Bartlett High became the first large-school football team to hold the No. 1 ranking three straight weeks and powerhouse Soldotna continued its season-long reign among medium and small schools in the Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network polls released Monday.
Bartlett (6-1) of the Cook Inlet Conference remained No. 1 after its 76-34 nonconference road demolition of West Valley in the snow in Fairbanks on Friday night.
Four of the five ranked large schools play in the CIC.
West (5-2) of the CIC moved up one spot to No. 2 after clinching a state playoff berth with Saturday's 37-0 home win over South. Colony (5-2), which already has clinched the Railbelt Conference title and a playoff berth, climbed one spot to No. 3. East (5-2) of the CIC moved back into the rankings at No. 4 with its 32-7 win over banged-up and then-No. 2-ranked Chugiak, which tumbled out of the rankings. And Dimond (5-2) of the CIC remained No. 5.
All eight large-school berths in the state playoffs have been clinched. Headed to the postseason are Bartlett, Chugiak, East, West, Dimond, Colony, West Valley and Lathrop.
Still, the only secured seed among those eight teams belongs to Colony, which is guaranteed to play host to a first-round playoff game. West Valley and Lathrop play Saturday night to determine the Nos. 2 and 3 seeds from the Railbelt.
In the CIC, all five playoff seeds will be determined in this final week of the eight-week regular season. Here's the definition of the myriad, and wild, possibilities: East could end up anywhere from the No. 1 CIC seed to the No. 5 CIC seed.
Defending medium-school state champion Soldotna (7-0) remained No. 1 after extending its state record for consecutive wins to 36 with a 55-14 cruise over large-school Lathrop.
Eielson (6-1) remained No. 2 and Kenai (5-1) remained No. 3 among medium and small schools.
Nikiski (5-2) jumped one position to No. 4 and Juneau (5-2) returned to the poll at No. 5. North Pole, previously ranked No. 4, fell out of the poll.
Three of four playoff berths in the medium-school playoffs are determined. Soldotna, Kenai and North Pole have clinched spots, and the fourth berth will go to the winner of Saturday's game pitting Thunder Mountain at Juneau.
Three of four playoffs berths in the small-school division likewise are clinched. Headed to the postseason are Eielson, Barrow and Nikiski. The last berth will go to either Seward or Homer.