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Two Alaskans are headed to bowl games in the next several days and two more are headed to Division I football programs in the fall.
Brandon Pili of USC and Lui Fa'amasino of New Mexico State are gearing up for college football bowl games – including a Cotton Bowl appearance for Pili in what is perhaps the biggest non-playoff game of the postseason.
Pili, a Dimond High alum, is expected to start at defensive tackle for the Trojans in their Dec. 29 clash against Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.
The game pits the 5th-ranked Buckeyes, the Big Ten champs who were left out of the four-team college football championships, against the 8th-ranked Trojans, the Pac-12 champs. Both teams are 11-2.
Pili is a 6-foot-4, 320-pound true freshman with incredible athleticism. He has 14 tackles in eight games and was an honorable mention pick on the Pac-12 all-conference team.
[How USC found Brandon Pili in Alaska]
Fa'amasino is a 6-foot, 230-pound junior linebacker out of West High. He had 63 tackles in eight games but missed New Mexico State's last two games with an injury.
It's uncertain if Fa'amasino will be healthy in time for the Dec. 29 Arizona Bowl, which pits the Aggies against Utah State. Both teams are 6-6.
As Pili and Fa'amasino prepare for the end of their seasons, two high school seniors from Alaska this week made preparations for their college careers by signing national letters of intent.
Derryk Snell of Chugiak and Jarek Schultz of Colony are both headed to the Big Sky Conference. Snell will play for Montana State and Schultz will play for Northern Arizona.
Snell (6-2, 220) was Alaska's Gatorade player of the year. He was a touchdown machine for the Mustangs, rushing for 38 touchdowns and more than 2,000 yards. Schultz (6-7, 230) was an all-league honorable mention selection at wide receiver and defensive lineman in the Railbelt Conference.
Snell and Schultz are both projected to play tight end in college, according to reports out of Bozeman and Flagstaff, respectively.