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Hungry for high school sports? Get ready for a feast this weekend, as athletes in wrestling, volleyball, basketball, skiing, hockey and riflery will show their stuff on one of the busiest weekends of the prep season in the Anchorage area.
When it's over, 28 individual state champions will be crowned, four state team titles will be handed out, a hoops powerhouse will try to get some revenge, two ski teams will earn early-season bragging rights, an individual conference riflery champion will be named and someone will go home with something called "The Big Ugly." Throw in a spaghetti feed and you've got a recipe for a prep sports diet sure to cure even the most ravenous of high school sports appetites. Here's your guide: VOLLEYBALL WHAT: Mixed-six coed and 1A/2A state championships WHEN: Today -- Consolation rounds, 9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.; mixed six semifinals 1:30 p.m. and 3:15 p.m., 1A/2A semifinals 5 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. Saturday -- Mixed six 4th place game, 9 a.m.; 1A/2A 4th place game, 10:45 a.m.; 1A/2A 3rd place game, 12:30 p.m.; mixed six 3rd place game, 2:15 p.m.; mixed six championship, 4:30 p.m.; 1A/2A championship game, 6:30 p.m. WHERE: Dimond High COST: Thursday and Friday: Adults $9; students 7th-12th grade $5; younger students and seniors free; Saturday: Adults $10; students 7th-12th grade $5; younger students and seniors free. WHY TO WATCH: The class of the sport, defending mixed-six state champion Tikigaq has won three of the past four state titles and will be the favored this time around. The 1A/2A tournament is wide open this year, the first in which the smallest schools get their own division. In previous years, the tournament pitted 1A, 2A and 3A schools from western Alaska against each other. That format was dominated by Barrow, which won four titles in six years. But with the Whalers now competing at the 3A level, tournament semifinalists Kalskag, Skagway, Klawock and Koliganek will fight for spiking supremacy. RIFLERY WHAT: Cook Inlet Conference championships WHEN: Today, B and C teams shoot at own schools, 3:30 p.m. On Saturday, A teams begin shooting at 9 a.m. at West, with finals there at 3:30 p.m. WHERE: West High COST: Free WHY TO WATCH: Chugiak senior Matt Martin, who finished third last season, will be gunning for his first conference title. Martin will lead Chugiak's record-setting A team, which will be looking to knock off regular season champion Dimond and defending CIC champion South in a battle for "The Big Ugly," the affectionate nickname given to the conference championship trophy. "That's what everyone wants," said Dimond coach John Snead. BASKETBALL WHAT: Wasilla boys at West WHEN: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. WHERE: West High COST: $4 for general admission adult ($3 for high school students with an activity sticker); $3 for middle school students; younger students free; also free for West students with an activity sticker. WHY TO WATCH: The 2009-10 high school hoops season gets under way with a rematch of one of the biggest upsets from last season when Wasilla travels to West to face an Eagles' team with revenge on its mind. Seeded No. 8 at last season's class 4A tournament, the Warriors stunned West 67-64 to derail the Eagle's title hopes. This year, West returns first-team all-state guard Tom Feeney Jr. and honorable mention guard Justin Kauffman, and will be among the favorites to win it all, while Wasilla lost several key players but still has senior center John Knowles and up-and-coming sophomore guard Braden Kuiper. Wasilla coach Ryan Engebretsen said he asked school administrators to schedule the Eagles early in the season so he could see how his team stacks up. "I wanted to see the best of the best," Engebretsen said. WRESTLING WHAT: Class 4A state championships WHEN: Friday -- Preliminary rounds start at 9 a.m., championship semifinals at 6 p.m. Saturday -- Consolation rounds start at 9 a.m., consolation finals at 4:30 p.m., championship finals at 7:15 p.m. WHERE: Chugiak High School COST: Early sessions (9 a.m.-3 p.m.): $8 adult; $5 students 7th-12th grade; younger students free. Late sessions (semifinals and finals): $10 adult; $7 students 7th-12th grade; younger students free. WHY TO WATCH: Undefeated and top-ranked East senior Nathan Hoffer will be aiming to join six wrestlers with four individual state titles when he hits the mat at 140 pounds. Meanwhile, the Colony Knights will also be looking for a four-peat as they try to move within one of tying West Valley and Eielson with five consecutive titles. WHAT: Class 1-2-3A state wrestling championships WHEN: Friday's preliminary rounds start at 9 a.m., championship semifinals at 6 p.m.; Saturday's consolation rounds start at 9 a.m., consolation finals at 4:30 p.m. and championship finals at 7:15 p.m. WHERE: Bartlett High School COST: Early sessions (9 a.m.-3 p.m.): $8 adult; $5 students 7th-12th grade; younger students free. Late sessions (semifinals and finals): $10 adult; $7 students 7th-12th grade; younger students free. WHY TO WATCH: With three wrestlers ranked No. 1 by Akmat.org, the top-ranked Dillingham Wolverines are trying to win their third state title in five years. They'll be pushed by last year's second-place team, Bethel. Both teams are led by two-time state individual champions, with Bethel's Randy Hanson (125 pounds) and Dillingham J.J. Larson (152) looking for three-peats. CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING WHAT: LynxLoppet meet WHEN: Friday's 5k classic race begins at 1:30 p.m.; Saturday's freestyle races (7.5k varsity boys, 5k all others) begin at 10:30 a.m. WHERE: Kincaid Park COST: Free admission; spaghetti feed $7 WHY TO WATCH: The state's top cross country skiers will find out who's got a leg up on the competition at the LynxLoppet, the largest high school invitational ski meet of the season. Led by champion Andrew Dougherty, the South boys won the overall title last season, while the Service girls got a victory from Greta Anderson to key their team victory. Don't forget the post-race spaghetti feed on Friday at 6:30 p.m. For just $7, diners can load up on carbs at the Dimond High cafeteria and help support prep skiing in the process. HOCKEY WHAT: Regular-season matchups WHEN: Friday -- South/Bartlett girls at Dimond/West, 5:15 p.m.; Bartlett at East, 6:45 p.m. Saturday -- Mat-Su girls at Service/East, 5:15 p.m., Chugiak at Service, 6:45 p.m., Dimond at Bartlett, 7:15 p.m. WHERE: All games at Ben Boeke, except Dimond vs. Bartlett at the McDonald Center in Eagle River. COST: General admission $5, home students free with activity sticker, away students $3 with activity sticker, middle school students $4, elementary school students and younger free. WHY TO WATCH: Friday's girls hockey clash between 7-0 South-Bartlett and 4-3 Dimond-West features the top two teams in the CIC.