In the tiny fraternity of Alaska football, friendships abound. That point will be driven home this weekend, when a slate of four state semifinal games full of familiarity kicks off Friday at Anchorage Football Stadium.

"The nice thing about Alaska football, especially in the last few years, is that I think all the staffs respect each other, and we understand that just about everybody in this state are competent football people," said Chugiak coach Duncan Shackelford, whose Mustangs will take on Palmer on Saturday.

When Shackelford steps onto the AFS turf, he'll be looking across at some faces he knows very well. A 1978 Palmer graduate, Shackelford played football and graduated with Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen.

"Way back when," Christiansen said on Thursday.

The Palmer-Chugiak game isn't the only one with familiarity factor in full effect. Both small-schools semifinals games feature teams that have already met once this season, while Friday's Bartlett-North Pole game will match two squads who spent time cheering for each another during the quarterfinals last weekend.

"There's not many pl aces in the U.S. where those kinds of things happen," Shackelford said. "It's really neat."

KODIAK VS KENAI

RECORDS: Kodiak 5-4, Kenai 8-1

TIME: 4 p.m. Friday

RADIO: AM-1140 (Peninsula only)

LAST MEETING: Kenai won 21-0 in Week 7

PLAYERS TO WATCH: With 1,061 yards, Kenai running back Billy Kiefer is battling to become the fourth Kardinal to win a state rushing title. Other Kenai running backs to capture the crown include Tim Sandahl (1981), Dennis Machado (1993) and Bill Chimphalee (2007). Kodiak running back Riley McFarlin is averaging nearly seven yards per carry.

THE SKINNY: These two teams met three weeks ago on "The Rock," with the Kardinals pitching a shutout. In order to avoid a similar result, Bears coach Todd Cook said his squad will have to do a much better job of keeping Kenai's defense honest.

"They're real aggressive and they like to come after you," Cook said.

Kenai loaded up the box against Kodiak the first time around, smothering the Bears' triple option. To attack the Kardinals, Cook said he'd like to be able to throw the ball a bit more this time.

"We definitely have the ability to throw the ball, but it's just a matter if we can establish our run first," Cook said.

Senior quarterback Matthew Chavarria has thrown for 312 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Bears, while McFarlin has scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Kenai hasn't had much trouble establishing the run or pass this season. Averaging more than 434 yards and 46.9 points per game, the Kardinals have the state's most potent offense. Traditionally a running team (10 different Kardinal backs have posted 1,000-yard seasons since 1981), Kenai has turned to the air behind sophomore A.J. Hull, the state's leading passer.

"We've got A.J. throwing the ball and we've got some very athletic kids that can go catch it," assistant coach Jim Beeson said.

Bryson Lowe is Kenai's top receiver with 469 yards and six touchdowns, but he's one of six Kardinals with at least 150 receiving yards.

But don't let those stats fool you entirely. Kiefer is the state's leading scorer and has more rushing yards than any player left in the playoffs.

"We can throw long or we can throw it short, but we can still run the football," Beeson said.

NORTH POLE VS BARTLETT

RECORDS: North Pole 5-4, Bartlett 7-2

TIME: 7:30 p.m. Friday

RADIO: FM-93.7

LAST MEETING: Bartlett won 19-16 in 2004

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Bartlett quarterback Willie Highlander doesn't throw much, but he's effective. The senior has completed 53 percent of his attempts, and has seven touchdowns against two interceptions. North Pole receivers Josh Hollett, Phillip Hingst and Jared Isaacson have combined to catch 55 passes and nine touchdowns.

THE SKINNY: North Pole players cheered as Bartlett routed Colony during last week's first round. The next day, Bartlett's players returned the favor, leading cheers for the Patriots as North Pole downed previously-unbeaten West.

North Pole coach Richard Henert said his players know Bartlett's well.

"It's just a little bit of that kinda friendly competitors thing," Henert said.

The teams met during football camp over the summer, and have maintained a close relationship all season long. But they won't be cheering for each other tonight when they take the field with a berth in the state title game on the line.

"They're a good, physical team and we've got to try and stop them," Bartlett coach John Jessen said.

The teams have been on a collision course all season. North Pole began the year ranked No. 1 in the preseason media poll, one spot ahead of the Golden Bears. Both teams suffered some early setbacks before turning things around late.

"When the dust settled, we're both there," Jessen said.

The name of the game for Bartlett is speed. The Golden Bears boast the state's most explosive running game with running backs Cyrus Chenault (947 yards, 10 TDs) and Jamal Hale (975 yds, 11 TDs), both of whom are a threat to break a long run at any time. Henert said that unless his team can bottle up Bartlett's backs, North Pole could be in for a long day.

"We're just hoping that we can contain their speed," he said. "It's a tough task a lot of teams have not been able to come close to doing."

North Pole will look to keep Bartlett contained with its linebacking corps, which includes all-Railbelt performers Lee Jones and Alex Innes, and a defensive line that's as big as any in the state.

On offense, the Patriots also rely on Jones, a 6-foot-3, 240-pound quarterback who has thrown for more than 1,000 yards and run for another 655, as well as running back Eric Antesberger (858 yards, 9 TDs).

