Alaska’s player of the year award is up for grabs between West’s Azariah Atonio, Soldotna’s Wyatt Faircloth and Lathrop’s Solomon Wade.
And down the stretch they come.
The race for the state’s player-of-the-year award has tightened between the three frontrunners with two weeks left in the high school football season.
West’s Azariah Atonio, Soldotna’s Wyatt Faircloth and Lathrop’s Solomon Wade will all be in action for this week’s semifinal round of the ASAA state playoffs.
They each bring a different style to the field as Atonio is a prolific passer, Faircloth a two-way terror and Wade a dual-threat offensive playmaker.
None of players will square off against each other this weekend, but in a sense, they will still be in competition with the player-of-the-year award up for grabs.
Here is a closer look at the three favorites:
West’s Azariah Atonio. Photo by Bryan Boyett/Alaska Sports Report
Azariah Atonio, West
The senior quarterback has elevated his game since September to fuel the 13th 2,000-yard passing season in Alaska history.
Atonio is the fourth West signal caller to reach the 2K mark, joining Conor Feckley (2010, 2011, 2012), Sean Duffy (2015) and Josh Stoltz (2019).
Atonio has thrown for 2,004 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions for the 8-2 Eagles, the top-ranked team in Division I.
By comparison, East’s Kyler Johnson threw for 2,103 yards in 2021 and Stoltz had 2,055 yards in 2019.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Atonio saw his completion percentage spike from 40% to 60% across the last five games while passing for 1,126 yards and posting a 13-2 TD/INT ratio.
Armed with a rocket right arm, Atonio can throw the ball 60 yards in the air. He can also throw the ball in tight windows when in rhythm.
He’s produced two games with 300 yards or more, highlighted by his season-best 323-yards, 6-TD effort against Juneau – in one half before sitting out the final two quarters in a 59-21 win.
Atonio averages 222.7 passing yards per game and has thrown for a TD in each of his nine games to go with 97 yards rushing and four TDs.
West hosts Service (5-4) on Friday night in the D1 semifinals.
Soldotna’s Wyatt Faircloth. Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion
Wyatt Faircloth, Soldotna
Faircloth is the state’s most complete player as he averages 5.7 solo tackles per game at linebacker and 11.9 yards per carry at fullback.
He doesn’t just play on both sides of the ball; he is a dominating force at both positions.
On defense, the 6-foot, 185-pounder is a heat-seeking missile with 85 tackles in nine games, including 51 solo stops.
Faircloth ran a 4.5-second 40-yard dash and was voted the No. 1 linebacker by the college coaches at the All Alaska Football Camp.
He’s also recorded nine tackles for loss, two pass breakups, a forced fumble and sack.
Faircloth is among several wing-T weapons on the offense for the 9-0 Stars, who host North Pole (3-6) on Saturday in the D2 semifinals.
On a mere 68 rushes, he’s piled up 811 yards and 14 TDs. He’s also hauled in five receptions for 62 yards and five TDs.
His stats are more impressive when you consider he’s done his damage playing in only one half because Soldotna owns a 55-point average margin of victory and pulls its starters by halftime.
Despite limited snaps, the fabulous Faircloth makes the most out of his time on the field.
For example, he had two TDs on two touches in a 69-14 win over West Valley. He had three scores on four touches in a 76-7 win over Palmer.
Lathrop’s Solomon Wade. Photo by Bryan Boyett/Alaska Sports Report
Solomon Wade, Lathrop
Wade is an electrifying run-pass option quarterback who is knocking on the door of 2,000 yards of total offense for the defending D2 state champion Malemutes.
The 5-foot-10 passer has thrown for 22 TDs and 1,246 yards on .503 completion percentage in nine games. He’s been lava hot in the last two games with 551 yards on a 63% passing and an 11-2 TD/INT ratio.
Wade had a career-high 313 yards and five TDs in a 71-20 win over West Valley and the following week had a career-high six TD passes and 238 yards in a 64-0 playoff win over Wasilla.
As a rusher, he averages 7.7 yards per carry and has racked up 606 yards overall. He has found the end zone on nine runs, including four against Eagle River in a 41-24 win in Week 5.
He had 116 rushing yards in that Eagle River game and came back the next week with 122 yards and a season-long run of 58 yards against Wasilla.
Wade also plays on defense and has furnished 31 tackles and recovered two fumbles.
But offense is his bread and butter and his 31 TDs are the most by a Lathrop player since Jace Henry had 37 in 2019. Henry now plays for Dartmouth College of the Ivy League.
Wade will look to build on his totals Saturday when Lathrop (7-2) hosts Eagle River (7-2) in the D2 semifinals.