ASAA First National Bowl
Large-school state championship
6:15 p.m., Anchorage Football Stadium
South Wolverines (9-1)
Regular season: 7-1 (1st place Cook Inlet Conference)
Head coach: John Lewis (76-32, 11th season) is the only coach in the program's history, leading the Wolverines to state titles in 2006 and 2012.
Last meeting: South beat West 55-9 on Sept. 20
Playoff leaders: RB Justice Augafa, Sr. (33 carries, 319 yds, 4 TDs), RB Nick Settle, Sr. (23 carries, 171 yards, 2 TDs), QB Colin Thompson, Sr. (4-for-7 for 55 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT).
By the numbers: In its two playoff wins, South has outgained its opponents 645 yards to 476, with almost all of that advantage coming via the running game…South defeated Palmer 42-2 in the first round and beat Bartlett 20-12 in the semifinals…The Wolverines have piled up 281.5 rushing yards per game in the playoffs while passing for just 55 total yards…Senior running back Justice Augafa, the CIC's Offensive Player of the Year, has run for 1,233 yards on 149 carries, an average of 8.3 yards per carry. He has scored 26 touchdowns --19 rushing TDs, one touchdown catch and six returns. Augafa was the only CIC player named first-team all-conference at three different positions (running back, defensive back, kick returner)…Augafa is complemented in the backfield by Nick Settle, who has 768 rushing yards and 16 all-purpose touchdowns this season…South has used Augafa at quarterback at times, but when the Wolverines use a more conventional set they'll go with the steady hand of senior Colin Thompson, who has thrown for 586 yards and five touchdowns with only one interception…South has nine players who won a state championship in 2012 --Settle, Augafa, Thompson, Matt Keogh, Ben Hopp, Sam Cook, Alain Devoe, Jacob Hoover and Jared Hudson.
West Eagles (8-2)
Regular season: 6-2 (2nd place Cook Inlet Conference)
Head Coach: Tim Davis (47-14, 7th season) has led the Eagles to two state championship, including a 28-16 win over Service last year.
Playoff history: South leads the series 1-0, winning 30-28 in the 2011 semifinals.
Playoff leaders: RB Dave Tuilimu, Sr. (43 carries, 295 yards, 4 TDs), RB PJ Seui, Sr. (14 carries, 61 yards, 2 TDs), QB Sean Duffy, Sr. (20 for 36, 338 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs), WR Shanai Leon, Sr. (7 receptions, 147 yards, 2 TDs).
By the numbers: West has outgained its opponents 678 yards to 512 in the playoffs, and the spread-attack Eagles have actually been the better rushing team in both games, piling up 340 yards on the ground while allowing just 71…West downed Service 27-14 in the opening round and beat Lathrop 29-15 last week…Running back Dave Tuilimu has come on strong in the post season. A senior first-team All-CIC linebacker, he has run for 295 yards and four touchdowns in the two playoff wins after running for just 198 yards and one score during the regular season…The Eagles are led on offense by junior quarterback Sean Duffy, who has thrown for 968 yards and seven touchdowns after taking over the starting job midseason … Junior wide receiver Shanai Leon is the team's leading receiver with 37 catches for 471 yards and four scores…West has 17 players who were on last season's championship roster: Duffy, Leon, Tuilimu, Gelano Bell, Turek Taylor, Chad Young, Ross Boling, Chardo Elliot, Jordan Murchinson, PJ Seui, Trea Samifua, Will Fehoko, Trey Luellen, Austin Tua, Sefo Seui, Rapi Sotoa and Tonga Leakona.
This story has been corrected from the print version, which misstated the winner of the teams' 2011 playoff meeting.