Sports

No margin for error: Prep football playoffs set

You hear it frequently from coaches, players and supporters of almost every high school football team in the state throughout the regular season -- what if?

If a team had converted one or two more extra points? If a team had not committed so many penalties? If that pass had not been dropped, that one pivotal player had not misunderstood the play or the defense had not been in the incorrect coverage?

In the regular season, there's almost always next week to get it right. Now, though, the margin of error narrows, and teams on the wrong side of a what-if will have the better part of 10 months to think about it.

Alaska's prep playoffs open this week with quarterfinals for large schools and semifinals for medium schools and small schools. Sixteen teams have made it this far; only three will survive and be crowned champion.

The team inarguably with the fewest regrets from the regular season is three-time defending medium-school champion Soldotna. The Stars (8-0) are the only team in the state that rolled through the season undefeated. They own a state-record 37-game winning streak. They opened the season with a 21-17 victory over defending large-school champion South, beat four large schools and, after beating South, won their next six games by an average of 39 points before last Saturday's 23-0 win over rival Kenai Central.

The Stars entertain Thunder Mountain (4-4) in the semifinals at 4 p.m. Saturday at Dimond's Alumni Field.

Also back to defend a title is reigning small-school king Eielson (7-1).

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A new large-school champ will be crowned -- South, winner of two of the three last state titles, did not qualify for the postseason.

Trying to puzzle out the large-school field is something of a head-scratcher. For instance, the top four of the Cook Inlet Conference's five playoff qualifiers -- East, Chugiak, West and Bartlett -- all finished 4-2 in conference.

Perhaps the most intriguing first-round matchup comes Friday, when Bartlett (6-2) travels to Chugiak (5-3). Chugiak beat Bartlett 36-35 in Week 2 of the regular season.

Three other matchups this week represent rematches of regular-season games -- and all three were blowouts.

Kenai (6-1) throttled North Pole 45-8 in Week 7. Nikiski thumped Barrow 42-12 in Week 2. And Eielson dispatched Homer 61-18 in Week 2.

ASAA/First National Bowl

State high school football playoffs

Large-school quarterfinals

Friday

Dimond (5-3) at Colony (6-2), 7 p.m.

Bartlett (6-2) at Chugiak (5-3), 7 p.m.

Saturday

West Valley (3-5) at East (6-2), 2 p.m.

West (6-2) at Lathrop (4-3), 5 p.m.

Medium-school semifinals

At Dimond's Alumni Field

Saturday

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Kenai (6-1) vs. North Pole (4-3), 1 p.m.

Soldotna (8-0) vs. Thunder Mountain (4-4), 4 p.m.

Small-school semifinals

Saturday

Homer (4-4) at Eielson (7-1), 1 p.m.

Barrow (5-3) at Nikiski (6-2), 4 p.m.

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