Anchorage Daily News

Albert Gerke has arguably one of the hardest jobs of any football player in Alaska.

He quarterbacks the Barrow Whalers, the state's only varsity football team north of the Arctic Circle, in cold and windy conditions more suited to running than passing.

But the Whalers boast Alaska's leader in passing yards, completions and touchdowns.

"It's pretty cold, but we've all gotten used to it," said Gerke, whose 1,577 passing yards already ranks 12th all time for a single-season in Alaska.

If it's blowing snow or below-zero in America's northernmost community, throwing the ball could be a challenge when Houston visits for Saturday's first-round small-school state playoff game.

"This is the Arctic," Whalers coach Mark Voss said. "It could be a beautiful sunny day or blowing 45 mph."

The National Weather Service in Barrow calls for mostly cloudy skies Saturday with a 50 percent chance of snow showers, a high of 28 and 10-15 mph northeast winds coming off the Beaufort Sea.

"I would dress warm," said Glenn Hoffman of the National Weather Service in Barrow. "It won't be brutal, but it'll be a little nippy."

At 7 a.m. Tuesday, the windchill there dipped to a brisk 14 degrees, said Hoffman, who felt a chill on his walk to work.

The mercury could dip lower Saturday. The all-time low for Oct. 4 was recorded in 1931 when the temperature hit a bone-chilling minus-12.

The average temperature for Oct. 4 is 21 degrees.

Barrow athletic director Frankie Arnhart said the football field was covered in snow Tuesday. More snow showers are expected.

"Our kids will be practicing in it all week," he said.

If more snow falls and it begins to accumulate, "we'll have to start sweeping," he said.

Conditions for the 1 p.m. game would need to be unbearable for Barrow officials to postpone the game, Arnhart said. He's optimistic that Saturday's historic game -- Alaska's first playoff game north of the Arctic Circle -- will turn out to be a fine day for football.

"It's going to be sunny and in the 30s -- I've already put in the request," he deadpanned.

Hoffman offered Houston players some advice before packing.

"If I were coming here, I'd pack some of that warm thermal long underwear," he said.

Gerke and his Whalers teammates who handle the football, pack hand warmers inside the sleeves that are in front of their jerseys.

Though warm fingers helps a quarterback throw spirals and hit moving targets, Gerke said they can't always thwart the numbness.

"When it starts snowing, it gets pretty cold here," said Gerke, born and raised in Barrow. "It's hard to grip the ball and actually throw it."

Gerke's 1,577 passing yards are rare for a quarterback in northern Alaska. He is only the fourth quarterback from Fairbanks north to throw for more than 1,000 yards in a season.

Only Sam McKinstry of West Valley (1,310), and Eielson's Mike Leonard (1,256) and Doug Lamb (1,045) have surpassed the 1,000-yard mark.

It's also not often when a small-schools quarterback has a 1,000-yard season.

Schools with enrollments less than 850 were divided into a small-schools classification in 2000. Since then, a quarterback has posted a 1,000-plus season just eight times.

Gerke needs only 169 yards to pass Kodiak's Stuart McFarland as the all-time leader in passing yards for a small-schools quarterback.

If the 7-1 Whalers advance to the small-school championship game, Gerke will have three postseason games to rack up more passing yards.

Considering he didn't know how to play the game three years ago, Gerke said it would be a great accomplishment to surpass the 1,746 yards McFarland threw in 2006.

"Everything has worked out," Gerke said.

When the Whalers started a football program with a junior varsity team in 2006, Gerke was reluctant to try out. He preferred basketball, long the top sport in Barrow.

The Whalers had a three-day tryout, and Gerke showed up on the final day after some encouragement from his dad.

"Where would they put me?" Albert asked his dad, Dave Gerke.

Dave told him he might help the Whalers at wide receiver. But he always knew Albert had one heck of an arm.

"When he was a 1-year-old, we gave him a Tonka truck and he threw and it hit me between my eyes," Dave laughed. "He almost knocked me out."

Albert secured his spot at quarterback in the Whalers' first varsity game last year against Seward. He started at wide receiver, but switched to quarterback late in the game and orchestrated two fourth-quarter scoring drives that led Barrow to victory.

The Whalers celebrated in style, taking a dip in the chilly Beaufort Sea.

Whether Barrow has sub-zero temperatures or biting winds, Gerke hopes for the same scenario Saturday.

"It's going to be pretty cold," he said. "(But) our advantage is the weather."

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Find Kevin Klott online at adn.com/contact/kklott or call 257-4335.

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Alaska's all-time single-season passing leaders

Name School Yards Year

Chris Hinkley Juneau 2,289 2005

Mark Wackler Soldotna 2,198 1996

Brock Graziadei Lathrop 1,972 2003

Jared Boyd Colony 1,914 1999

Koa Bailey Chugiak 1,848 1997

Chad Nading East 1,815 2005

Stuart McFarland Kodiak 1,746 2006

Derek Laws East 1,740 2003

Derek Laws East 1,676 2002

Sven Solberg West 1,651 2006

Cory Wardrope Chugiak 1,592 2003

Albert Gerke Barrow 1,577 2008

Jack Tomco Dimond 1,527 1998

Cameron Allen Service 1,480 2007

Josh Reilly Nikiski 1,476 2001

Barrett Allen Chugiak 1,466 1994

Alfred Starr Palmer 1,444 1986

Macih Edwards Nikiski 1,437 1997

Cory Wardrope Chugiak 1,431 2004

Josh Reilly Nikiski 1,425 2000

Chris Hinkley Juneau 1,413 2004

Jimmy Eggemeyer Kodiak 1,401 2007

Chris Hinkley Juneau 1,350 2006

Trevor Jones Service 1,327 2003

Derek Hopewell East 1,319 1997

Danny Moss Dimond 1,316 2005

Joe Mahoney Wasilla 1,313 1998

Sam McKinstry West Valley 1,310 2007

Jared Boyd Colony 1,282 1998

Ronn Schruefer East 1,275 2006

Mikah Boudreaux Soldotna 1,272 1992

Grant Stophlet South 1,260 2006

Mike Leonard Eielson 1,256 1993

Tim Newby Soldotna 1,248 1993

Kevin Reilly Service 1,246 2008

Teddy Babcock Colony 1,245 2006

Mark Hurley Service 1,234 1984

Brett Fairchild Juneau 1,187 2001

Bret Roberts West 1,177 1991

Adrese Lavern Wasilla 1,175 2007

Jake Carney Wasilla 1,173 2001

Andrew Wilson East 1,171 2007

Phil Engebretsen Homer 1,169 1987

Josh Howard Wasilla 1,165 1999

Cameron Allen Service 1,163 2006

Ted Robison Dimond 1,149 1986

Rhett Magner Colony 1,147 2004

Agustin Ortiz III Eagle River 1,140 2008

Mark Hylen East 1,135 1990

Denis Meyer Eagle River 1,133 2007

Travis Bradshaw Sitka 1,133 2000

Adam Failing Valdez 1,130 2007

Nate Dutton Wasilla 1,126 1995

Tom Marriage East 1,117 2000

Grant Stophlet South 1,108 2005

Sven Solberg West 1,103 2005

Ricardo Pena West 1,087 2004

Jerry Underhill East 1,084 1999

Riley Fitt-Chappell Chugiak 1,062 1998

Doug Lamb Eielson 1,045 1998

Mark Shilling Juneau 1,042 2003

Chris Hodel Skyview 1,036 1999

Taylor Bushong Valdez 1,030 2008

Evan Skinner Eielson 1,025 2003

Colin Graham South 1,015 2008

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