Jessen said he's expecting an exciting, hard-hitting affair when the two friendly rivals take the field tonight.

"It comes down to one game and who wants it more," he said.

CHUGIAK VS PALMER

RECORDS: Chugiak 6-3, Palmer 6-3

TIME: 1 p.m. Saturday

RADIO: FM-99.7, FM-93.7

LAST MEETING: Chugiak won 48-0 in the 1997 playoffs

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Palmer running back Coleman Ahrens exploded for 226 yards and five touchdowns in Palmer's 48-12 thrashing of South last week. Chugiak receiver Erik Moore is averaging a whopping 26.1 yards per catch this season.

THE SKINNY: Expect strong defense and plenty of running the football.

Both Palmer and Chugiak boast a pair of talented backs, with the Mustangs' Greg Ghramm and Vincent Valencia combining for more than 1,500 yards and Palmer's Ahrens and Brennan Bohman racking up more than 1,800.

"I always plan on throwing the ball 40 times a game. Unfortunately 38 of 'em are in warm-ups," Shackelford joked. "We make our living on the ground, no doubt about it."

While Chugiak is averaging 220 yards rushing per game, Palmer is even better, putting up 257 rushing yards per contest. Shackelford said his undermanned squad (the Mustangs can barely field a practice squad), will have to stop Palmer at the point of attack.

"There's no taking plays off," he said.

Christiansen said his team's game plan is similar to Chugiak's.

"We need to make some stops and figure out how to stop that powerful offense," he said.

In order for the Moose to win, Christiansen said his team will have to get out of the gates early and put points on the board. A defensive struggle, he said, favors the Mustangs.

"I can't see us winning a low-scoring contest with them," he said.

Palmer had no trouble putting points on the board last week. The Moose got out to an early lead against South and never looked back, racking up 425 yards on the ground.

Ahrens and Bohman do most of the damage for the Moose, but quarterback Dustin Silva does have the ability to put the ball in the air. Silva has thrown 97 times this season, connecting for 562 yards and seven touchdowns.

Chugiak's passing game is based on deception. The Mustangs like to run the ball frequently enough to draw in opposing defenders before going over the top. Quarterback Chris Wood has attempted 58 passes, but he's thrown for 536 yards and four touchdowns.

"We make a living by making people flow hard to things and then we try to sneak somebody past you when you don't expect it," Shackelford said.

HOMER VS SOLDOTNA

RECORDS: Soldotna 7-2, Homer 6-2

TIME: 4:30 p.m. Saturday

RADIO: AM-1140 (Peninsula only)

LAST MEETING: Soldotna won 33-0 in Week 2

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Homer running back Jeremiah Carr has scored seven touchdowns on 59 carries this season. Soldotna running back Braden Price is averaging 8.8 yards per carry and has scored 12 touchdowns.

THE SKINNY: Three-time defending state small-schools champion Soldotna has not lost to a small-schools foe since 2004, and Homer coach Cam Wyatt knows his team has its work cut out.

"It's hard to believe that they are small-schools," Wyatt said of the Stars.

If Homer has one advantage, it's that the Mariners know Soldotna's tricky wing-T offense well, having seen the Stars in preseason camp and during the regular season.

"If anybody knows SoHi's offense it'd be the Mariners just from the sheer fact that we've seen it so much," Wyatt said. "That being said, they've also seen us a bunch and they can scheme with the best of 'em."

Soldotna prides itself on precise ball fakes in the backfield and strong blocking up front. Five different Stars have rushed for more than 200 yards this season, including Chris Nolden (814 yards, 12 TDs), Braden Price (722 yards, 12 TDs), Dylan Story (290 yards, 9 TDs), Tate Syverson (244 yards, 2 TDs) and Tanner Fowler (226 yards).

Soldotna easily won the first meeting, but Stars coach Galen Brantley said the Mariners have come a long way since Week 2.

"They're one of the most improved teams in the state," Brantley said.

At 6-2, Homer has tied its best record in school history thanks to a gutsy team that plays with as much emotion as any team in the state.

"They're extremly tough," Brantley said. "You just can't hurt these kids."

The Mariners rely on several diminutive players to key their attack. Utilizing lots of fakes and motion, the Mariners use the single-wing attack to their advantage with several small, quick running backs. David Craig, Jeremiah Carr, Cole Jacobsen and Anthony Resetarits have combined to score 20 touchdowns between them despite the fact that none even come close to cracking six feet tall.

"Those are our horses that brought us to the show," Wyatt said. "They're not very big horses, but they run hard and run and run and run."

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

TODAY'S GAMES

Football semifinals

KODIAK (5-4) VS. KENAI (8-1), 4 P.M. NORTH POLE (5-4) VS. BARTLETT (7-2), 7:30 P.M. SATURDAY'S GAMES PALMER (6-3) VS. CHUGIAK (6-3), 1 P.M. SOLDOTNA (7-2) VS. HOMER (6-2), 4:30 P.M. All games to be played at Anchorage Football Stadium

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