Heartbreaking end

ANCHORAGE — The 2017 season came to a disappointing end Friday night for the previously unbeaten Chugiak High Mustangs as they lost a shootout to Bartlett High 75-62 in the semifinals of the Division I State Playoffs at the Anchorage Football Stadium.

The Chugiak offense racked up 527 yards of offense, but the Mustang defense’s inability to get stops of an even more impressive Bartlett offense that gained 611 of its 638 yards on the ground, proved to be too much to overcome.

Chugiak senior wide receiver and linebacker Derryk Snell, whom Bartlett head coach John Jessen, after the game, called the best player in the state, hauled in 11 passes from quarterback Hunter Harr for 160 yards and gained another 100 on the ground, put the blame for the defensive letdown squarely on his shoulders.

“We try to prepare and obviously we didn’t prepare enough,” Snell said. “Honestly, that’s a lack of focus on the defense and me. I’m a leader and I didn’t step up big tonight on defense and I take that blame.”

A torrid back-and-forth first half saw the Golden Bears score in the final minute to square the game at 28-28, and on the first play of the second half Bartlett took its first lead when Jontay Edwards rumbled 65 yards on a simple off tackle run, one of 45 carries on the night for the Golden Bear workhorse, who amassed a remarkable 387 yards.

Jessen felt that play may have been the one that turned the tide his team’s way.

“I think the backbreaker was that first play of the third quarter,’ Jessen said. “Last week (Chugiak) came out like gangbusters at the start of the second half against Service. These guys made adjustments last week against Service and Service is a good offensive team.”

But on this night, the Mustangs could never solve the thunder-and-lightning combo of the powerful Edwards running between tackles, and Hunter Cargill trying to get to the edges.

“I didn’t expect that to happen; I thought it would be a low-scoring game,” Snell said. “Honestly, they just ran the same play over and over, we couldn’t stop it and then we just fell apart.”

Cargill finished with 201 yards on 23 carries to give the Bears one ferocious one-two punch.

“Yeah, that’s my wingman,” Edwards said of Cargill. “If it doesn’t go to me, he’s the other threat. He’s just as dangerous as I am.”

Bartlett advances to the state championship game Friday night where they’ll take on West High, a 21-18 winner over East on Saturday.

Edwards fully expects his offense to pile up more points to achieve a state title.

“Our defense, once again, is having problems covering passes and deep coverage,” Edwards said. “Every game is a shootout; if we don’t score 60 it’s going to be a bad game for us.”

Jessen pointed out that Chugiak’s vaunted, and balanced, offensive attack had a lot to do with his defense’s struggles.

“We knew what we were dealing with at the beginning of the season, that our offensive side was stronger than our defense,” he said. “Also, besides us, (Chugiak) is one of the best offenses in the state. They’re great; they were all they were advertised to be.”

Snell, who scored five touchdowns in his final high school game has signed to play Division I football next season at Montana State.

“I’m not going to fail my teammates at the next level,” he said. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to get a national championship.”