East players celebrate winning The Boot game. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
Attrition is defined as “the action or process of gradually reducing the strength or effectiveness of someone or something through sustained attack or pressure.”
In other words, managing to fight on with whatever’s available when going home for a well-deserved nap might feel like a better option. The members of both the East High and Bartlett High football teams, those that were able to play, put themselves through quite the ringer Saturday in a game everyone involved will always remember.
In an afternoon for the books and The Boot, the East defensive unit stiffened in the latter half of the sixth overtime session to stop Bartlett’s two-point conversion attempt inside the 1-yard line. Thus, the Thunderbirds’ exhausting 50-48 Cook Inlet Conference victory versus its east-side rival was complete.
“Both teams didn’t believe they were going to lose that game until the scoreboard said otherwise, and you can’t ask for more than that,” said East coach Jeff Trotter.
East captured The Boot, the annual regular-season game’s trophy in memory of former East all-state defensive lineman Aanooalii Filoialli, who was killed in a 2002 auto accident, for the second consecutive year while improving to 5-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play. The Thunderbirds claimed The Boot for the eighth time in the last nine seasons.
But it’s safe to say those games likely didn’t pack the nerve-racking punch that enveloped this showdown at Bartlett’s glorious stadium nestled not far from the woods near the school.
Tenari Atisanoe-Harmon muscles his way into the end zone. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
“The whole game, the overtimes, it’s like constant anxiety,” said East senior Tenari Atisanoe-Harmon, who in spot duty rushed for 65 yards on 11 carries and scored three OT touchdowns. “You are kind of scared in a few spots, but it was ‘next man up.’”
Atisanoe-Harmon and junior Prince Siliato combined for 27 carries and 140 of East’s 191 yards. Their numbers – No 23 for Atisanoe-Harmon and No. 22 for Siliato – were called often after East’s Roshae Olaes left in the first half with a lower-body injury. He entered the day fifth in CIC rushing.
It also appears East will play out the season without starting quarterback Toa Samoa. The league’s fourth-leading passer watched his team win with his right arm in a cast and sling.
The day’s lack of so-called star power didn’t end on the East sideline. Bartlett man-child Deuce Alailefaleula was out with a lower-body injury. In fact, East coach Jeff Trotter said Samoa and Alailefaleula visited the hospital at the same during the week.
“It was so strange, Toa and Deuce ended up in the same hospital on the same day looking at each other, wondering what was going on,” Trotter said. “Like what the heck?
“But that makes what happened here today even more impressive. Both teams lost what was their one or two ‘heart and souls’ and came out here and fought like that. No one missed a beat.”
Makisi Poleo stretches for a score. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
The teams played to a 12-12 tie in regulation and often appeared to be missing those key cogs. The overtime drama more than made up for a few miscues in the four quarters.
Now putting down the calculator, this means the squads combined for 74 overtime points. Each team started a possession at the 10-yard line, and no need to worry about one-point kick tries. Neither East nor Bartlett were interested in kicking games, even bypassing regulation punting opportunities and fourth-and-forevers on their own sides of the 50.
Each team’s scoring went 8-8-0-6-8 through the first five overtimes.
In the sixth OT, Atisanoe-Harmon bulled in from eight yards out and notched the two-point conversion run. CIC-leading rusher Makisi Poleo capped his 30-carry, 137-yard performance with a 1-yard run in the bottom half of the sixth.
“This one had some happy and exciting times,” Poleo said, otherwise dejected. “We all tried our best, and I tried to put the boys on my back.”
On the conversion try, Bartlett quarterback Salvation Tyrell was stopped mere inches from the goal-line to end it.
East’s Bentley Stubbs stepped up under center. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
East backup quarterback Bentley Stubbs finished with 97 passing yards and two touchdowns, both to Brandon Young. Stubbs also ran in a score in the second overtime. Bartlett quarterback Silas Freeman, ranked sixth in CIC passing, only played one snap.
East will take its unbeaten mark against Alaska opponents into next weekend’s CIC clash with fellow unbeaten Dimond, which beat Juneau on Saturday. Bartlett fell to 4-2, 3-2. The Golden Bears close out the regular season with away games at Juneau and West.
The Division I First National Bowl playoffs begin Oct. 11. Again, let’s remember that includes all eight CIC teams playing this eight-game regular season for some reason, and only those eight.
East 6 0 6 0 8 8 0 6 8 8 – 50
Bartlett 6 6 0 0 8 8 0 6 8 6 – 48
FIRST QUARTER
East – Young 35 pass from Stubbs (run failed)
Bartlett – Poleo 9 run (run failed)
SECOND QUARTER
Bartlett – Poleo 32 interception return (run failed)
THIRD QUARTER
East – Lotu-Muaava 6 run (run failed)
FOURTH QUARTER
No Scoring
OVERTIME
Bartlett – Tyrell 1 run (Poleo run)
East – Young 5 pass from Stubbs (Young pass from Stubbs)
SECOND OVERTIME
East – Stubbs 3 run (Atisanoe-Harmon run)
Bartlett – Tyrell 1 run (Tyrell run)
FOURTH OVERTIME
East – Atisanoe-Harmon 10 run (run failed)
Bartlett – Poleo 2 run (run failed)
FIFTH OVERTIME
Bartlett – Poleo 10 run (Tyrell run)
East – Atisanoe-Harmon 9 run (Young pass from Stubbs)
SIXTH OVERTIME
East – Atisanoe-Harmon 8 run (Atisanoe-Harmon run)
Bartlett – Poleo 1 run (run failed)
