Local prep pigskin schedule set

The 2003 prep football season is right around the corner.

The schedule for the local high school football squads is set.

2003 will be unique in the fact that all four Valley teams will be defending a conference title.

Colony, Palmer and Wasilla each garnered a piece of the Northern Railbelt Conference title and Houston won the Greatland Conference crown.

In addition to five conference games, Colony, Palmer and Wasilla will each face three non-conference opponents.

Palmer may have the toughest list of non-conference foes with former state champion Service, defending state champion Bartlett and Juneau.

The Moose will host Service and face Juneau and Bartlett at Anchorage Football Stadium.

Wasilla will open against the 2001 state champion Dimond Lynx. The Warriors will also face West and 3A Skyview in non-conference action.

"You always try to schedule the big dogs," Wasilla assistant coach and offensive coordinator Dan Michael said. "I love all the non-conference games coming at the beginning of the year.

Colony will open at East and challenge a pair of 3A opponents, Soldotna and Kenai.

Houston will host 4A West Valley in a non-conference contest.

Since the Northern Railbelt combined the Mat-Su Valley and Fairbanks area schools, travel has been a big part of the

schedule.

Wasilla will make two trips to Fairbanks this year, traveling north to West Valley and Lathrop on consecutive weeks.

Colony will hit North Pole on the road, and Palmer has the lucky draw of hosting each of the three 4A Fairbanks schools.

Another interesting part of the schedule is the Colony-Wasilla match-up in week four.

"I wish we played Colony later," Michael said. "I am excited that we don't have to play Colony and Palmer back-to-back."

Travel will be a big part of the second half of Houston's schedule. The Hawks go to Fairbanks to play Eielson, who dropped from the 4A level after last season, in week six, travel to Nikiski in week seven and fly to Kodiak the following week.