The team to beat among large schools is the Cook Inlet Conference's top-seeded Service. The Cougars finished with a 7-0-1 overall record, and Palmer (4-4) drew the tough task of trying to be the first to hand them a loss.
The Moose will bring a powerful rushing attack to Dimond Alumni Field on Saturday, but must find a way to limit the versatile play of Service quarterback Amu Aukusitino if they want to advance. Aukusitino's 1,934 passing yards rank second in the CIC and his 578 rushing yards rank fourth, but his skills aren't limited to the offensive side of the ball. The junior has scored multiple defensive and special-team touchdowns as well.
Defending state champion West (4-4) defeated Service in last season's title game, but recently saw first hand how well the Cougars are playing this season. The Eagles backed into the CIC's fourth seed with a 41-19 loss to the Cougars last weekend, earning them a trip to Wasilla for a quarterfinal game. The Warriors, who feature a trio of offensive talents in running back Devon Teeling, quarterback Ben Fielder and receiver Tyler Anderson, enter the post season on a high note after a dramatic 23-22 win over Palmer.
East is another Anchorage school facing a tough road trip. The 4-4 Thunderbirds earned the third seed in the CIC and will visit Juneau (7-1), a perennial contender who last won a state title in 2007. Juneau suffered its only defeat to Wasilla in a 55-33 upset that knocked the Crimson Bears from atop the state rankings last month.
South (6-2) won't have to leave Anchorage for its first game, a show down with West Valley (6-2) at Dimond Alumni Field on Saturday. The Wolverines' only conference loss came against Service, as they quietly secured the second seed in the CIC with a couple of one-point victories, two more by less than a touchdown and one by forfeit. Michael Wilson's 394 rushing yards leads the Wolverines, but he is hardly their only offensive threat. South often uses five or six different runners and spreads the ball around in the passing game with strong-armed quarterback Zach Lujan.
When it comes to small-schools championships, Kenai and Soldotna are no strangers to the big stage. Five of the last nine small-school state championships went to the Kardinals and the other four belong to the defending champion Stars, but neither team will win a small-schools championship this season.
With Soldotna hosting Kenai in Alaska's first medium-school playoff game Saturday, the small-schools title will left open for Barrow, Nikiski, Eielson and Monroe Catholic to fight over.
The Stars will likely approach their semifinal against Kenai with confidence, because they throttled the Kardinals 50-20 last weekend to win the Northern Lights Conference. The win gave the stars an 8-0 record and extended their winning streak to 19. They've held the top ranking among medium and small schools since the season's first week and have outscored opponents 366-233.
The other medium-school semifinal will be a Friday game featuring a 7-1 Homer team at a 3-4 Thunder Mountain, which earned the right to host a playoff game by winning the Southeast Conference. Homer finished second to Soldotna in the Northern Lights Conference.
One of the small-school match ups will be another rematch from a lopsided tilt last weekend. Second-seeded Nikiski rocked third-seeded Eielson 51-12 in a Greatland Conference game last weekend. If Nikiski duplicates the win, it will face the winner between top-seeded Barrow and fourth-seeded Monroe Catholic for the small-schools state title.
Large school quarterfinals
Saturday
Palmer (4-4) vs. Service (7-0-1), Dimond High, noon
West (4-4) at Wasilla (6-2), 2 p.m.
West Valley (6-2) vs. South (6-2), Dimond High, 5 p.m.
East (4-4) at Juneau (7-1), 7 p.m.
Medium school semifinals
Friday
Homer (7-1) at Thunder Mountain (3-4), 6 p.m.
Saturday
Kenai (4-4) at Soldotna (8-0), 3 p.m.
Small school semifinals
Saturday
Monroe (5-3) at Barrow (6-1), noon
Eielson (4-4) at Nikiski (7-1)
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