Big games fill weekend with excitement

"How do you not get excited about playing a semifinals game on a Friday night?" South coach John Lewis said. "That's when football is supposed to be played. We are fired up."

The Wolverines will battle defending champion West in the first state playoff game held at Tom Huffer Sr. Stadium, setting the stage for three more First National Bowl games Saturday, when Service and Juneau will wage war in another large-school semifinal, sandwiched between two state title games.

Saturday's confrontations begin at noon with the small-school championship game between Nikiski and Barrow. The festivities wrap up with the first medium-school championship game between Homer and Kenai, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m.

The four remaining big schools own four of the last five state titles, with South winning in 2006, Juneau in 2007, Service in 2008 and West last season.

South is a surging team coming off two consecutive shutouts, a 43-0 win to close the regular season against Eagle River and a 38-0 win over West Valley in last weekend's quarterfinals. West is coming off a 59-36 win over Wasilla last weekend and features one of the highest powered aerial attacks in the state.

"When it comes to defending state champions, we give West the credit and respect," Lewis said. "It's an honor to play the state champions in the semifinals."

South's 7-2 record includes some narrow early-season victories, plus a win that came courtesy of Chugiak's forfeitures for using an ineligible player in several games.

The Wolverines were coming off two consecutive one-point wins when they met West (5-4) in Week 4. South waged a high-scoring shootout with the Eagles in a 37-33 win, but Lewis said fans shouldn't necessarily expect the same kind of game tonight.

"Sometimes it's more of a defensive struggle the second time," he said. "This whole thing could come down to special teams."

By the time teams reach the semifinals, they're often familiar with each other and ready to play hard-nosed football, Lewis said. Such a notion could help explain how West's undefeated championship run last season ended with a surprisingly low-scoring 6-0 win over Service.

"This is not a rematch of that Week 4 game, because both teams have grown so much," West coach Tim Davis said. "Our technique has improved every week. Juniors and sophomores that were timid have really stepped up their play."

South's defense has recently undergone some adjustments that included moving a couple of linebackers to defensive end. The changes seem to have worked.

"They're a tremendously well-coached team," Davis said. "I don't think there's been a South-West game that hasn't gone to the wire."

The South defense will be challenged by West quarterback Conor Feckley, who surpassed the state passing yardage record last weekend. His 2,315 yards in nine games this season bested the 2,289 yards thrown by Juneau's Chris Hinkley in 2005.

"He's grown as a leader. He understands the game a lot better this year than he did last year," Davis said. "It's a cool accomplishment. It's not what you play the game for, but for a kid like Conor it's fantastic."

Saturday's game between Juneau and Service might come down to which of two star quarterbacks can play the best.

Service boasts a rushing and passing threat in Amu Aukusitino and Juneau brings in 6-foot-2, 201-pound Phillip Fenumiai. The juniors run similar spread offenses, Service coach Jason Caldarera said, but are different kinds of players.

"Phillip is more of a traditional West Coast offense quarterback," he said.

Fenumiai, who has thrown for 1,469 yards in eight games, missed last weekend's quarterfinal game against East due to a deep thigh bruise, but Juneau coach Rich Sjoroos said he will play this week. Junior Trevor Pfaff kept the Crimson Bears' season alive when he stepped in to play quarterback last week in a 7-6 win over the Thunderbirds.

"It's the kind of story you can write a book about," Sjoroos said of Pfaff. "He would've been our backup quarterback this year, but he tore his ACL in late March in a flag football game. He had surgery in early April and was cleared to play in Week 6. We put him on the JV team, and then we get into the playoffs and Phillip's not able to go. It was his first varsity game as a quarterback."

Though Service hasn't played Juneau since it beat the Crimson Bears in the 2008 title game, the Cougars are familiar with their opponent. Juneau visited Service for a pre-season scrimmage, Caldarera said, and there's a family connection.

Service assistant coach Numi Ilalio's brother Al Fenumiai, Phillip Fenumiai's father, is the defensive coordinator for the Crimson Bears, so Caldarera said the teams use very similar formations.

"Sometimes it'll look like a mirror," he said. "Juneau is a very fast, explosive team with some tremendous athletes. Juneau's one of those teams you have to be disciplined against."

Service has yet to lose this season, but was nearly knocked out of the playoffs by Palmer last weekend. Thanks to late heroics by Aukusitino and Alan Busey, the Cougars survived with a 34-32 win.

As a defensive back, Busey made a game-sealing interception for Service. He doubles as the conference's top wide receiver with 996 yards and 11 touchdowns on 62 receptions in nine games.

When Service last faced Juneau it won 22-14 in the 2008 state championship game. Juneau will be playing its eighth semifinal game in nine seasons.

Reach Jeremy Peters at jpeters@adn.com or 257-4335.

High school football playoffs

Large-school semifinals

7:30 p.m. tonight: South (7-2) vs. West (5-4)

Last meeting: South won 37-33 on Sept. 3.

Players to watch: South -- Running back Michael Wilson leads the team with 481 rushing yards. Quarterback Zach Lujan has thrown for 1,042 yards. West -- Quarterback Conor Feckley leads the CIC with 2,315 passing yards and 23 touchdown passes. His top targets, Marcel Dion and Lamarr Brown have a combined 1,716 yards and 19 touchdowns.

4 p.m. Saturday: Service (8-0-1) vs. Juneau (8-1)

Last meeting: Service won 22-14 in 2008 state championship game.

Players to watch: Service -- Quarterback Amu Aukusitino is second in the CIC with 2,146 passing yards and fourth in the CIC with 683 rushing yards. Receiver Alan Busey leads the CIC in both yardage (996) and catches (62). Juneau -- Quarterback Phillip Fenumiai owns 1,469 passing yards, 19 passing touchdowns and just one interception. He has also accumulated 450 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns. The teams' top rusher is Jerick Abias with 765 yards and 11 touchdowns, and the top receiver is Sean Niunataevalu with 24 catches for 594 yards and 11 touchdonws. Playing at linebacker, Lah Fifita is Juneau's top defender.

Medium-school championship

7:30 p.m. Saturday: Homer (8-1) vs. Kenai (5-4)

Last meeting: Homer won 21-14 in double overtime on Sept. 24.

Past championship games: Kenai has played in six title games and won four of them -- 2009, 2004, 2003, 2002. This will be Homer's first appearance in a title game.

Players to watch: Kenai -- A.J. Hull plays quarterback and defensive back. He scored two rushing touchdowns and made an interception in last week's quarterfinal win over Soldotna. Homer -- Dyllan Day is top rusher in the Northern Lights Conference and a top defensive back. Other Mariners to watch are halfback Hoss Frank and guards Zac Fraley and Drew Raymond.

Small-school championship

Noon Saturday: Barrow (7-1) vs. Nikiski (8-1) Last meeting: Barrow won 34-28 on Sept. 3.

Past championship games: Nikiski has played in two state title games and won them both -- 2000, 2001. This will be Barrow's first appearance in a title game.

Players to watch: Barrow -- Running back and linebacker Trace Hudson has racked up 16 touchdowns and 1,088 offensive yards (815 rushing) and averages 7.85 yards per carry. Quarterback Eddie Benson is a three-year starter at that position. Wide receiver and free safety Colin Long has five interceptions. Middle linebacker Nathaniel Samuelu, a 250-pounder, anchors a big, strong defense. Nikiski -- Quarterback Colton Anderson and running back Josh Brown.