The Juneau Huskies will look to keep their unbeaten season and title hopes alive Saturday against Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Field, and the game will decide which of the two teams advances to the 2022 Alaska School Activities Association First National Bowl Football State Championship.
“I really believe it will be the most challenging game that’s ever taken place on this field,” Juneau coach Rich Sjoroos told the Empire after last week’s 52-21 win against South Anchorage in the state tournament’s opening round.
For their part, the Thunderbirds last week won a close game against West Anchorage High School 21-14 in the quarter finals.
Juneau and East met earlier this month in Anchorage for the last game of the regular season. Despite only dressing 22 players for the game, the Huskies held on for a tight 19-14 win.
“I told them after the game I was probably the most proud I’ve ever been of a group of guys,” Sjoroos said of the victory.
The two teams have ample post-season history, too.
“We met in the state finals last year and so there’s some history there, we’ve actually had a lot of playoff history with East going back all the way to the early 2000s, so I’m excited for it,” Sjoroos previously told the Empire. “I told these kids enjoy the fact that you’re a special select group that earned the right to play as far as you can on your home field, there is no more after next week, so you’ve gotten all the way to the finish line, kind of like making it to the final day of that ‘Survivor’ TV show, so just enjoy it and give it your all and hopefully we come out on top next Saturday.”
• Contact Ben Hohenstatt at (907)308-4895 or bhohenstatt@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BenHohenstatt.
