Juneau-Douglas joins Railbelt

JEREMIAH BARTZ/Sports Editor

The Railbelt Conference just got tougher.

Juneau-Douglas High School has left the Cook Inlet Football Conference and will join the Railbelt for the 2005 season. An agreement was signed Wednesday at the state's scheduling meeting.

The Railbelt now boasts seven teams in a conference that spans from Fairbanks to the capital city. Juneau-Douglas joins Mat-Su programs Colony, Palmer and Wasilla and Fairbanks area programs Lathrop, West Valley and North Pole.

JDHS was forced to make the decision to move after unfavorable new rules were written into the CIFC bylaws during a December meeting. The Anchorage members of the CIFC agreed to require JDHS to purchase 30 plane tickets for each opponent on the Crimson Bears' home schedule. The CIFC also agreed to eliminate any junior varsity games hosted by Juneau.

Wasilla football head coach and activities director Joe Gardner said once certain stipulations were met, allowing Juneau to join the Railbelt Conference was a unanimous decision.

The agreement states Juneau will be responsible to supply 38 plane tickets to each conference team on its home schedule and will be responsible for its own travel cost to the Mat-Su and Interior areas. There are also guaranteed junior varsity games. Juneau is also expected to supply 30 plane tickets for home playoff games.

"Once it was all set, we were very happy," Gardner said.

Gardner said the most people Wasilla would send to a place like Juneau would be about 45 people.

"It will cost a little every other year, but we're excited," Colony activities director and assistant football coach Mike Boyd

said.

Boyd said Colony would typically send about 45 people also, 50 at the very most.

The 2005 version of the Railbelt Conference will now feature three of last season's top four teams in the state. Juneau, a state semifinalist, will join Colony, another state semifinalist, and the defending 4A state champion North Pole Patriots. Juneau has qualified for the 4A state playoffs four times since 1999, has won two CIFC titles and advanced to the state championship game in 2003.

"Our coaches feel pretty positive, it adds another competitive team to the region," Palmer activities director Brandon Blake said. "Anytime you can add a powerhouse like Juneau in the mix, regardless of what sport, it's real positive competition-wise."

With the addition of Juneau, the Railbelt Conference master schedule will now have to be re-worked. Each squad in the conference will now be guaranteed six conference games. Teams will also play two nonconference games. The CIFC currently is left with seven teams, but the new Eagle River school will be added to the mix in 2006.

In other Alaska School Activities Association news Anchorage Christian School has dropped its football program. ACS was Houston High School's closest Great Land Conference opponent, and geographically, its most natural rival.

In hockey, Homer will move from the 3A Great Land Conference to the 4A Region III Conference next season.