CLASH OF THE TITANS: State’s top Division I teams meet Thursday night at Chugiak High

In the moments that followed Colony’s 42-0 win over Lathrop last Friday night, it didn’t take long before conversation shifted to Chugiak.

“It’s going to be a big game,” Colony senior Jake Hessinger said of his team’s contest against the Mustangs, slated for Thursday night at 7 p.m. at Chugiak High.

It could be as big of a regular season game we’ve seen in Alaska in recent memory. Final week of the season. A pair of undefeated teams. A conference title and No. 1 seed in the upcoming playoffs on the line. That’s as big as it gets.

Chugiak and Colony enter Week 8 as the state’s top two teams at the Division I level according to the latest Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network Poll. Chugiak (7-0, 3-0) is ranked first and Colony (7-0, 3-0) is second. It doesn’t take a poll to tell us the Mustangs and Knights are the best in the division. Anyone who has any clue about Alaska football can tell you that. Rather than one and two, Chugiak and Colony are more like 1A and 1B.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do this week to get prepared for them,” Hessinger said. “I feel like if we come out and execute, it’ll be a tough game.”

The clash will include the top offense against the best defense in Alaska’s Division I football. Chugiak has scored 291 points this year, 163 in conference play. Colony has allowed only seven points in Railbelt play this season, and has pitched a pair of conference shutouts. The Knights also lead Division I with only 57 points allowed.

The Colony defense will have the task of stopping Chugiak standout senior Derryk Snell, who has scored 27 total touchdowns this season.

Colony head coach Rhett Magner said the trick scheming the Mustangs is preparing for Snell without ignoring Chugiak’s other weapons.

“It’s a fine line, because that kid, he’s the best player in the state, bar none,” Magner said. “We give Derryk Snell a lot of respect, but we give the Chugiak staff a lot of respect. They’re very well coached. It’s a fine line how we prepare for him. We need to be physically ready for him. But we’ve got to know they have other playmakers.”

The Colony offense and Chugiak defense also can’t be ignored. The Knights are third in Division I with 226 points. The Mustangs have allowed only 71 points, which is second in DI.

The Knights erupted for 42 points against Lathrop after scoring a combined 28 during wins over Wasilla and West Valley in the previous two weeks.

“We took a step back and re-evaluated what it is to play Colony football. That’s what we talked about, and that’s how we expected them to play,” Magner said.

It’s a simple formula, Magner said.

“Let’s go back to the basics. Hit hard. Play fast. Play for each other,” Magner said.

Playoffs

Three games will finalize the Division I playoffs and the Division II and III postseason schedules are set.

Let’s start with the small schools.

A pair of Valley programs were eliminated from their playoff races during the seventh week of the season. Barrow clinched the Aurora Conference title with a 30-22 win over Houston, and the Hawks are out. Homer blanked Redington 55-0 and is the top team in the Peninsula Conference. Redington was also eliminated from the postseason.

The Division III semifinals will feature Eielson at Homer and Nikiski at Barrow.

Palmer clinched a playoff berth and will advance to the Division II postseason for the second straight year. The Moose are the No. 2 seed from the Northern Lights and will see Southeast Conference champion Thunder Mountain in the semifinals next week. The other semifinal features five-time defending state champion Soldotna and North Pole, the No. 2 seed from the Southeast.

Palmer High school hosts the Division II semifinals and final. Palmer will be officially the visiting team against Thunder Mountain. The Moose will wear their white jerseys, will be the visiting team on the scoreboard, but will line up on the home sideline.

It’s the second straight season the Moose meet the Falcons in the semis. Last year, Palmer beat Thunder Mountain before falling to NLC rival Soldotna in the championship game.

Division I playoffs

The Colony-Chugiak game is one of three games on the Week 8 slate that will help decide the playoff matchups.

Only two of the eight playoff seeds are official. East Anchorage used a victory over West in Week 7 to clinch the Cook Inlet Conference crown. East will host the fourth seed from the Railbelt in the Division I quarterfinals. Bartlett is the CIC’s No. 2 seed and hosts the Railbelt No. 3 seed.

West and Service are currently tied at third in the CIC. West hosts Service in Week 8, and the game will decide the third and fourth seeds in the CIC.

The third game that will help decide is in Fairbanks. Lathrop hosts West Valley. A Lathrop win would eliminate the Wolfpack and give the Malemutes the Railbelt’s No. 3 seed. Wasilla would slide into the conference’s fourth seed.

A West Valley win would create a three-way tie, with Lathrop, West Valley and Wasilla locked at 1-3. A series of tiebreakers would be used to determine the final two teams in the playoffs.

ASBN poll

Not much changed in the final Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network prep football polls of the 2017 season.

Chugiak (7-0) remains on the top of the Division I poll followed by Colony (7-0), East (6-1) and Bartlett (4-3). Service (3-4) and West (3-4) are tied at fifth.

Soldotna (7-0) is once again on top of the Division II/III poll. Homer (6-1) is second, followed by Thunder Mountain (5-1), Barrow (3-2) and Palmer (3-4).

Contact Mat-Su Valley Fontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.