14 yards with one pick in the postseason. But passing prowess isn't everything. Wood and Highlander ranked at the bottom of the Cook Inlet Conference in yards, but are in the state championship game. Four of the CIC's top passers didn't even reach the playoffs.

Bartlett rolled to a 35-3 win in the final game of the regular season, and Shackelford is more than happy to play the underdog card in this one.

"I don't think anybody thinks that we can win this," he said. "I don't know, maybe they're right. Maybe we can't. But we'll show up on (today) and who knows, maybe we'll get lucky."

Jessen said his team won't take the Mustangs lightly because it beat Chugiak three weeks ago.

"If you come in taking the state championship lightly, you're in the wrong business," he said.

Both teams will look to their defenses to make big stops. Bartlett had the CIC's top defense during the regular season, led by Defensive Player of the Year Junior Tufuga at middle linebacker. Bartlett is giving up 11 points per game this season and has won its last six games by an average margin of 35-10.

Chugiak's defense isn't as stout, with the Mustangs giving up 20.9 points per game. But Chugiak boasts a couple top-notch players, including all-CIC defensive tackle Wes Rabung and defensive back Erik Moore, who is among the state's premier defensive backs.

"He's just a great athlete," Shackelford said of Moore, who also starts at wide receiver and plays special teams.

Each school has won three state football titles. They've met once in the state championship game, with the Golden Bears coming out on top 34-13 in 2002, the last time either played in a state final. Chugiak's last state championship came in 1996, when the Mustangs beat Palmer.

The Mustangs feel they have the advantage in the heart department. With 25 or so players expected to dress for the game, the team has an us-against-the-world mentality.

"We've never been intimidated by anybody," Wood said.

Bartlett's players know they can't sleepwalk to the title.

"Even though we beat them by a lot the last time, it was a physical game for us," said Chenault, who isn't expecting anything different this time around. "We expect for them to come out and play hard and come right at us."

KENAI VS SOLDOTNA

RECORDS: Kenai 9-1, Soldotna 8-2

TIME: Noon

RADIO: AM 1140 (Peninsula only)

TV: KTUU, 8:30 a.m. Sunday (tape-delay)

LAST MEETING: Soldotna won 52-27 in the final week of the regular season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Kenai's Billy Kiefer is the state's top running back with 1,338 yards, while quarterback A.J. Hull leads the state in passing with 1,593 yards and 25 touchdowns. Chris Nolden leads Soldotna's state-best rushing attack with 967 yards and 13 touchdowns and senior captain Nate Strieby -- a 6-foot-4, 270-pound all-state lineman who placed fourth in the heavyweight division at last year's state wrestling championships -- anchors the defense.

THE SKINNY: These teams have met twice with a state title on the line, with the Kardinals winning in 2002 and 2004. A Soldotna win would give each school four titles, two more than Nikiski, which won the first two small-schools crowns in 2000 and 2001.

Kenai's offense is the most productive in the state, but the Kards have racked up most of their 3,916 yards against inferior competition. Kenai's nonconference schedule included featherweights Lathrop, Nikiski and Seward, while Soldotna's three nonconference games were against large-schools playoff teams Colony, Palmer and West.

"The difference in the two football teams is, No. 1, the schedule they've played and just the fact that they've won three years in a row," said Kenai assistant coach Jim Beeson, who stepped down as head coach before the season after 19 years as head coach to become the school's assistant principal. Jeff Baker is now the head coach, though Beeson still handles many of the day-to-day responsibilities, including talking to the media.

Both teams boast stout defenses, with the Kardinals pitching six shutouts, including five in a row to start the season. Soldotna had three shutouts and beat Kenai handily in the season finale. But that game was a one-touchdown affair at the half, and Soldotna coach Galen Brantley said he's expecting nothing short of "an absolute battle" today.

"Any time you get a chance to get a group of young men to a state championship game it's a special time, and there's no doubt that the rivalry will add to that," he said.

The difference could come down to who makes the fewest mistakes. Kenai has averaged 10.4 penalties per game, while the Stars were flagged 15 times in their semifinal win over Homer. The tendency to take penalties could be heightened by the intense rivalry between the two schools, and both head coaches said their players need to keep their emotions in check.

"We just have to keep our mouths shut and play football," Beeson said.

Soldotna has dominated the small-schools division in years past, but Nolden admitted this year's team isn't as athletically gifted as the three previous championship teams.

"There's no freaks of nature on our team this year," he said.

