Sports

Final Alaska prep football poll: West, Soldotna are each No. 1

The Alaska prep football polls conducted by the Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network are conversation starters -- some teams revel in a ranking and others employ perceived lack of sufficient ranking status as that tired old crutch, a sign of disrespect.

Sometimes, a poll can be puzzling. For instance, after falling 61-50 to then-No. 2-ranked West High on Friday night, Bartlett fell from the top spot among large schools and dropped all the way to No. 4, behind a Colony team that did not even play last weekend -- North Pole forfeited to the Knights.

Also, defending large-school state champion South was ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll and promptly went 2-6. Lathrop was ranked No. 2 but didn't win the Railbelt Conference. And Wasilla was ranked No. 5 -- before going 0-8, being held to single-digit scoring five times and getting outscored 324-68.

In any event, the polls released Monday -- West returned to No. 1 and Soldotna continued its season-long reign at No. 1 among medium and small schools -- is the final one of the season. With the state playoffs opening this weekend -- eight large schools qualified, as well as four medium and four small -- only results matter now.

West, ranked No. 1 for two straight weeks earlier this season, regained that position in the final poll. CIC top playoff seed East was second, Colony third, Bartlett fourth and Chugiak fifth.

Soldotna (8-0), three-time defending medium state champion and the only unbeaten team in state, and Eielson remained Nos. 1 and 2 for the third straight week in the poll for medium and small schools. Nikiski moved up one spot to No. 3, Kenai slipped one spot to No. 4 and Barrow replaced Juneau-Douglas, a 48-0 loser against Thunder Mountain, at No. 5.

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