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Margin of error no longer exists for Alaska high school football teams still playing -- the state championships begin this weekend with quarterfinals.
Two large schools games at 7 p.m. Friday kick off the march to the state title games in both the large schools and small schools divisions on Oct. 17. Friday's games pit No. 3-ranked Bartlett of the Cook Inlet Conference at No. 5 Colony of the Railbelt and Palmer of the Railbelt against No. 4 South of the CIC at Anchorage Football Stadium. Saturday brings the other six quarterfinals, including all four small schools match-ups. Undefeated West (8-0), the CIC champion and ranked No. 1 in the final Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network poll of the season, entertains North Pole (4-4) of the Railbelt at Anchorage Football Stadium at 3 p.m. Saturday. The other large schools quarterfinal Saturday pits Chugiak (5-3) of the CIC at No. 2 Juneau (6-2) of the Railbelt at 8 p.m. Soldtona (6-2), ranked No. 1 among small schools, begins its quest for a fourth straight state championship when it entertains Monroe at noon Saturday. The Stars' only losses have come to large schools opponents, and strong ones at that - they lost 34-21 to West on the opening weekend of the season and fell 24-21 to Colony in Week 4. Only two of the eight quarterfinal games match teams that clashed in the regular season. Undefeated Eielson (8-0) entertains Kodiak (4-4), which it beat 48-14 in Week 3. And Homer (5-2) plays Nikiski (5-3), which it beat 27-0 in Week 1.