Bartlett, West will vie for state football glory

A week ago, a state championship football game featuring the Bartlett Golden Bears and West Eagles seemed like a long shot.

They both faced formidable opponents in the semifinals. Bartlett played a Chugiak Mustangs team that was undefeated at 9-0, and West took on defending state champion East, the owners of a eight-game winning streak.

But if you look at the big picture, it's no surprise West (6-4) and Bartlett (7-3) conquered their favored opponents in the semifinals to meet Friday for a chance at football glory at Anchorage Football Stadium.

The Eagles have a record of continued success with five straight Division I championship appearances, winning titles in 2015 and 2013. And the Golden Bears were expected to be there when the season started with a No. 1 ranking in the polls. Both teams just took a while to come around.

"Both teams have gone through a bit of a gantlet to get here," Bartlett co-coach John Jessen said. "They had to beat Colony and they had to beat East … and then we had to beat Chugiak who was undefeated."

If the state semifinals were any indication, the championship should be a treat. The Golden Bears upset the Mustangs 75-62 in a wild shootout that produced an average of nearly three points every sixty seconds. And West needed a crazy catch in traffic late in the game by Jared Harjehausen from quarterback Qyntyn Pilcher to top East 21-18.

In their only previous meeting this season, Bartlett downed West 34-26 in the third week of the season.

[Soldotna grabs 6th straight state title; Whalers get their 1st]

For West, the challenge will be to slow down a Bartlett running game that amassed 672 yards in the semifinal win over Chugiak.

The Bartlett rushing attack is powered by senior running back Jontay Edwards (402 yards in the semifinal game), junior running back Hunter Cargill (195 yards) and a line composed of junior right tackle Michael Telea, senior right guard Aaron Regevig, junior center Max Schuster, junior left guard Thomas Sio and senior left tackle Matt Regevig.

"The dudes over there are well-coached," West coach Tim Davis said. "I love the Cargill kid, he's tough, and Jontay is awesome, the line is good — those guys are really good football players.

"All you do is you come out and you prepare your dudes for the looks that you anticipate getting."

West's strength lies in balanced, experienced players. The Eagles are solid in all three facets of the game: Harjehausen is clutch as a kicker and punter, Pilcher is in his second season leading the offense and senior linebacker Javin Iloilo, the Cook Inlet Conference Defensive Player of the Year, anchors the defense.

"They're one of the tougher defenses in the state and their defense matches up well with our offense," Jessen said. "They have one of the best coaches in the state and they have a lot of experience with being in state finals … things we're well aware of."

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

[Harjehausen's huge catch lifts West over East in state football semis]

Jessen said the key for his team will be good offensive line play and a quick start. In their last meeting, West burst out to a 19-0 lead before Bartlett came back.

Davis said West will have to rely on its experience and leadership. He said Pilcher has grown a lot from last year's championship loss, when he threw four interceptions, to now, as a starter on both sides of the ball. Pilcher started playing corner for West in a Week 8 win over Service.

"He's really molded himself into leader the kids can rally behind on the field, and a lot of that has been (because) he flipped over to the defensive side," Davis said. "He's done a good job of bouncing back from adversity."

West is looking for its fourth state title since 2010 and third in five years. Bartlett is hunting for its first since 2009.

"We know they're good, but we think we're good too and I think that that's the fun part about this game," Davis said.

[REWIND: East captures state football title in 2016 on snow-covered field]

First National Bowl Series

Division I championship

Friday

6:30 p.m. — Bartlett (7-3) vs. West (6-4), Anchorage Football Stadium

TV: GCI cable Channel 1

Radio: 93.7 FM

Journey to the championship

Bartlett

Aug. 8 — Bartlett 42, Wasilla 20
Aug. 18 — Colony 33, Bartlett 27
Aug. 25 — Bartlett 36, West 26
Sept. 1 — Pleasant Valley (California) 41, Bartlett 26
Sept. 9 — Bartlett 53, South 7
Sept. 16 — East 27, Bartlett 20
Sept. 23 — Bartlett 49, Service 43
Sept. 30 — Bartlett 42, Dimond 19
Oct. 7 — Bartlett 55, Lathrop, state quarterfinals
Oct. 13 — Bartlett 75, Chugiak 62, state semifinals

West

Aug. 11 — Soldotna 21, West 0
Aug. 19 — West 45, Lathrop 32
Aug. 25 — Bartlett 36, West 26
Aug. 31 — Colony 46, West 15
Sept. 9 — West 42, Dimond 7
Sept. 16 — West 42, South 9
Sept. 23 — East 28, West 14
Sept. 29 — West 48, Service 7
Oct. 6 — West 14, Colony 10, state quarterfinals
Oct. 14 — West 21, East 18, state semifinals