Kenai is averaging a stingy 127 yards per game on defense, while the Stars defense boasts a 197 yards per game average. Kenai's offense is putting up 392 yards per game, while the Stars average more than 375 yards, almost all of those on the ground.

Soldotna almost never throws the ball, using a bevy of running backs to pound away at opposing defenses. Kardinals air it out a bit more with Hull, a short, quick sophomore who likes to roll out of the pocket to make plays. The team that best establishes the run early could have the advantage as the game wears on.

"If you're lining people up and you're knocking them down there's a mentality that goes with it," Brantley said.

Soldotna leads 21-14 in the all-time series, which dates back 1980. Always a big game, today's clash is the biggest since the 2004 state championship game, a 20-14 Kenai win. Sunny skies are expected, as is a large crowd from the Kenai Peninsula.

"It feels great walking through the hallways, it's just a different atmosphere than any other week," said Kenai's Kiefer. "The playoffs was big, but the state championship brings everything up another level."




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Find Matt Tunseth online at adn.com/contact/mtunseth or call 257-4335.


TV and radio games


Large-schools final

Bartlett (8-2) vs. Chugiak (7-3),

TV: KTUU (Channel 2) live 4:30 p.m.

TODAY

RADIO: FM-93.7 live


Small-schools final

Kenai (9-1) vs. Soldotna (8-2)

TV: KTUU, 8:30 a.m., Sunday

RADIO: Noon, today, live, AM-1140 only on Kenai Peninsula

[Pendragon13]

You guys in Alaska are finished with your championship when we are still 3 weeks away from the playoffs in Texas?:confused:

[sinton66]

Winter comes a little earlier there.

[alaskacat]

Yup that is tr5ue, usually we have snow by now, but today was almost 50 and sunny.

I am so blessed...I come south on Tuesday and get to watch 2 seasons in one every year:)

I would so like to see Celina play So Hi up here. It would be such a boon to both programs. It is amazing how many players from our limited programs play major college and pro football /basketball considering the total population of the state is 670,000.

If you cut Alaska in half, Texas would then be the third largest state:)

[alaskacat]

Now if I hurry it is off to the Alaska Aces hockey game downtown:)http://www.alaskaaces.com/



Anchorage takes 15 minutes to drive completely across in rush hour. Traffic jams are caused by a moose on the road:)

Dallas traffic scares the crap out of me.

[Pendragon13]

How is the overall quality of football up there? I'm jealous of you guys living near all that awesome wilderness...it would be almost be worth giving up Texas HS/college football for that.:cool:

[44INAROW]

how's the weather up there right now? I hope to get to make a trip/crruise to Alaska sometime.. TI'd like to take the train throughout the countryside. I hear it is absolutely breathtakingly gorgeous there;)

[alaskacat]

I'll try and answer both the previous posts in this one answer.

The quality as compared to Texas is a cut below. Bartlett or chugiak would give 3A teams fits. Theu are big, because we have some Somans in the area, aqnd they are fast also. We have an influx of Texas and Calif, Okla airforce people here that bring their kids...so it keeps them competitive.

As far as sheer beauty...it is truly amazing, the fishing is excellent, as is the hunting, and photo ops are everywhere.

To visit I would sugggest forgo the cruise, buy a plane ticket rent a motorhoime of pickup and camper and go exploring on your own.

You can go to Seward and do the gl;acier tour thing for 100 bucks, which is all day and comes with a great lunch.

The Alaska Railroad is way cool, and it goes right through Denali from Seward to Fairbanks

I have driven up several times, and since I am a photographer I take pictures, and write travgel guides I put on line for my disabled veteran friends to go along with me through the net. They can be found at http://25thaviation.org/Travelguides it has been a couple yeaqrs since i did it, so the costings of things are off , like fuel mostly, and now the Canadian Dollar is worth more than ours so a little adjust ment will have to be made on costs i provided.

On the brite side for here is we dont notice the recession here since we are pretty self contained from the lower 48. The banks here dont make stupid loans like down there, so real estate is just flat and not depressed.

The problem has been the Federal Govt. They wont let us drill, and since Alaska is driven by oil, that is costing jobs to some degree. Obama needs to get his head out of his butt and understand Global Warming is BS. We have had to coldest winter in 100 years, the Polar Bears are thriving. In 1970 there were 5000 now there is over 20,000 and the ice is growing, glaciers are not shrinking.

Enjoy, and see you guys when i get down next week.

Today was a great day, 37 at noon..now just below freezing at midnight