Crosstown rivals faced off for the second time this year in the quarterfinals of the Alaska Division I football playoffs when West High hosted Bettye Davis East on a rainy Friday night. The Thunderbirds won 21-14, avenging a 21-6 loss the Eagles handed them during the regular season.
“They got the win on us on our home field but we got the win on them on their home field when it mattered,” senior running back and linebacker Puni Pa’u said. “It’s kind of surreal and kind of gives me that state championship vibe but nothing compares to that.”
After an exciting first half that featured explosive scoring plays by both teams and a combined 35 points, both defenses pitched shutouts in the second half as East was able to hold onto its narrow lead for the victory.
“It’s like a dream come true after seeing our team battle for so long this season,” junior defensive back Jayden Bonafe said. “Struggling, all the ups and downs, it’s just a great feeling.”
The defending Division I state champions have had an up-and-down season this year with several lopsided losses and close wins. However, the Thunderbirds feel like the ebbs and flows have prepared them for the playoffs.
“We’ve been saying that the kids are right there, it’s just cleaning up some stuff,” East coach Jeff Trotter said. “I thought they played pretty good.”
The Thunderbirds ran late getting to the game due to busing issues with the Anchorage School District, but once it started, it didn’t take their offense long to get going. A West fumble on the third play from scrimmage set the T-Birds up with a short field and it only took them four plays to find the end zone, on a three-yard rush from senior wide receiver Alphonso Dyett.
Later in the first quarter, East put together another short scoring drive when it took six plays to score on a drive capped by a 37-yard run by junior Juanito Mendiola, who sprinted up the left sideline with less than a minute left in the opening quarter.
“We put a couple wrinkles in that we thought might catch them off guard and they worked good,” Trotter said.
The second quarter was almost all West as they were able to tie game by scoring a pair of touchdowns 16 seconds apart with just under five minutes left until halftime.
The Eagles scored on a four-play drive of their own that was capped off by a 60-yard catch and run from junior quarterback Po’okela Puaoi to senior wide receiver Toby Miller, but the extra point was blocked. Mendiola fumbled the ensuing kickoff return and set West up deep in their territory.
From there it was the Aaron Hampton show as the all-conference wide receiver knotted the game up on two plays. He caught a pass over the middle after initially bobbling it and sprinted 36 yards to the end zone. Hampton crossed the goal line again on a jet sweep handoff for a successful two-point conversion attempt.
It’s rare for a game-winning scoring drive to occur in the first half but that’s exactly what happened when East responded to the rapid West rally by going on another six-play drive that covered nearly the entire length of the field. Junior quarterback Azariah Atonio threw up a jump ball in the end zone and sophomore wide receiver Brandon Young went up over two West defenders to come down with the contested catch.
“We put together a really nice drive right before and we knew we were getting the ball back,” Trotter said. “I think that took the wind out of West’s sails a little bit.”
That crucial drive that stole back all the momentum from the Eagles and ultimately proved to be the deciding factor.
“Three weeks ago we couldn’t have done that,” Trotter said. “We were too young-minded. We would’ve crumbled maybe or the momentum would’ve shifted so much that we couldn’t have done that.”
The third and fourth quarters featured some great defensive efforts, sloppy offensive play, several punts, and multiple turnover on downs.
“Our defense the last few weeks has really picked it up and looked like the defense of old,” Trotter said. “They’re the ones that won that tonight.”
The Thunderbirds came up with a pair of turnovers that included a fumble recovery and what was essentially the game-sealing interception by Bonafe.
“It was the end of the game and I knew they had to throw the ball,” he said. “I stayed deep, stayed disciplined, and got the pick.”
His timely turnover all but extinguished any hope West had of scoring the game-winning or -tying score to force overtime but East needed to pick up one more first down to take enough time off the clock to make sure that couldn’t happen. Pa’u got all they needed and then some on a 14-yard rush to secure the win and secure his team a spot in the semifinals.
“At the beginning of the playoffs we said there are about four or five teams that can win it,” Trotter said. “Why not us?”