The Juneau-Douglas High School soccer teams begin play at the Alaska School Activities Association/First National Bank Alaska Soccer State Championships Thursday in Eagle River. In addition, the ASAA Region V softball and baseball tournaments begin in Juneau and Ketchikan, respectively.
Girls soccer
JDHS (9-3-1), which enters the tournament as the sixth-seed, entertains third-seeded West Valley at 4 p.m. Thursday. The two teams haven’t faced each other this season. The Wolfpack come in at 11-1-0 and are unbeaten in conference play. Similarly, the Crimson Bears were undefeated in conference games this year.
“I’d like to see what we can do,” JDHS coach Matt Dusenberry said. “If we can get past West Valley, it would look on paper we would play against South.”
While West Valley is a bit of a wild card, the Crimson Bears are familiar with the Wolverines. South Anchorage flew to Juneau for two games against JDHS in mid-April. After losing 5-1 at Adair-Kennedy to the Anchorage powerhouse, JDHS lost just 1-0 the following day at TMHS.
“We know what South does on the field,” Dusenberry said. “If South gets upsets by Wasilla, then we know Wasilla.”
A compromised Crimson Bears team won 1-0 over Wasilla earlier this month. Both Erika Holst and Ally Lindley were not in uniform for that game.
Dusenberry says top-seeded Dimond is the favorite to repeat this year as state champions. The Lady Lynx are 16-0-1 this season and have only allowed four goals in total.
After winning the state championship in 2004, the Crimson Bears have returned to the state championship game just once, in 2009. Last year, the team finished fourth at the tournament.
ASAA/First National Bank Alaska Girls Soccer State Championships
Thursday, May 25
No. 1 Dimond vs. No. 8 Kenai, noon, Eagle River High School
No. 4 Colony vs. No. 5 West Anchorage, noon, Service High School
No. 3 West Valley vs. No. 6 Juneau-Douglas, 4 p.m., Eagle River High School
No. 2 South Anchorage vs. No. 7 Wasilla, 4 p.m., Service High School
Friday, May 26
Winner’s Bracket
Dimond/Kenai vs. Colony/West Anchorage, noon, Service High School
West Valley/Juneau-Douglas vs. South Anchorage/Wasilla, 4 p.m., Service High School
Loser’s Bracket
Dimond/Kenai vs. Colony/West Anchorage, noon, Eagle River High School
West Valley/Juneau-Douglas vs. South Anchorage/Wasilla, noon, Eagle River High School
Saturday, May 27
Fourth place game: 8 a.m., Service High School
Third place game: 11:30 a.m., Service High School
Championship game: 3:30 p.m., Service High School
Boys Soccer
JDHS returns to the ASAA/First National Bank Alaska Soccer State Championships for the 17th straight season. The Crimson Bears (11-5) play the fifth-seeded Kenai Thursday at 2 p.m. at Eagle River High School.
“We haven’t played them in a couple years but they are a worthy opponent,” JDHS coach Gary Lehnhart said.
Last season, Kenai played in the state championship game against South Anchorage, but lost 3-1.
After breaking his nose late in the season, senior Ben Undurraga returned on Tuesday to practice with the team. Given his experience, skill and competitiveness, Lehnhart calls Undurraga his “most important player.”
“It was good seeing him back out there (Tuesday) and I think that sets up to have a better chance at the state tournament,” Lehnhart said.
The team is going to put junior Ben Campbell in net in the tournament. Campbell has shared goaltending duties this season with Jaime Moreno, Mitchell McDonald and Ernie Ramos.
“He’s been training in there the last couple days and he’s been doing well, so he’s going to be the guy,” Lehnhart said.
As far as who’s the favorite to win the tournament, Lehnhart said that’s up to interpretation.
“I’m not sure that there’s a clear-cut team,” he said. “West Valley’s undefeated but you look at both games against us — they were close games that could of gone any way.”
The Crimson Bears lost 1-0 and 2-1 games against West Valley earlier in the season at home.
“I think were putting 11 good players on the field which is nice. So we’ll take our chances,” Lehnhart said.
