With improvements needed, AFS won't host playoff games

Home to playoff games for just about as long as there have been playoff games, AFS isn't part of the postseason picture this year.

Improvements still need to be made at the facility, portions of which have been deemed unsafe by the city. Voters earlier this year defeated a proposition that would have paid for renovations to the locker rooms, restrooms and concession stand.

As a result, both of today's large-school quarterfinal games hosted by Anchorage schools will be played at Dimond Alumni Field. After this week, all of the remaining playoff games -- large-school semifinals and championship games for small schools and medium-sized schools -- will be at Chugiak High's Tom Huffer Sr. Stadium.

EYES ON A NEW PRIZE

A new football division debuted this year, creating a need for more hardware.

First National Bank, the title sponsor for the Alaska School Activities Association's state football playoffs, this week delivered to ASAA the trophy that will be awarded next week to the inaugural champion of the medium-school division. Playing for the trophy next Saturday in Chugiak will be Homer and the winner of today's semifinal game between Kenai and Soldotna.

Speaking of the medium division, here's a plea for a name change, or at least a name tweak, for the division, created for the tweeners who are too big to play in the small-school division (325 or fewer students) and too small to play in the large-school division (more than 800 students).

We know what small schools are and we know what large schools are. But medium schools? Is that where you go to become a clairvoyant? "Medium-sized" works better as an adjective but is clunky in its entirety: "The Bears won the medium-sized-school championship" is no better than "the Bears won the medium-school championship."

The number-and-letter combination used for other ASAA sports -- Class 4A, Class 3A, Class 2A and Class 1A -- doesn't work either, because some 4A schools play in the large division and some play in the medium division, while the small division consists entirely of 3A schools.

So, how about something that recognizes that football is a different animal from other Alaska high school sports and that doesn't strain the English language?

In fact, why not go with Alaska animals? Maybe the Grizzly Division (large schools), Moose Division (medium-sized schools) and Caribou Division (small schools).

Or think salmon: Chinook, Coho and Sockeye. Or mountains: Denali, Iliamna and Flattop. Or rivers: Yukon, Kusko and Chena. Or birds: Eagle, Raven and Tern.

There's got to be alternatives. Let's find one.

WATCH OR SET THE DVR

Two of today's quarterfinal games in the large-school playoffs will air live on GCI channel 1 -- the noon game between Service and Palmer and the 5 p.m. game between South and West Valley.

Both games are at Dimond Alumni Field.