Anchorage Daily News

Saturday couldn't get much sweeter for the Bartlett Golden Bears.

Bartlett's smothering defense forced five turnovers as the Golden Bears held off a game Chugiak squad for a 21-3 victory in the state large-schools football championship game at Anchorage Football Stadium.

"Oh my God, it's unbelievable," said Bartlett lineman Troy Masalasalo, whose mother, Judy, presented every Bartlett player and coach with a homemade candy lei following the First National Bowl game. "Everything we've worked for paid off."

Jamal Hale scored two touchdowns and rushed for 100 yards to lead Bartlett, which finished the season with a seven-game winning streak and a 9-2 record.

"It's overwhelming," said Hale, his shoulder pads draped with several varieties of Halloween candy. "It's very emotional. I just love my team."

Chugiak actually scored first. On Bartlett's second play from scrimmage, quarterback Willie Highlander's backward pass was dropped by Cyrus Chenault and recovered by Chugiak's Paul Boyden on the Bartlett 9-yard line. But the Golden Bears came up with the first of several big defensive stands, forcing the Mustangs to settle for Bryan Maley's 30-yard field goal.

But that was all the Mustangs could muster, as Bartlett's defense recovered three fumbles and intercepted Chugiak quarterback Chris Wood twice, including once deep inside Bartlett territory.

"They're big and they're fast," Chugiak running back Greg Ghramm said of Bartlett's "Black Shirt" starting defensive unit. "We did all we could, but they played downhill."

The Golden Bears answered Maley's dead-center field goal with the game's most impressive drive, going 85 yards on 14 plays and taking a 7-3 lead on Hale's 2-yard charge up the middle. Highlander was inspired on the drive, completing all three of his passes for 36 yards, including a pair of third-down completions that kept the drive alive.

Chugiak mounted a solid drive of its own just before the half, using 15 plays to set up first-and-goal on the Bartlett 9-yard line. But instead of picking up the go-ahead score, the Mustangs trailed 7-3 heading into the half after Chris Wood's pass was intercepted by Jordan Blount-O'Connor near the goal line.

Chugiak coach Duncan Shackelford said the decision to throw while his run-oriented team was marching was a mistake.

"I've made dumb calls before, I'll make 'em again in the future, I'm sure," Shackelford said.

Chugiak started the second half with the ball, but went three-and-out and punted the ball away. Enter Mr. Hale.

Hale, Bartlett's all-time leading rusher, took Maley's punt at his own 35-yard line, juked the first defender he saw and turned on the jets, going 65 yards to give Bartlett a 14-3 lead.

"I didn't see a white jersey within five yards," Hale said of his game-changing return.

Bartlett linebacker Junior Tufuga single-handedly ended two of Chugiak's next three possessions. The Cook Inlet Conference's Defensive Player of the Year hauled down Chugiak fullback Wes Rabung on fourth-and-1 on Chugiak's final drive of the third quarter, then recovered a Chugiak fumble on the Mustangs' first drive of the fourth.

"They brought everything they had, but our defense kept holding us together," said Tufuga, who also kicked three extra points.

Bartlett's defense held Chugiak to just 185 yards and limited Ghramm to 90 yards on 20 carries.

"We're disappointed, but there's a feeling we did our best," said Ghramm. "You've got to give it to Bartlett, they just outplayed us today."

Shackelford said he was pleased with his team, which finished 7-4 with playoff wins over Juneau and Palmer. The Mustangs held Bartlett's vaunted rushing attack, which averaged almost 240 yards per game before Saturday, to a pedestrian 183 yards on 45 carries, including just 41 by Cyrus Chenault, the state's third-leading rusher.

"We did some great things this year, we just couldn't get it done in the end," said Shackelford. "I'm really proud of my boys."

Bartlett's players said the Chugiak team that showed up Saturday didn't look anything like the team the Golden Bears mauled in Week 8.

"They came out here and played their hearts out," said Masalasalo. "It was just a smash-mouth football game."

Tufuga's fumble recovery set up Bartlett's final score, an 18-yard pass from Highlander to Wilber Everett, who may have set an unofficial state high-jump record when he leaped over a pair of Chugiak defenders to come down with the ball.

Everett's touchdown set off a wild celebration in the jam-packed home stands, where a raucous Bartlett crowd spent the entire afternoon singing, dancing and cheering their team on to victory.

Golden Bears coach John Jessen credited the fans for their support from the opening game in Wasilla through Saturday's First National Bowl triumph.

"They were unbelievable in the playoffs," Jessen said. "It's like Brazilian soccer up there. They're feeding us, they're cheering, they're singing songs. Just a great atmosphere for us, and great news for our school."

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

Chugiak 3 0 0 0 -- 3

Bartlett 7 0 7 7 -- 21

First Quarter

Chugiak -- Maley 30 FG, 10:14.

Bartlett -- Hale 2 run (Tufuga kick), 3:56

Third Quarter

Bartlett -- Hale 65 punt return (Tufuga kick), 9:50.

Fourth Quarter

Bartlett -- Everett 18 pass from Highlander (Tufuga kick), 3:56.

Chugiak Bartlett

First downs 10 12

Rushes-yards 41-165 45-183

Passing yards 20 63

Return yards 10 183

Passes 2-7-2 6-11-1

Punts 3-25.3 2-19.5

Fumbles-lost 5-3 1-1

Penalties-yards 5-30 4-40

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Bartlett: Hale 21-100, Chenault 13-41, Anthony 5-22, Blount-O'Connor 3-12, Highlander 3-8. Chugiak: Ghramm 20-90, Valencia 9-35, Wood 7-29, Rabung 4-9, Harris 1-2.

PASSING -- Bartlett: Highlander 6-11-1 -- 63. Chugiak: Wood 2-6-2 -- 20, Ghramm 0-1-0 -- 0.

RECEIVING -- Bartlett: Blount O'Connor 3-26, Everett 1-18, Chenault 1-13, Anthony 1-6. Chugiak: Rabung 1-13, Mitchell 1-7.

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