But the Eagles defied the skeptics, riding the arm and legs of Justin Kauffman and enthusiasm of Tim Davis to an 8-0 record during the regular season and a Cook Inlet Conference football title.
Kauffman, a senior quarterback who'd never thrown a pass before this season, was named Alaska's Offensive Player of the Year by the state's coaches. Davis, who entered the season as a 26-year-old rookie, shared Coach of the Year honors with Juneau's Rich Sjoroos.
On Tuesday, Davis said the awards are nice because they validate all the work that went into turning around a program that hadn't reached the playoffs since 2004.
As for Kauffman, Davis said West wouldn't have been as successful if the multi-sport talent hadn't switched from running back to signal-caller.
"His athleticism was really spectacular," he said.
An honorable mention all-state guard in basketball last season, Kauffman was a threat to run or throw on the gridiron. As the lynchpin in West's spread offense, he finished second in the state with 1,444 passing yards and rushed for nearly 700 more.
"His decision making was amazingly good for a kid who's never played quarterback before," Davis said.
CIC players dominated the all-state voting. Bartlett middle linebacker Junior Tufuga earned Defensive Player of the Year and South center Dylon Short took home Lineman of the Year honors.
Colony's Matt Jaronik took home the biggest piece of hardware for a Railbelt Conference player by being named the state's top utility player. And North Pole assistant James Watson earned the Assistant Coach of the Year award.
On a team loaded with defensive studs, none stood taller than Tufuga, whose dominant play in the middle of Bartlett's 4-3 defense helped the Golden Bears roll to seven consecutive victories to end the year, including a 21-3 win over Chugiak in Saturday's state championship game. Bartlett led the large-schools division in defense, allowing fewer than 10 points a game.
"He was a big difference-maker," Bartlett coach John Jessen said. "I don't think we'd have been able to do what we did without him."
Tufuga made several game-changing plays during the second half of Saturday's championship game, once by bringing down a Chugiak running back with a one-handed tackle on fourth-and-one, and later by recovering a fumble that led to Bartlett's final score.
Jessen said that after watching the game on tape, he has an even greater appreciation for Tufuga's skills.
"That guy was just everywhere," Jessen said. "He has a nose for the football."
Juneau, which won the regular-season Railbelt championship, led all teams with seven first-team selections; West, state finalists Chugiak and Bartlett had five each; Colony earned four spots on the team; North Pole and Palmer had three each; Service had two; and South, East and Latrhop each had one player on the team.
The state's small-schools coaches also voted on an all-state team, with Kenai's Billy Kiefer earning the nod as the top offensive player in the division. A senior, Kiefer led the state in scoring (144 points) and rushing, racking up 1,511 yards for the Kardinals, which beat Soldotna to claim the school's fifth state small-schools title.
Other top small-schools awards went to Kenai's Donny Dormady (Lineman of the Year), Soldotna linebacker Braden Price (Defensive Player of the Year), Homer coach Cam Wyatt (Coach of the Year) and Nikiski assistant Tim Johnson (Assistant Coach of the Year).
Find Matt Tunseth online at adn.com/contact/mtunseth or call 257-4335.
2009 Alaska State Football Association
All-State Football Team
Large Schools
Offensive Player of the Year: Justin Kauffman, Sr., QB, West
Defensive Player of the Year: Junior Tufuga, Sr., LB, Bartlett
Lineman of the Year: Dylon Short, Sr., C, South
Coach of the Year: Tim Davis, West, and Rich Sjoroos, Juneau
Assistant Coach of the Year: James Watson, North Pole
First-team offense
Center -- Dylon Short, Sr., South. Guards -- Jacob Wert, Sr., Chugiak; Chris Wentland, Sr., North Pole; Eric Sele, Sr., Juneau. Tackles -- Jacob Eisses, Jr., West; Wes Jansen, Sr., Palmer; Buzzy Hotch, Sr., Juneau. Tight end -- Lawrence Fenumiai, Sr., Juneau. Wide receivers -- Michael Sharp, Sr., West; Caleb Holley, Sr., East. Quarterback -- Lee Jones, Sr., North Pole. Fullback -- Jamal Hale, Sr., Bartlett. Running backs -- Cyrus Chenault, Sr., Bartlett; Greg Ghramm, Jr., Chugiak; Brennan Bohman, Sr., Palmer; Mathew Maka, Jr., Juneau.
First-team defense
Defensive ends -- Lyndon Tulimaselii, Jr., West; Lawrence Fenumiai, Sr., Juneau. Interior linemen -- P.J. Tito, Sr., West; Troy Masalosalo, Sr., Bartlett; Shane Duque, Sr., Colony; Buzzy Hotch, Sr., Juneau. Linebackers -- Wes Rabung, Sr., Chugiak; David Solomona, Sr., West; Joe Sokimi, Sr., Service; Junior Tufuga, Sr., Bartlett; Ben McGraw, Sr., Colony; Jack Perkins, Sr., Juneau. Defensive backs -- Jordan Blount O'Connor, Sr., Bartlett; Erik Moore, Sr., Chugiak; Jared Isaacson, Sr., North Pole; Matt Jaronik, Sr., Colony. Kicker -- Bryan Maley, Jr., Chugiak. Punter -- Brennan Bohman, Sr., Palmer. Kick Returner -- Lucas Cosgriff, Sr., Service. Punt returner -- Matt Jaronik, Sr., Colony. Long snapper -- Blake Mitchell, Sr., Lathrop.
