Playoff bid on the line for Crimson Bears

In past years the Juneau-Douglas High School football team has had to rely on convoluted tiebreaker formulas to figure out if they had a chance to make the state playoffs.

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This year it's simple, the Crimson Bears don't have to worry what's happening in the other Cook Inlet Football Conference games to know what their chances are. All they have to do is beat the Bartlett Golden Bears at noon Saturday at Anchorage Football Stadium.

"I'd say our chances are very good," Juneau senior wide receiver-defensive back C.J. Keys said. "Win, and we're in."

"I'm stoked. I'm ready," Juneau senior offensive-defensive lineman Jesse Vaughn said. "We gotta win this game."

The Crimson Bears (4-3 overall, 3-2 CIFC) have regained their footing after struggling through a three-game losing streak earlier in the season. A victory over Bartlett (5-2 overall, 3-2 CIFC) would clinch Juneau's third state playoff berth in the last four years and fourth playoff berth since earning its first trip in 1999.

If Bartlett wins, it would take the CIFC's fourth seed in the playoffs while Juneau's season would be over.

"It's going to be a good game. We're feeling pretty confident," Juneau senior wide receiver-defensive back Larry Cooper said.

If Juneau wins, it most likely will wind up the CIFC's third seed in the playoffs. The only way that would change would be if No. 5 Chugiak upsets top-ranked and undefeated West Anchorage in another Saturday game. That would drop Juneau to the fourth seed, while Chugiak would win a three-way, defensive-points-allowed tiebreaker with West and defending state champion East Anchorage (ranked No. 3) for the top seed.

West, East and Chugiak all clinched state berths last week, even though Juneau beat then-No. 3 Chugiak 29-22 in Juneau last Friday night (that victory is why the Crimson Bears can win the third seed over Chugiak). East, which plays last-place Service this weekend, beat Bartlett 38-6 on Saturday in a snow-bowl game that saw 15 total fumbles (10 by Bartlett).

"They're the type of team, with that Wing-T (offense), that gets better as the season goes along," Juneau head coach Reilly Richey said about Bartlett. "We don't put much into that loss. We saw the tape and it looked more like ice hockey out there."

"Juneau was one of my favorites to win league, so I am very surprised we are playing them for the fourth-place bid," Bartlett coach John Jessen said. "Their season has been a lot like ours, a couple tough, close games and one really bad day. It looks like they are on a roll now."

While Bartlett struggled against East, it's had some good games earlier this season. The Golden Bears took top-ranked West to the last play of the game before the Eagles won it with a touchdown throw. Two weeks ago, Bartlett traveled to California and beat Bellarmine Prep, 9-7, a power in the San Francisco Bay area.

"We are a much better team than we showed last week," Jessen said. "We went from having one of the greatest wins in school history vs. Bellarmine ... to having a very poor performance. We have a great group of kids and we're looking to bounce back."

Last year Juneau beat Bartlett 35-8 in a game that was much closer than the score indicated. Bartlett had two running backs rush for over 100 yards, including returning fullback Vernon Pennywell, and another one with about 80 yards. The Golden Bears also had a touchdown called back by a penalty when the game was still close.

Bartlett's offense is geared toward the run, and the ball is spread around to several running backs, none listed in the state's rushing rankings. But it also uses trickery, like a wrap-around hand off that looks as if one of the running backs - Pennywell, Jordan Williams or Terrence Anthony - is grabbing the ball off the shoulder blade of quarterback Gabe DeBrill.

DeBrill is the only Bartlett offensive player in the state's rankings. He ranks 15th in passing yardage with 419 yards on 23-for-52 passing for four touchdowns and two interceptions.

"They've got lots of speed, and Pennywell is one of the better running backs in the state," Richey said. "They're good."

Senior guard Logan Thomas anchors Bartlett's offensive line, while the defense is anchored by inside linebacker Bobby Dunbar, defensive end Tony Pruss and defensive tackle Oselani Moefili.

Juneau is led on offense by senior Brian Felix, who needs just 85 more yards to reach 1,000 for the second straight season. Felix ranks fourth in the state in rushing with 915 yards and 10 touchdowns on 163 carries.

The Crimson Bears have two quarterbacks in the state rankings, and their combined yardage is higher than any other team's passing totals this season. Sophomore Chris Hinkley, who got all of the snaps last week, ranks sixth with 673 yards on 38-for-66 passing with nine touchdowns and four interceptions. Junior Pat Kohan ranks 12th with 515 yards on 33-for-69 passing with four touchdowns and three interceptions.

Juneau also has two wide receivers ranked among the state's reception leaders. Keys and junior Angelo Katasse, who caught the game-winning touchdown pass last week, both have 16 catches which puts them in a three-way tie for 11th. Keys has 365 yards and five receiving touchdowns, while Katasse has 333 yards and two TD catches.

As for the Crimson Bears, they feel like they've been in playoff mode for two weeks already and this is just another round.

"We've been with our backs against the wall for two weeks in a row, where a loss means we're out," Richey said. "We're in the same position again, trying to get this win."

• Charles Bingham can be reached at charles.bingham@juneauempire.com.