"The polls are for you guys," Service coach Jason Caldarera said last week when his team rose to the top of the rankings. "We want to be No. 1 when it counts."
But for newly crowned No. 1 West, the idea of standing on top of the heap is a source of pride.
"We're preaching to the kids that somebody out there thinks we're No. 1," said West coach Tim Davis.
But, the first-year head coach added, the Eagles are looking at the ranking more in a motivational sense than treating it like something to brag about.
"Our kids pay attention to (the poll), and I tell them, 'That's fine, but now we have to play like it,' " Davis said.
West was ranked second last week heading into its big showdown with Service, which was ranked No. 1 at the time. West's 20-16 win earned the Eagles the top spot this week while Service fell to No. 3. Colony moved up one spot to No. 2, Juneau is still No. 4 and South remains fifth.
Being named the top team in the large-schools division has been a short-lived honor for most teams. North Pole, Bartlett, Colony and Service have all risen to the top, but only Colony has managed to hold onto the ranking for two consecutive weeks.
Davis said that's probably got something to do with how other teams look at the rankings.
"The poll itself doesn't mean anything, except for us it means that everybody's going to be bringing their best game," he said.
Davis said he welcomes the challenge, and hopes his team will play like the best team in Alaska.
"Now we're using it as a motivational thing, because you know the effort of that other team is going to elevate," he said. "... When you're in first, everybody's gunning for you."
In the small-schools poll, unbeaten Kenai didn't do anything to diminish itself in the eyes of the voters, winning 44-0 over Northern Lights Conference foe Skyview to run its shutout streak to five games. The Kardinals have outscored opponents 272-0 this season and lead the state in both scoring and points allowed.
Greatland Conference leader Eielson is still No. 2, one spot ahead of defending state champion Soldotna, which remains third. Surprising Monroe, which ran its season record to 4-1 with a 61-14 thrashing of Valdez on Saturday, moved up to No. 4, while Kodiak fell one spot to No. 5 after getting blown out by Soldotna.
Soldotna's only two losses have come in close games against large-school powers West and Colony, and Kenai assistant coach Jim Beeson said he believes the Stars should be ranked higher.
"I personally think Soldotna should be No. 1," Beeson said. "Until someone beats them they're the team to beat."
While Soldotna has played some of the best teams in the state, Kenai's wins have come against some of the worst. Kenai's opponents are a combined 5-20 and none has a winning record.
"We really haven't beaten anybody yet," Beeson said.
He said things are set to get more difficult for the top-ranked Kardinals, who play Homer, Kodiak and Soldotna -- all potential playoff teams -- in the final three games of the regular season.
"We've been pretty clear with our kids that the meat of our schedule is the next three weeks," he said.
Find Matt Tunseth online at adn.com/contact/mtunseth or call 257-4335.
Week 6 high school schedule
Friday’s games
East vs. Dimond, 7 p.m., Anchorage Football Stadium
Wasilla at Colony, 7 p.m.
Lathrop at West Valley, 4 p.m.
Seward at Delta, 5:30 p.m.
Palmer at Soldotna, 6:30 p.m.
Hoopa, Calif., at Thunder Mountain, 5 p.m.
Ketchikan at Sitka, 4 p.m.
Saturday’s games
Eagle River vs. West, 2 p.m., Anchorage Football Stadium
Bartlett vs. Service, 2 p.m., Dimond Alumni
South vs. Chugiak, 2 p.m.,
Chugiak Stadium
Juneau at North Pole, 1 p.m.
Skyview at Eielson, 1 p.m.
Monroe at Nikiski, 4:30 p.m.
Kodiak at Houston, 2 p.m.
Kenai at Homer, 2 p.m.
Barrow at Valdez, 1 p.m.
Prep football at adn.com/sports
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