Second-team offense
Center -- Ray Shoemaker, Soph., West Valley. Guards -- Jared Kinney, Jr., Chugiak; Tyler Denman, Sr., South; Dakota Wainwright, Jr., Colony. Tackles -- Shawn George, Sr., Service; Ben Kozak, Sr., Eagle River; Stephen Bezousek, Sr., South; Trey Farber, Jr., Colony. Wide receivers -- Lucas Cosgriff, Sr., Service; Cody Pfeiffer, Sr., Wasilla; Josh Hollett, Sr., North Pole; Darrius Horton, Sr., Eagle River. Quarterback -- Justin Kauffman, Sr., West; Jeff Debrill, Sr., East. Fullbacks -- Matt Higgins, Sr., South; Jack Perkins, Sr., Juneau. Running backs -- Elliott Bauer, Jr., South; Eric Antesberger, Sr., North Pole; Brandon Comeau, Jr., West Valley.
Second-team defense
Defensive end -- Ishmael Agae, Sr., West Valley. Interior linemen -- Andy Enz, Sr., Service; David Green, Jr., Wasilla; Aaron McCauley, Sr., West Valley. Linebackers -- Trever Romo, Sr., Dimond; Justin Kauffman, Sr., West; Kasen Lehman, Sr., Eagle River; Kasen Lehman, Sr., Eagle River; Jacob Yates, Sr., Bartlett; Matt Higgins, Sr., South; Siaosi Sila, Jr., West; Alex Innes, Sr., North Pole; J.D. Mayo, Sr., Colony; Coleman Ahrens, Sr., Palmer; Lee Jones, Sr., North Pole. Defensive backs -- Mark Moeola, Jr., South; Jim McCall, Jr., Palmer; Mathew Maka, Jr., Juneau. Kicker -- Chirs Hoffman, Sr., Juneau. Punter -- Kyle Dodson, Sr., Dimond. Kick returner -- Frankie Anderson, Jr., North Pole. Long snapper -- Matt Culp, Jr., Bartlett.
Small Schools
Offensive Player of the Year -- Billy Kiefer, Sr., RB Kenai
Defensive Player of the Year -- Braden Price, Jr., LB, Soldotna
Lineman of the Year -- Donny Dormady, Kenai
Coach of the Year -- Cameron Wyatt, Homer
Assistant Coach of the Year -- Tim Johnson, Nikiski
First-team defense
Punter -- Vlad Ferderer, Skyview. Defensive backs -- Cole Jacobsen, Homer; Brando Wik, Nikiski; Charles King, Eielson. Outside linebacker -- Nick Rouswell, Kenai; Chase Jenson, Soldotna. Inside linebacker -- Braden Price, Soldotna; Kyle Rogers, Kenai. Interior lineman -- Donny Dormady, Kenai; Nathan Strieby, Soldotna; DJ Stilchen, Soldotna; Richie Ziehmer, Kenai. Utility player -- Tate Syverson, Soldotna
First-team offense
Quarterback -- A.J. Hull, Kenai. Fullback -- Chris Nolden, Soldotna. Running backs -- Braden Price, Soldotna; Billy Kiefer, Kenai. Wide receiver -- Charles King, Eielson. Tight end -- Josh Bialik, Delta, Center -- Caleb Cinerski, Seward. Guards -- Chase Jenson, Soldotna; Donny Dormady, Kenai. Tackles -- Nathan Strieby, Soldotna; Kyle Rogers, Kenai. Kicker -- Mark Walsworth, Homer. Long snapper -- Tyler McGillivary, Soldotna. Return specialist -- Billy Kiefer, Kenai
Second-team defense
Punter -- Brando Wik, Nikiski. Defensive backs -- Billy Kiefer, Kenai; Justin Hjelm, Delta; Dylon Story, Soldotna. Outside linebacker -- Bob Seater, Nikiski; Anthony Edwards, Barrow. Inside linebacker -- Nick Gavora, Monroe; Jordan Harrison, Nikiski. Interior lineman -- Tyler Peek, Nikiski; Victor Unutoa, Barrow; James Duncan, Monroe; Caleb Cinereski, Seward. Utility player -- Matt Parker, Nikiski.
Second-team offense
Quarterback -- Albert Gerke, Barrow. Fullback -- Stephen Krogseng, Nikiski. Running back -- Jacob Sprankle, Eielson; Anthony Edwards, Barrow. Wide receiver -- Bryson Lowe, Kenai. Tight end -- Garrett Bosick, Soldotna. Center -- Braden Lichty, Soldotna. Guard -- Joe Biggane, Eielson; Jordan Harrison, Nikiski. Tackle -- William Cullen, Valdez; Alistar Dunbar, Barrow. Kicker -- Sara Colvin, Eielson. Long snapper -- Colton Anderson, Nikiski. Return specialist -- Brian Schmidt, Seward.
Players of the year
The 2009 Alaska State Football Association's players of the year (as voted on by the coaches in the players' classification):
Big Schools
Offensive: Justin Kauffman, West senior quarterback
Defensive: Junior Tufuga, Bartlett senior linebacker
Small Schools
Offensive: Billy Kiefer, Kenai senior running back
Defensive: Braden Price, Soldotna junior linebacker
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