Kenny Ray has paced countless miles up and down the Chugiak High School sidelines, but when he steps on the field tonight he'll be breaking unfamiliar trail.

A longtime Chugiak assistant who helped the Mustangs to a state title in 1996, Ray is in his first season as the head man at Eagle River. On Thursday, he said he's anxious to go head-to-head with a team he still has fond memories of coaching.

"Oh yeah, I'm ready," he said.

Ray's two sons played at Chugiak, as did three members of his coaching staff. When Ray took over the Eagle River program, he said one of his goals was to bring a sense of tradition to a program that struggled to be competitive in its first three years of varsity play.

So far, he's done that, with the Wolves earning a 57-0 win over Houston in Ray's coaching debut last week.

Against Chugiak, the Wolves likely will face a stiffer challenge. Chugiak ranks No. 5 team in the Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network poll thanks to an impressive 37-0 Cook Inlet Conference win over East. Running back Greg Ghramm racked up 131 yards on 17 carries for the Mustangs in that game while quarterback Chris Wood ran for another score while executing a turnover-free option attack.

Fans of smash-mouth football should be salivating at the prospect of a Chugiak-Eagle River clash. Chugiak attempted seven passes against East, while Eagle River quarterback Augie Ortiz threw four times.

Eagle River's ground attack was impressive against Houston. The Wolves got two touchdowns each from brothers Malcom and Buron Bell, as well as 87 yards and a score from Brandon Metzel.

"We preach a lot of the same things," Chugiak coach Duncan Shackelford said of the two teams.

Shackelford said he's looking forward to coaching against Ray, someone he's known "longer than I'm gonna want to admit.

"He's a good, good man, and he works them really hard," he said.

Eagle River has yet to win a Cook Inlet Conference game, and Ray said he'd love to change that against the Mustangs.

"I think we're ready to play a good, competitive football game and be proud of ourselves," he said.

With the two schools drawing students from the same community, Ray said the annual clash between the CIC's northern-most teams has the potential to become a big-time game.

"The kids know each other, they're all friends," ray said. "It will be a rivalry between us and Chugiak, even though we're still family."

Shackelford said he's looking forward to going up against a Wolves team that looks to have more snarl than in the past.

"It takes parity for there to be a rivalry," he said.

Regardless of the outcome, both coaches said they're excited about what amounts to a crosstown clash.

"I think it's going to be a game that the Chugiak-Eagle River community can be proud of," Shackelford said.

SOUTH vs. BARTLETT

RECORDS: Bartlett 1-0, South 0-1

TIME: 7 p.m.

PLACE: Anchorage Football Stadium

RADIO: FM 93.7

LAST MEETING: South won 42-14 on Aug. 23 of last year

PLAYERS TO WATCH: South senior Ryan Hanley caught three passes for 49 yards in an 18-15 loss to Service last week. Bartlett's Cyrus Chenault (198 yards) and Jamal Hale (182 yards) are the top two rushers in the state.

THE SKINNY: Top-ranked Bartlett will bring the state's most potent running attack to the AFS turf, while unranked South will be looking to rebound from a tough 18-15 loss to Service in last week's Cook Inlet Conference opener.

WEST vs. EAST

RECORDS: West 1-0, East 0-1

TIME: 1 p.m. Saturday

LAST MEETING: West won 19-0 on Aug. 22 of last year

PLAYERS TO WATCH: West quarterback Justin Kauffman had a Tim Tebow-esque debut last week, rushing for 166 yards and a score and throwing for 149 yards and three touchdowns in West's 34-21 win over Soldotna. East wideout David Dumpson was one of six CIC players with at least three catches last weekend.

THE SKINNY: This will be the 60th meeting between the two schools, but the first between a pair of first-year head coaches. West's Tim Davis opened his career on a high note last week when the Eagles ended the Stars' record-tying 29-game winning streak, while East's Nick Middleton took a 37-0 loss to Chugiak.

DIMOND vs. SERVICE

RECORDS: Dimond 0-1, Service 1-0

TIME: 7 p.m. Saturday

PLACE: AFS

RADIO: FM 93.7

LAST MEETING: Service won 29-22 on Sept. 12 of last year

PLAYERS TO WATCH: Lynx quarterback Ahmad Nasir threw for 165 yards and two scores -- both to Steven Lopez -- in Dimond's 25-22 loss at Palmer last weekend. Service sophomore quarterback J.J. Christy also threw a pair of TDs last weekend to lead the Cougars to their first win over South.

THE SKINNY: Defending state champion Service narrowly escaped with a victory last season, coming from behind in the fourth quarter for the win.

---

Find Matt Tunseth online at adn.com/contact/mtunseth or call 257-4335.

Week 2 schedule

Today's Games

Skyview at Seward 6 p.m

Homer at Soldotna 6:30 p.m.

South at Bartlett, 7 p.m., (at Anchorage Football Stadium)

Eagle River at Chugiak, 7 p.m.

Juneau at Wasilla, 7 p.m.

Lathrop at Palmer, 7 p.m.

Valdez at Eielson, 7 p.m.

West Valley at North Pole, 7 p.m.

Saturday's Games

Ketchikan at Monroe, Noon

Colony at Kodiak, 1 p.m.

Nikiski at Barrow, 1 p.m.

West at East, 1 p.m., (at AFS)

Houston at Kenai, 2 p.m

Sitka at Delta Junction, 5 p.m.

Dimond at Service, 7 p.m., (at AFS)

BYE: THUNDER MOUNTAIN

ADVERTISEMENT

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.CommentBody@

@Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@