West’s Elias Sandberg kicks a PAT over the outstretched hand of Colony’s Jackson Weller in Week 4. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
Nine out of 10 times during the Cook Inlet Conference football season, when a team commits an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after scoring a touchdown, the opposing coach will take the 15 yards on the kickoff with hopes of getting his offense better field position.
But last week Juneau-Douglas coach Rich Sjoroos went the other way and made South kicker Zachary Buss earn his stripes.
Accepting the South penalty meant the ball was taken back to the 18-yard line, turning a customary chip shot into a 35-yard PAT. Extra points are far from gimmies at the high school level, but Buss has been close to automatic this year (12-for-14).
Still, with South trailing 21-20 early in the fourth quarter coupled with the added distance, this kick took on a whole different feel.
Buss was unbothered as he banged it through the uprights with room to spare, showing off a big leg and giving coach John Lewis another weapon entering the second half of the season.
“Yarrington snaps, Jackson holds and Buss delivers,” Lewis said.
Kickers by in large have been getting it done in the Cook Inlet Conference. PAT percentage overall is on the rise and three players have combined for six field goals.
Cook Inlet Conference
TEAM CONF OVERALL West 4-0 5-0 Service 3-1 4-1 South 3-1 4-1 Bartlett 3-1 3-1 Colony 1-3 2-3 Juneau 1-3 1-4 Dimond 1-3 1-4 East 0-4 0-5 Friday
Service at West 8pm
Saturday
Dimond at Juneau 3pm
Colony at South 3pm
Bartlett at East 4pm
Colony’s Charles Figgins leads the CIC with three field goals, while Dimond’s Justis Shook has two and Buss one. Figgins and Buss each share the longest of 26 yards.
The only CIC kicker to convert two field goals in one game, Figgins gives Knights coach Nathan Dahl more options in the playbook.
“It changes every decision we make, having confidence in our ability to have a quality kicker makes us complete,” Dahl said.
Figgins has made 3-of-5 attempts and has a range up to 40 yards, Dale said. He is the younger brother of Johnny, who tied the CIC single-season record with seven field goals in 2023.
“Just like Johnny, he’s a warrior, ready to step up for the team at any time,” Dahl said. “They both come from a great family. Their parents taught them how to work hard and be mentally tough.”
At West, Elias Sandberg hasn’t made a field goal but has hit 85% of his PATs on an 11-for-13 clip.
At Dimond, the Lynx are loaded with two kickers. Shook takes care of fields goals and has made 2-of-5 attempts while Fischer Lajoie handles PATs.
Bartlett’s Deuce Alailefaleula applies pressure on Dimond kicker Justis Shook in Week 1. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Alaska Sports Report
“Fisher and Justis do a good job being committed and putting in work in practice,” said Lynx coach Brian Yim. “Both occasionally hit from beyond the 25. It is nice to have a weapon like that.”
Dimond lost its all-state long snapper to injury, putting added pressure on the backup snapper and holder Caleb Cooke. The Lynx also trots out their field-goal unit for punts because under NFHS rules, a missed field goal is treated like a punt.
So that’s why you will see Dimond try a crazy long field goal from their side of the field. Both punts and field-goal attempts are defined by NFHS as “scrimmage kicks” and so a missed field goal operates like a punt and is spotted where the ball settles, and Dimond aims for the sideline.
“It’s not exactly ideal,” Yim said, “but we get good kicks that can’t really returned, which is huge.”
At East, the T-birds have an underclassman to keep your eye on. Sophomore Javon Foster is new to football and learning on the job. He has huge upside. With excellent extension and easy power, his range is 50 yards in practice, said coach Jeff Trotter.
Foster missed his first field-goal attempt last week against West from 39 yards.
“Can’t imagine what he’ll get to when he learns more and gets better instruction and coaching than I can provide,” said Trotter, whose 83 career wins are the most at East and sixth in CIC history.
In 2016, Carson Reed crushed a 47-yard field goal that’s believed to be the school record. Don’t be surprised if Foster gets a chance to crack that mark over the next month.
“I’ll let him roll anything inside 50 depending on the situation and conditions,” Trotter said. “Why not? It’s exciting to add that element to the game.”
At the end of that pile is South’s Austin French, who scored the go-ahead two-point conversion in Week 5. Photo by Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Independent
The French Connection
Playing in his first game at quarterback this year, Austin French stepped in for starter Jim Massey and stepped up to lead the Wolverines to a 29-28 victory at Juneau-Douglas.
