The regular season for high school football is in the books and the 2019 ASAA football playoffs are set with first-round contests scheduled for Friday and Saturday, October 11th and 12th.
Division I, Division II and Division III football playoffs will for the first time in years feature home games for all conference champions including the Northern Lights Conference and Railbelt Conference in Division II football. The top team in each conference will host a first-round game in Division II and Division III with the winners advancing to the state championship game to be held at the Anchorage Football Stadium. The Division I playoffs involve eight teams in three weeks of playoffs culminating with the championship game, also at the Anchorage Football Stadium.
Division II Playoffs
SoHi vs West Valley 5 p.m. Friday, October 11th Justin Maile Field @ Soldotna High School
Broadcast on ESPN 1140AM and live streamed at www.radiokenai.com
The Northern Lights Conference #1 seed Soldotna Stars, (7-0), host Railbelt Conference #2 seed West Valley (3-4) at Soldotna High School on Friday, October 11th. Game time scheduled for 5 p.m.
SoHi is the reigning Division II football champion and the Stars have won seven-straight football championships dating back to 2011. SoHi’s current Alaska consecutive game win streak stands at 16 games and the Stars earned their 14th consecutive Northern Lights Conference championship and 26th NLC title since Soldotna High School opened in 1980.
Playoff Notes: Friday’s playoff game is sanctioned by the Alaska School Activities Association and admission rates are set by ASAA: Adults $10, Students $5, Seniors (65 and older) Free, Students (6th grade and under) Free.
Lathrop vs Eagle River
Lathrop High (5-3), the #1 seed from the Railbelt will host Eagle River (4-4) on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Lathrop High School.
First-round playoff winners advance to the 2019 Division II ASAA First National Bowl Football State Championships set for Saturday, October 19th at the Anchorage Football Stadium. Game scheduled for 4 p.m.
Division III Playoffs
Nikiski vs Barrow 1 p.m. Saturday, October 12th Barrow High School
Broadcast on ESPN 1140AM and live streamed at www.radiokenai.com
The Nikiski Bulldogs travel to battle the Barrow Whalers in Utqiaġvik, Alaska on Saturday, October 12th. Game time scheduled for 1 p.m
The Bulldogs earn the #2 seed from the Peninsula Conference by finishing the regular season with three wins in their final four contests, all against Peninsula conference opponents. The Barrow Whalers (5-1) are the #1 seed from the Aurora Conference.
Houston vs Eagle River 7 p.m. Friday, October 11th Houston High School
The Houston Hawks, undefeated at 8-0, own the #1 seed for the Peninsula Conference and will face the Aurora #2 seed Ben Eielson (6-1) at 7 p.m. on Friday night at Houston High School.
First-round playoff winners advance to the 2019 Division III ASAA First National Bowl Football State Championships set for Saturday, October 19th at the Anchorage Football Stadium. Game scheduled for noon.
Division I Playoffs
The Division I playoffs include three rounds of games over three weekends with the ASAA championship game scheduled for the Anchorage Football Stadium on October 25th. Ten teams play in Division I and only two teams (the bottom team in the Cook Inlet Conference and the bottom team in the Chugach Conference ) are eliminated based on regular season results.
First Round Pairings
Friday, October 11th
CIC #3 Service (6-2) @ CGC #2 Chugiak (6-2)
CGC #3 Bartlett (2-6) @ CIC #2 West (6-2)
Saturday, October 12th
CGC #4 Colony (4-4) @ CIC #1 East (6-1)
CIC #4 South (4-4) @ CGC #1 Juneau (5-3)
Stars Ranked #1 In National Poll
The Soldotna Stars enter the postseason ranked No. 1 in the High School Football America Top 5 statewide rankings.
High School Football America– Alaska Top 5
No. 1 Soldotna (7-0)
No. 2 East (6-1)
No. 3 West (6-2)
No. 4 Service (6-2)
No. 5 Juneau-Douglas/Thunder Mountain (5-3)
Photo courtesy of ASAA.org