Can’t put the cart before the horse

Following Eagle River’s 48-14 victory over Kenai Central Saturday, at tweet posted on the @ERHS_Wolves Twitter account congratulated the Wolves on their first state playoff berth in school history.

Time to pump the brakes folks.

Eagle River is not in the playoffs. The Wolves took a big step toward a potential trip to the postseason. But nothing is official. One scenario has a three-way tie, with Soldotna, Eagle River and Kenai at 3-1 in Northern Lights Conference play. With two playoff berths, tiebreakers would decide the odd team out. Granted, a lot would have to happen. Kenai would need to beat Kodiak at home and six-time defending state champion Soldotna on the road.

Tall order.

The tweet was posted on the “official Twitter for the student body of Eagle River High School.” Who knows who actually posted the tweet. Could have been just a kid overtaken by school spirit. Maybe they didn’t know there was a scenario that could still leave Eagle River on the outside of the playoffs? Or maybe they are just assuming there’s no doubt that Soldotna beats Kenai.

And that’s my point.

Sports fans, and even some of us who cover sports, are quick to assume. When you’re building the playoff picture in your mind three weeks to the postseason, you’ve already penciled in the wins for the big dogs even though there’s still a ton to be settled on the field.

How many on the northeast side of Anchorage had the Bartlett Golden Bears riding their elite running game all the way to a perfect season and a state championship? I am sure there are plenty of fans who assumed Bartlett would continue its roll would continue against East. As it turned out, it was East that dominated, beating Bartlett 33-15. I can pretty much guarantee, inside the Bartlett locker room the conversation was very different. But as fans, it’s easy to get carried away.

As I write this, as a Chicago Bears fan, I’m ready to crown recently acquired linebacker Khalil Mack NFL Defensive Player of the Year after only two weeks.

Sports fans love to not only react, but overreact.

Big winners

East, Colony and Palmer were among my big winners during Week 6.

Bartlett was arguably the most talked about team in Alaska football this side of Soldotna through the first five weeks of the season. And rightfully so. The Bears averaged 60 points per game, putting together rushing season totals that could be measured in miles, not yards. But East was right there, with a stifling defense. In five games against Alaska opponents, East has three shutouts and has allowed only 28 total points.

East beat Bartlett 33-15 in the battle of Division I powers.

East is 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Cook Inlet. Bartlett is also 5-1 and 2-0 in the Chugach.

Colony improved to 5-1 overall and 1-1 in the Chugach with a 42-7 win over Wasilla. The Knights continue to expand their playbook on offense. On defense, Colony held a Valley rival to seven points for the second time this year.

Palmer is a step away from clinching the Division II Railbelt title after a 20-16 win over West Valley. The Moose host Lathrop Friday. West Valley and Lathrop both dropped from the Division I to Division II levels during the offseason, and their place in the Division II hierarchy was among my biggest questions entering the season. I’m curious to see what Palmer will see in a Lathrop team that dominated Dimond, Kenai and North Pole, but dropped a 20-12 loss at Kodiak.

Palmer is 5-1 overall and 2-0 in the Railbelt.

Eielson and West also scored notable wins. The Ravens beat up Barrow. West rebounded from consecutive losses to Service and West with a win over South.

The streak

The season started with West snapping Soldotna’s 59-game winning streak, a state record. Bartlett had the state’s longest streak, 10 wins, but that was snapped with the loss to East.

Now SoHi is back on top, along with Houston. Both the Stars and the Hawks have won five straight since losses during the opening week of the season. And Houston’s winning streak is a school record, and the second most wins in a season in school history.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.