ASAA/First National Bank Alaska Boys Soccer State Championships
Thursday, May 25
No. 1 West Valley vs. No. 8 Homer, 6 p.m., Eagle River High School
No. 4 Kenai vs. No. 5 Juneau-Douglas, 2 p.m., Eagle River High School
No. 3 West Anchorage vs. No. 6 Dimond, 6 p.m., Service High School
No. 2 South Anchorage vs. No. 7 Colony, 2 p.m., Service High School
Friday, May 26
Winner’s Bracket
West Valley/Homer vs. Kenai/Juneau-Douglas, 2 p.m., Service High School
West Anchorage/Dimond vs. South Anchorage/Colony, 6 p.m., Service High School
Loser’s Bracket
West Valley/Homer vs. Juneau-Douglas/Kenai, 2 p.m., Eagle River High School
West Anchorage/Dimond vs. South Anchorage/Colony, 6 p.m., Eagle River High School
Saturday, May 27
Fourth place game: 9:45 a.m., Service High School
Third place game: 1:15 p.m., Service High School
Championship game: 6:30 p.m., Service High School
Softball
For the first time ever, Southeast softball teams are playing in a regional tournament to decide which two teams go to the ASAA Softball small schools state tournament.
As the No. 1 seed in the tournament with a 9-2 record, the Thunder Mountain Falcons play No. 4 Sitka Thursday afternoon in the first round. The Falcons are undefeated against the Wolves this season. In four games, TMHS has outscored Sitka 42-8.
As the No. 2 seed, the Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears (7-4) play No. 3 seed Ketchikan on Thursday afternoon in the first round. JDHS has won three out of four games against Ketchikan this year. However, each of their three wins against the Kings has been by just one run.
The Falcons and Crimson Bears could end up playing each other three times in double-elimination tournament. Or they could not play each other at all. Last weekend, the two Juneau schools cancelled one of the two scheduled games between them due to inclement weather. On Friday, JDHS won 14-10 over TMHS, and is now 1-2 against the Falcons on the season.
Baseball
Ask any Region V baseball coach if there’s a favorite to win Region V Tournament in Ketchikan this weekend and you’ll hear the same thing: it’s anyone’s tournament.
“Ketchikan took second place and is the two-seed and counting a preseason game, we’ve won three out of four games against them,” TMHS coach Bill Macauley said. “So tell me what the difference is (between them and us)?
Ketchikan coach Andy Berntson says limiting errors will be one of the keys this weekend.
“I think that’s what’s going to decide the whole tournament is execution and if you’re pitcher’s throwing strikes,” Berntson said. “There’s no real shutdown pitcher out there, a lot of good pitchers, but no real shutdown pitcher. I think every team is real balanced, real even, and I think the tournament has a chance to get really interesting.”
JDHS (11-1) gets a bye in the first-round of the regional tournament. They will face the Thursday afternoon winner of Thunder Mountain (6-6) and Petersburg Thursday evening.
“I look at it like anybody’s a challenge,” Macauley said. “People are going to say Petersburg is the weak link but you got to play the game and you can’t take anyone lightly, so it’s just one game at a time.”
After the TMHS-Petersburg game Thursday, host Ketchikan plays Sitka. The Kings have won two of their three games this season against Sitka.
Both JDHS and TMHS played tight games in the final weekend of the regular season. JDHS lost their first conference game of the season in a 9-8 loss to the Kings on Saturday before regrouping to win 9-2 in the second game of the doubleheader.
TMHS lost 12-11 to Sitka in the 10th inning Saturday before winning 11-7 in the second game of the doubleheader in Sitka.
“I think the biggest factor for both Stika and us coming out of that weekend is that we went through a lot of pitching,” Macauley said. “My gosh, in the game that went 10 innings, we had two pitchers that went over 100 pitches.”
• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nolin.ainsworth@juneauempire.com.
Juneau-Douglas’ Donvin McCurley pitches against Sitka in the second game of a double-header at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park on Saturday, May 13, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
Thunder Mountain’s Kyra Jenkins-Hayes steps into her pitch in the first inning against Juneau-Douglas at Melvin Park on Friday, May 5, 2017. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
