Prep football: Playoffs loom as teams hit week six

Sept. 15, 2006

By DARRELL L. BREESE/ Frontiersman

MAT-SU - Mention the word playoffs to any of the Valley's high school football coaches and they'll likely run away with the speed and agility of the top rushers in the state.

But with just three weeks left in the regular season, every game between now and the final whistle has serious playoff implications.

Houston and Colony are in the driver's seats. If they win they are in. Palmer and Wasilla could likely make it if they win out, but they still have the annual Potato Bowl on Sept. 29. That means at least one team has to lose.

How the playoff picture is shaping up for the four Valley high school football teams make every game a big one. Possibly the biggest of the weekend pits Juneau-Douglas against Colony. The game could establish either team as the front-runner for the Railbelt Conference title.

The Knights, currently ranked first by the Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network poll, hosts the defending state champion Crimson Bears tonight at 7 p.m.

The game is so important that Colony coach Jamie Mayo indicated before the season that it was one of the biggest on the schedule for the Knights, addding that the players had it circled on the schedule after just one week of practice.

&#8220It's the biggest game we'll play this weekend,” Mayo said. &#8220We're playing the defending state champions and until they don't win the championship again they'll be the state champions. Were not going to take them lightly. It's going to take our best effort to beat them.”

The big test for the Knights might be containing Juneau quarterback Chris Hinkley, who led the state in passing last season. While the Colony defense has been solid all year it has not faced an offense with a passing game like Juneau's. Hinkley comes into the game having thrown seven touchdown passes and 613 yards, while completing 53 percent of his passes.

&#8220He threw for five touchdowns against us last year and we have the same defensive backs,” Mayo said. &#8220I'm sure the Juneau coaches will remember that and will try to duplicate that performance again this year. So we'll need to improve our defense if we don't want to see a repeat of last year. It will be a new challenge for us.”

Mayo hopes that his defensive line can play a role in stopping Hinkley from throwing the ball around.

&#8220I hate to keep leaning on them, but our defensive line play has been a key for our success,” Mayo explained. &#8220We need them to put a lot of pressure on him and make sure he doesn't hit the big play.”

Mayo added that he expects Juneau to focus on stopping running back Chebon Jimenez, meaning there could be opportunities for the Knights to air out the ball as well.

&#8220We'll take what they give us on offense,” Mayo said. &#8220If they focus too much on stopping the run, we're more than capable of passing the ball.”

Quarterback Teddy Babcock, who threw two touchdown passes against Palmer, ranks just behind Hinkley with 607 passing yards. Plus Babcock has nine touchdowns.

While both teams possess potent offenses, it is on defense where CHS is at its best. Colony's defense has not given up a point in the last two games and has held opposing teams to an average of 5.6 points per game this season. Juneau ranks second in the Railbelt defensivley, allowing nine points a game. But after giving up just six points in its first three games, the JDHS has surrendered 39 in its last two.

&#8220For us to be successful on offense we need to get them to back their linebackers and defensive backs off the line,” Mayo said. &#8220They like to put eight to nine bodies on the line and force teams into long-yardage situations. We need to figure out what will make them change their defense, whether that means we do it by passing or running it doesn't matter. If we can accomplish that we'll be OK.”

A win does nothing to solve the playoff equation for the Knights, but it would gaurentee them a berth in the playoffs.

&#8220We still have to win one more, even if we win this one,” Mayo said of his teams chances of securing the conference title. &#8220Actually this game doesn't gaurentee anyone anything. It would just put us one step closer to our goal.”

Wasilla vs. Lathrop

The Wasilla Warriors will look to rebound after a disappointing loss in Juneau when they host Lathrop Friday at Veterans Memorial Field.

After going up 13-0, the Warriors had the defending state champions backed into a corner, only to allow the Crimson Bears to score the final 16 points. The loss slipped Wasilla to 1-2 in conference play, giving them a tough road ahead in order to make the post season.

The first part of the journey looks to be an easy one for the Warriors who host the winless Malemutes.

Among the leaders on offense for Wasilla are quarterback Hunter Scholtz and wide receivers Jeremiah Collins and Jeff Champion.

Things get tough for the Warriors, who need to win out to make the playoffs. Their next two opponents are the Colony Knights, Sept. 22 and the annual Potato Bowl showdown against Palmer.

Palmer vs. West Valley

Palmer, looking to rebound from its loss to Colony last week, hosts West Valley tonight at 7 p.m. at Machetanz Field.

The running back tandem of Haakan Bohman and Tanner Grover lead Palmer offensivley, while Dustin Baxter leads West Valley's ground game.

Baxter has scored seven of West Valley's nine touchdowns this season.

A win over West Valley keeps the possibility open for the Moose to win a share of the conference title.

Palmer needs wins over West Valley, North Pole and Wasilla to keep those hopes alive.

Houston vs. Delta

In a rematch of the season opener for both teams the Hawks look to repeat their 41-19 triumph, Saturday at Houston High School.

Despite both teams being in the Great Land Conference, the game will not count in the conference standings. The Aug. 12 contest was counted as the original conference game.

That means the Hawks either need to defeat Eielson during its Sept. 30 homecoming or have Nikiski lose one of its remaining conference games. If that doesn't happen the two conference teams advancing to the playoffs will be decided by a coin flip.

Contact Darrell L. Breese at 352-2267 or at darrell.breese@

frontiersman.com.