The Golden Bears scored 14 points off four first-half Service turnovers Saturday to win their second consecutive Cook Inlet Conference game 24-14 and move into prime position to make the playoffs.
"We knew if we win all our next three games we'll be in the playoffs," said Bartlett senior linebacker/kicker Junior Tufuga. "We need to be in the playoffs."
Tufuga spearheaded a defensive effort that forced five Service turnovers -- including four interceptions of sophomore quarterback J.J. Christy -- and limited the Cougars to 211 yards of offense. The 5-11, 225-pound Tufuga had an interception and a field goal in the second half to help put away Service at Dimond's Alumni Field.
"Number one, our defense is awesome," said Bartlett head coach John Jessen. "It's really starting to come together."
Jessen thanked his defensive coaches -- John Paul Huffer, Dan Esparza, Brian Mercereau and Ali Larijani -- with solidifying a unit that made big plays all afternoon.
"They're doing a great job with these kids," Jessen said.
A loss would have put Bartlett (3-2 Cook Inlet Conference, 4-2 overall) on the outside of a logjam for the four CIC playoff positions. Instead, they're in good shape after enduring an up-and-down season that's seen them go from No. 1 in the state to a .500 ballclub midway through the season.
"The way we played today is what I envisioned for our season," Jessen said.
Bartlett controlled the game by controlling the football. They held the ball eight minutes longer than Service, outgained the Cougars 364-211 and committed one turnover. Running back Jamal Hale led all players with 150 yards on 17 carries, including a pair of first-half touchdown runs.
Bartlett defensive back Jacob Yates set up the first Golden Bears touchdown when he snared a Christy pass that slipped through the fingers of receiver Lucas Cosgriff.
Three plays later, Hale scored on a 3-yard run to give Bartlett a lead it never relinquished.
Bartlett's second score came two plays after a Wilber Everett interception, when Hale busted up the middle and easily won a 50-yard dash against the Service secondary.
The Cougars then put together their best drive of the day, going 54 yards on 13 plays to cut it to 14-6 on Jordan Daniels' 1-yard touchdown run.
"We showed today that we can move the ball up and down the field," Service coach Jason Caldarera said. "We just have to minimize our mistakes."
Bartlett wasted little time ripping away any momentum Service may have gained with a three-play whirlwind that culminated in a 70-yard strike from Willie Highlander to speedster Cyrus Chenault, who caught a 20-yard lob and turned on the jets, jogging Usain Bolt-like across the finish line.
Bartlett's final score came on its first possession of the second half, a clock-eating 15-play drive that ended when Tufuga snuck an ugly line-drive field goal just over the crossbar. The drive took 6:27 off the clock and was kept alive by a spectacular catch on fourth down by Chenault, who went up over Cosgriff and Eric Cothran to snare the ball away and get Bartlett into field goal range.
Jessen said the victory was a triumph for his team's old-school, wing-T offense.
"We run our offense from the 50s and we just beat two offenses of the new millennium," he said, referring to the pass-first spread attack employed by Dimond and Service.
Service did its best to make it a game late, getting a 2-yard Jordan Daniels touchdown run to cut the lead to 24-14. But the Cougars never threatened down the stretch, and Bartlett mercifully kneeled out the final seconds from deep inside Service territory to spoil the Cougars' homecoming.
Service (3-2 CIC, 4-2 overall) has turned the ball over 11 times in its last two losses, a trend Christy said he knows must change for the Cougars to have a shot as repeating as state champions.
"Obviously, ball security is a huge thing," he said.
But the sophomore said he's still fully confident that the Cougars will be in the hunt come playoff time.
"We'll bounce back," he said. "We always do."
Find Matt Tunseth online at adn.com/contact/mtunseth or call 257-4335.
Bartlett 7 14 3 0 -- 24
Service 0 6 0 8 -- 14
First Quarter
Bartlett -- Hale 3 run (Tufuga kick), 0:37.
Second Quarter
Bartlett -- Hale 50 run (Tufuga kick), 7:36.
Service -- Daniels 1 run (run failed), 4:08.
Bartlett -- Chenault 70 pass from Highlander (Tufuga kick), 3:18.
Third Quarter
Bartlett -- Tufuga 18 FG, 5:33.
Fourth Quarter
Service -- Daniels 2 run (Cosgriff pass from Christy), 3:45.
Bartlett Service
First downs 14 13
Rushes-yards 47-219 28-68
Passing yards 145 143
Return yards 59 8
Passes 9-12-0 13-25-4
Punts 4-29.3 4-38.3
Fumbles-lost 2-2 3-1
Penalties-yards 7-60 5-42
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING -- Service: Daniels 13-55, Christy 13-22, Smith 1-(-1), George 1-(-8). Bartlett: Hale 23-150, Chenault 17-60, Highlander 3-4, Lisenby 3-3, Cunningham 1-2.
PASSING -- Service: Christy 13-25-4 -- 143. Bartlett: Highlander 9-12-0 -- 145.
RECEIVING -- Service: Cosgriff 5-27, Mamikunian 2-35, Cothran 2-6, Theulen 1-34, Daniels 1-20, Oder 1-15, Allen 1-6. Bartlett: Chenault 3-99, Lisenby 3-24, Gunn 2-31, Hale 1-10.
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