Mustangs

It seems every prep football season offers a five-star matchup as early as Week 3, and this year is no different. The Chugiak Mustangs and West Eagles are getting set for a Saturday battle between the unbeaten teams. The Mustangs were rated No. 1 in this year’s Alaska Sports Broadcasters Network poll, while the Eagles were No. 3. The winner of Saturday’s match will gain an early edge in the Cook Inlet Conference standings. To raise the stakes even higher, Chugiak is also using its home opener to dedicate its field to former coach Tom Huffer, Sr. Huffer started the Chugiak football program in the 1960s and led the Mustangs to a pair of state titles, while also playing a key role in getting field turf installed at the stadium.

Regional top seeds South and Chugiak opened the Cook Inlet Conference volleyball tournament with three-game sweeps on Wednesday, placing both programs one victory away from advancing to the state tournament. South, which finished league play 14 and 0, took down Bartlett, 25-13, 25-19, 25-9. The Wolverines will face either East or Eagle River in the semifinals. Chugiak defeated West, 25-13, 25-18, 25-19. Either Service or Dimond awaits the Mustangs. The top three teams qualify for next week's state tourney.

In Saturday high-school football playoff action statewide, the Chugiak Mustangs visited Juneau’s Crimson Bears seeking a win, but the Bears blew out Chugiak 24-7. The day also saw many small-schools games, with Homer scoring a big 34-0  road win at Nikiski. Eielson eked out a 12-6 win over Skyview, while Soldotna topped Thunder Mountain 52-20 in a battle between unbeaten teams. Also, Kenai shut out Barrow 25-0. Contact Charlie Sokaitis at csokaitis@ktuu.com

Because of the physical nature of football, seniors’ muscle is perhaps more important than in any other sport at the high-school level. That's why the Chugiak Mustangs feel safe at the wheel, heading into the Alaska prep football openers this weekend. The Mustangs have some unfinished business to tend to after falling short in last year's large-school championship game. Chugiak has a small roster of about 30 players, but there is an abundance of quality. Coach Duncan Shackelford brings back seven defensive starters and six on offense, including beefy linebacker and running back Greg Graham.

In Cook Inlet Conference flag football Monday, the Chugiak Mustangs hosted the Dimond Lynx. Chugiak was looking to knock the Lynx from their top spot in the CIC standings. Trailing 12-6 in the second quarter, Chugiak’s Kerri Gillette looked sharp as she sliced 35 yards through the Dimond defense, scoring a touchdown that put the Mustangs up 13-12 at halftime. The Lynx would retake the lead in the third quarter, with a 4th and goal play. Dimond’s Colleen Fairchild hauled in Kelsey Hall's pass and Dimond went on top 18-13.

The top seeded teams for this week's ASAA state soccer tournament will be the two schools that are combining to host the event. The Chugiak girls and Dimond boys earn the tournament's high seeds based on their victories at last week's Cook Inlet Conference tournament. The Mustangs will face Wasilla in Thursday's quarterfinal round, while the Lynx boys will face Service. Following Thursday's quarterfinal round, the rest of the winner's bracket will be contested at Dimond, culminating in Saturday's title games.

In a match reminiscent of their classic 2008 state final, Dimond outlasted Chugiak 22-25, 25-22, 25-23, 18-25, 16-14 to reach the finals of the Cook Inlet Conference volleyball tournament. The Lynx will play South in the title match. The unbeaten Wolverines downed Eagle River in three games, 25-11, 25-11, 25-16. The CIC will send three teams to next week's state tournament. The Mustangs and Wolves face off for that third seed at 4 p.m. Saturday. The Lynx and Wolverines follow at 6 p.m. Both matches are at Service High School.

The Service and South hockey teams each picked up their first victories in Cook Inlet Conference play on Tuesday night. Service blanked Bartlett, 9-0, while South took down Chugiak, 4-1. The Cougars exploded for three goals in each period and peppered the Golden Bears net all night, registering 60 shots on goal. Aaron McInnis was the only two-goal scorer for Service, while Alex Prestegard collected three assists. Service is 1-0-0 in CIC play, while Bartlett drops to 0-2-0.

The East High hockey team played without three suspended players on Monday night against Service. Despite the suspensions, the T-Birds still nearly managed to pull out a win. East led Service 1-0 in the second period on a goal by Alex Jackstadt before watching Service rally to win, 3-2. The Cougars improve to 2-0-0 in CIC play, while East drops to 1-1-1. Conor Deal scored both the game tying and go-ahead goals for the Cougars, while Andrew Cummings added goal number three.