In epic football scorefest, Bartlett beats Chugiak 75-62 in state semifinals

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Bartlett faced Chugiak in the Division I semifinal football game on October 13, 2017. (Marc Lester / Alaska Dispatch News)

The final score in Friday night's Division I state semifinal game between Chugiak and Bartlett was more akin to a basketball game than a high-stakes football showdown.

Two of the most prolific offenses in Alaska clashed, and the results were spectacular:

Bartlett 75, Chugiak 62.

The Golden Bears were carried by an unstoppable running game led by running back Jontay Edwards and his 402 yards and seven touchdowns — numbers more likely to be seen in a game of Madden than on a high school field.

"We have a lot of backs that can run but Jontay was coming to the sideline and saying, 'I need the ball, I need the ball,' " Bartlett co-coach John Jessen said. "And he responded. He wasn't just playing around."

Derryk Snell led previously undefeated Chugiak with five touchdowns and 190 total yards to finish the season with 38 touchdowns.

Both Jessen and Chugiak coach Roger Spackman said it was one of the wildest games they'd ever been part of.

"I never would've guessed we'd give up 75 points," Spackman said. "They come at you in waves and just wore us out. We tried everything we could think — adjustments, changes — and it didn't work."

The 5-foot-9, 210-pound Edwards never ran out of steam and looked as fresh on his 44th carry as he did on his first. But the humble senior was quick to give credit to his teammates.

"We have a lot of great backs and our line is great too, so they protect us from getting thrashed," Edwards said. "I like to give all the glory to God. We just executed the game plan."

Edwards broke open a 28-28 halftime tie with a 65-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage in the second half. That gave Bartlett its first lead, 35-28.

Chugiak's Austin Harr tied the game at 35-35 on a 1-yard run, but Bartlett took the lead for good on a 20-yard dash by Hunter Cargill, who also scored the subsequent 2-point conversion to push Bartlett's lead to 43-35.

Chugiak (9-1) twice got back within one point, but never regained a lead — and never slowed down a Bartlett rushing attack that accumulated 672 yards.

With Bartlett leading 51-50, the turning point came early in the fourth quarter when the Golden Bears (7-3) took the game's first two-score lead.

A Zai Malia-Hughes 3-yard run and a Hunter Cargill 2-point conversion made it 59-50 Bartlett with 10 minutes to go. On the next drive, the Golden Bears stopped Chugiak on fourth-and-2 at midfield and then marched down the field for Edwards' sixth TD and a 67-50 lead.

Both teams scored one more time before Bartlett's Loben Ume intercepted Chugiak quarterback Hunter Harr in the final minute and the Golden Bears took the field for victory formation.

When the Golden Bears weren't handing the ball to Edwards, it was usually going to Cargill, who racked up 195 yards, one touchdown and three 2-point conversions.

Chugiak was boosted by Hunter Harr's arm (278 passing yards) and legs (92 rushing yards) in addition to Snell.

Snell, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior and Montana State commit, finished the season with 38 touchdowns — six shy of the state record of 44 set by Perry Monzulla of North Pole in 2004.

The Golden Bears will play West in the Division I state championship Friday night at Anchorage Football Stadium. It will Bartlett's first championship appearance since it beat Chugiak 21-3 to win the 2009 title.

"It's a brand-new experience," Edwards said. "Bartlett hasn't done it in a while. I'm excited to be part of the experience."

Bartlett 14 14 23 24 — 75

Chugiak 14 14 22 12 — 62

First Quarter

Chugiak – Snell 33 run (Sitz kick), 10:25

Bartlett – Suon 11 pass from Malia-Hughes (Iakopo kick), 6:49.

Chugiak – Snell 12 pass from H. Harr (Sitz kick), 6:07.

Bartlett – Edwards 1 run (Iakopo kick), 2:23.

Second Quarter

Chugiak – Snell 24 run (Sitz kick), 11:42.

Bartlett – Edwards 2 run (Iakopo kick failed), 9:04.

Chugiak – Snell 5 run (Sitz kick), 1:42.

Bartlett – Edwards 5 run (Malia-Hughes run), 0:20.

Third quarter

Bartlett – Edwards 65 run (Iakopo kick), 11:49.

Chugiak – A. Harr 1 run (Sitz kick), 9:34.

Bartlett – Cargill 20 run (Cargill run), 7:41.

Chugiak –  H. Harr 35 run (Sitz kick), 5:29.

Bartlett – Edwards 3 run (Edwards run), 3:14.

Chugiak – Maad 10 run (Snell run), 1:32.

Fourth Quarter

Bartlett – Malia-Hughes 3 run (Cargill run), 10:34.

Bartlett – Edwards 5 run (Cargill run), 5:30.

Chugiak – Snell 15 pass from H. Harr (H. Harr pass failed), 4:06.

Bartlett – Edwards 5 run (Suon run), 1:58.

Chugiak – Maad 2 pass from H. Harr (H. Harr pass failed), 0:50.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Bartlett: Edwards 44-402, Cargill 21-195, Suon 3-25, Malia-Hughes 4-(-3). Chugiak: H. Harr 9-92, Snell 10-88, A. Harr 6-20, Maad 3-20, Jones 1-10.

PASSING – Bartlett: Malia-Hughes 3-5-0–39. Chugiak: H. Harr 19-31-2–278.

RECEIVING – Bartlett: Couse 2-28, Suon 1-11. Chugiak: Snell 11-169, Maad 6-67, Chapple 1-19, Carlos 1-10.