Bartlett High dominates Dimond on both sides of the ball for second straight win

After sitting out the first week of the 2022 high school football season and suffering a humbling loss to top-ranked Juneau-Douglas in Week 2, the Bartlett Golden Bears have won their last two games by a combined 45 points.

They notched their first win of the season in Week 3 over rival East in commanding fashion, 32-14, and followed that up with another dominant performance Friday night against the Dimond Lynx in a 41-14 victory.

“The (players) knew Juneau was tough, they knew we lost that game,” Bartlett coach Chance Matsuoka said. “We fumbled five times, we had penalties. It was the first game and they didn’t take it badly. They took it as a learning experience and that’s what you want from your team.”

After topping defending Division I state champ East last week, the Golden Bears continued to show improvement Friday.

“We played hard, everybody on the team did their assignments, gave 100% every play, and we deserved that win,” senior running back and linebacker Nico Aleilefaleula said.

Bartlett imposed its will in the trenches on both sides of the ball, recording nearly 500 yards of total offense and bringing relentless pressure on defense.

“Our lines on both sides of the ball are phenomenal,” Matsuoka said. “They’re extremely fast, extremely physical, are in great shape, and I love coaching them. They’re super coachable, we can do a lot of stuff and adjustments and they pick it up really fast.”

The vast majority of the Golden Bears’ offensive production came courtesy of their bludgeoning rushing attack that was spearheaded by Aleilefaleula. He led the team in rushing with 164 yards and scored on a 42-yard touchdown where he took the handoff up the middle, bounced it outside after exploding through the line of scrimmage then proceeded to sprint up the left sideline and dove for the front pylon.

“They don’t want to hit us so we’re going to keep pounding and keep running,” Aleilefaleula said. “No need for pass when we can just score touchdowns on runs.”

The team’s longest passing play came on a 35-yard senior-to-senior connection from Carl Colavecchio to Thalit Bayath, while their longest play of the entire game came on a 55-yard run by sophomore running back Makisi Poleo, who they just pulled up from junior varsity.

“Our whole team is playing hard,” Matsuoka said. “It’s hard to single out a position group. They are all playing their best football right now and it’s fun to watch.”

All six of Bartlett’s touchdowns came on the ground. Junior running back Manu Satele led the team with two, Colavecchio scored one on a 1-yard quarterback sneak, senior Zuriel Guzman had a score from 9 yards out, and Tavita Lauvale ran one in for a 10-yard score.

Lauvale did his best work and was the most impactful on defense, where he intercepted three passes from Dimond senior quarterback Tyler Reese. After dropping his first opportunity at a turnover in the first quarter, he displayed excellent ball skills and instincts to corral his next three chances.

“That first pick got the team going, got him going with a confidence boost, and he got two more after that,” Aleilefaleula said. “I’m happy for him, he did his thing.”

Reese was under siege for most of the game through the first three quarters until Bartlett sat most of their defensive starters in the fourth quarter. Leading the charge for their smothering pass rush was the starting senior trio of Jordan Mua, Joseph Afe and Tristan Savelio, who brought the heat almost every time Dimond dialed up a passing play.

“The front three is amazing,” Aleilefaleula said. “It just makes our linebackers’ job easier. (Dimond) couldn’t block them, they kept pressuring, and they kept getting that quarterback.”

Up next for the Golden Bears is a Saturday afternoon matchup with Service in Week 5. The Cougars suffered a rough 40-20 loss at home to the West High on Friday night in which they allowed the Eagles to score four rushing touchdowns.