The effort resulted in a 34-32 win over defending state champion and fifth-ranked West, one day after the Mustangs had to forfeit their previous three wins, along with any chance of making the state playoffs, for using an ineligible player.
Team boosters circulated a petition around the stadium during the game, hoping to reverse the decision, but Chugiak coach Duncan Shackelford said he is sure the ruling will stand.
"We don't have an icicle's chance in the desert," he said.
Chugiak does have a chance to finish the season strong, however, and Shackelford said the Mustangs (1-6 overall, 1-5 CIC) will consider next week's game against East their championship game.
As for Friday's game, it was a wild one.
"It was so emotional," Chugiak running back Dane Prince said. "It was back and forth, back and forth."
The two teams alternated scores in the first half, with West building a 20-13 halftime lead, but Chugiak came out firing in the second half, scoring three touchdowns in less than six minutes.
Chugiak senior running back Justin Schneider, who rushed for a game-high 121 yards on 15 carries, broke a 54-yard kickoff return to open the second half and give the Mustangs great field position. On the first play from scrimmage, he dashed 40 yards for a touchdown.
After a failed extra-point attempt left Chugiak down by a point, 20-19, West's next drive stalled quickly, but the Eagles decided to go for it on a fourth-and-two from their own 28-yard line. After they failed to convert with a running play, Chugiak took over and made the Eagles pay on a fourth-down attempt of its own.
On fourth-and-five, Chugiak quarterback Jacob Wenzl scrambled to his left. Just as a defender was getting a firm grasp on him, Wenzl pitched the ball backward to Prince, who reversed field and scampered into the right corner of the end zone from 24 yards out.
A two-point conversion run by Schneider gave Chugiak a 27-20 lead and set up a crazy string of three fumbles in three plays. West's Jacob Lawrence fumbled the ball back to Chugiak on the ensuing kick return, Chugiak fumbled the ball back to West on its first play from scrimmage and West fumbled the next snap back to the Mustangs.
"It was a real emotional roller coaster," said Shackelford.
Schneider made sure the Mustangs took advantage of the last of those fumbles, capping a 25-yard scoring drive with a 1-yard plunge over the goal line.
West (4-3 overall, 3-3 CIC) ended a wild third quarter with an explosive drive down the field that set up a first-and-goal from the five yard line, but running back Nathen Sailele coughed up the ball -- marking West's third lost fumble and fifth turnover -- on the first-down play.
"We didn't execute across the board," West coach Tim Davis said. "Coach Shack out-coached us."
Shackelford made a great offensive play call in the second quarter, when he said he noticed West was leaving the center of the field open for a deep pass. Chugiak doesn't throw often, but Shackelford saw a good opportunity.
Prince, a junior who rarely gets a chance to throw the ball, had entered the game in place of a banged up Wenzl, and Shackelford said he knew Prince had the arm to execute a deep throw.
Prince threw a beautiful 76-yard touchdown pass, hitting Tyler Rohde in stride about 25 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Rhode pulled the ball in and outran the West defense to tie the score at 7-7.
"It was worked on in practice a lot this week," Prince said. "It was just there."
Before Friday, Chugiak hadn't had much recent success against West, losing 32-16 last season and 37-21 the year before, but Shackelford said his team put everything together this time.
"I couldn't be prouder of this bunch of guys," he said. "We played some really good football. They played consistent the whole night."
Reach Jeremy Peters at jpeters@adn.com or 257-4335.
Chugiak 0 13 21 0 -- 34
West 0 20 0 12 -- 32
Second quarter
West -- Sailele 3 run (Troxel kick), 11:56
Chugiak -- Rohde 76 pass from Prince (Wilson kick), 11:02
West -- Feckley 8 run (Troxel kick), 7:46
Chugiak -- Wenzl 1 run (kick failed), 5:29
West -- Brown 19 pass from Feckley (kick failed), :22
Third quarter
Chugiak -- Schneider 40 run (kicked failed), 10:55
Chugiak -- Prince 24 run (Schneider run), 8;27
Chugiak -- Schneider 1 run (Wilson kick), 6:16
Fourth quarter
West -- Dion 12 pass from Feckley (kick failed), 10:00
West -- Feckley 1 run (pass failed), 5:09
Chugiak West
First downs 19 18
Rushes-yards 39-230 27-99
Passing yards 172 259
Return yards 30 71
Passes 9-19-3 21-38-2
Punts 2-37.5 1-47.0
Fumbles-lost 1-1 4-3
Penalties-yards 11-76 12-81
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING -- Chugiak: Schneider 15-121; Prince 12-43; Wenzl 6-38; Fitzhugh 6-28. West: Sailele 9-54; Tulimasealii 7-53; Feckley 9-39; Dion 2-7.
PASSING -- Chugiak: Wenzl 8-15-2--96; Prince 1-4-1--76. West: Feckley 21-38-2--259.
RECEIVING -- Chugiak: Craig 4-25; Snell 2-50; Rohde 1-76; Schneider 1-14; Prince 1-7. West: Dion 8-109; Brown 6-93; Lawrence 6-45; Rut 1-12.
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