French engineered an eight-play, 78-yard game-winning drive that was capped by his 10-yard TD pass to Ethan Yarrington on the wheel route with 18 seconds left.
“That was a game for the ages,” Lewis said.
Rather than attempt the PAT and send the game to overtime, Lewis opted for a do-or-die two-point conversion attempt that French converted on the keeper.
“I told our OC we were going to go for two when we started our final drive,” Lewis said. “That gave him time to plan as we drove. When your kids believe they can win, that makes everything so easy to risk.”
French completed both passes on the winning drive and finished 5-of-7 for 65 yards and two TDs.
Juneau’s Ethan Van Kirk carries the ball against South in Week 5. Photo by Mark Sabbatini/Juneau Independent
Van Kirk leads CIC in rushing
For the first time this season, someone other than East’s Prince Siliato leads the CIC in rushing.
Juneau’s Ethan Van Kirk took over the top spot with 661 yards while Siliato is second with 610 yards. Both players have scored six rushing TDs.
Last week, Van Kirk’s 1-yard dive on fourth down put Juneau ahead 14-7 with 2.1 seconds left before halftime. He finished the game with three TDs, his second hat trick of the season.
Yarrington, South’s bellwether back, leads the league with eight rushing TDs and is third in yards with 546.
CIC Leaders
TEAM
Points For
119 – Colony
115 – South
109 – West
101 – Juneau
85 – Service
70 – East
59 – Bartlett
48 – Dimond
Points Against
20 – Bartlett
51 – Service
60 – West
62 – South
128 – Dimond
128 – Colony
138 – Juneau
175 – East
INDIVIDUAL
Passing Yards
1,001 – Phelps SER
864 – Fakatoumafi COL
650 – Wasson WEST
229 – Cooke DIM
212 – Woodhead DIM
210 – Massey SOU
191 – Pogtis BAR
161 – Tyrell BAR
TD Passes
8 – Phelps SER
6 – Fakatoumafi COL
6 – Wasson WEST
4 – Woodhead DIM
3 – Campbell JUN
2 – Three tied
Longest TD Pass
76 – Bates/Cooke DIM
65 – Font/Phelps SER
63 – Sanders/Wasson WEST
58 – T. Phillip/Phelps SER
46 – Font/Phelps SER
44 – French/Massey SOU
43 – Ault/Ridle JUN
41 – Adkins/Fakatoumafi COL
Rushing Yards
661 – Van Kirk JUN
610 – Siliato EAST
546 – Yarrington SOU
503 – Maga WEST
329 – Fainuulelei BAR
265 – Schmidlkofer SER
218 – Pope COL
214 – Sarof SER
Rushing TDs
8 – Yarrington SOU
6 – Siliato EAST
6 – Van Kirk JUN
5 – Fainuulelei BAR
5 – Maga WEST
4 – Pili COL
3 – Iona JUN
3 – Pope COL
3 – Sarof SER
Longest TD Run
81 – Van Kirk JUN
72 – Siliato EAST
69 – Pope COL
65 – Yarrington SOU
65 – Siliato EAST
64 – Yarrington SOU
62 – Yarrington SOU
48 – Siliato EAST
48 – French SOU
Receiving Yards
422 – Font SER
301 – Sanders WEST
295 – T. Phillip SER
255 – Lott COL
219 – Fischer COL
189 – Bates DIM
163 – Adkins COL
137 – Jardine BAR
Receptions
33 – Font SER
26 – Sanders WEST
19 – T. Phillip SER
17 – Fischer COL
16 – Lott COL
14 – Shafer COL
12 – C. Phillip SER
13 – Davis SER
11 – S. Alailefaleula BAR
Receiving TDs
4 – Font SER
3 – Bates DIM
3 – Sanders WEST
2 – Fischer COL
2 – Lott COL
2 – T. Phillip SER
2 – Adkins COL
Field Goals
3 – Figgins COL
2 – Shook DIM
1 – Buss SOU
Fumble Return TDs
1 – Malaesilia SER
1 – Toleafoa WEST
1 – D. Alailefaleula BAR
Interception Return TDs
1 – Ault JUN
1 – Tyrell BAR
Interceptions
7 – C. Phillip SER
5 – Hawes SOU
3 – Cabesas WEST
3 – Coleman Arroyo SOU
3 – Cooke DIM
2 – Tyrell BAR
2 – Schmidkofer SER
Sacks
6 – D. Alailefaleula BAR
3 – Fainuulelei BAR
3 – Malaesilia SER
3 – Taualo-Tasi JUN
3 – Tauanuu DIM
3 – Tufue WEST
3 – Yarrington SOU
