Bears expect aerial attack from Lathrop
Two of the state's top high school football players will be on display tonight when the top-ranked Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears take on the No. 5 Lathrop Malemutes in the state football semifinals.
The Crimson Bears (7-2) bring junior running back Brian Felix, who has rushed for 1,661 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. Meanwhile, the Malemutes (7-2) feature senior quarterback Brock Graziadei, who has thrown for 1,871 yards and 31 touchdowns, with just five interceptions.
Game time is 6 p.m. at Anchorage Football Stadium, and the game will be broadcast on the radio locally on KINY AM 800.
Graziadei's success has Juneau coaches worried, and Juneau head coach Reilly Richey said he hopes the Crimson Bear defense has a better game than it did against Service, the last passing team it saw. Juneau won that game 42-35, but the Cougars nearly rallied for the victory with a couple of long touchdown passes in the fourth quarter.
"Lathrop's got the best skill players in the state," Juneau offensive coordinator Rich Sjoroos said.
One positive for the Juneau defense is the return of junior strong safety Mike Winters, who helped Juneau shut down East Anchorage's vaunted passing attack in the second game of the season. Winters broke his foot in that game and didn't return until Juneau's 44-14 victory over the Dimond Lynx last Saturday.
"This guy throws a lot of high-percentage passes, a lot of stuff just over the middle and a lot of flares," Winters said. "I'm looking forward to it."
Winters, who made the switch from linebacker to safety this year, said he's regained most of his speed. But he lost some endurance as his leg atrophied in the cast. He thinks he'll be ready to join defensive backs Felix, senior C.J. Keys and senior Richard Isett as they try to stop the Malemutes. Keys, who missed last week's playoff game for disciplinary reasons, also is back, but he was talking about Winters' return.
"It's a huge advantage for us, because Winters is a great tackler," Keys said. "We've been playing great defense, but we've got a key player back in the lineup. We'll need him, because they've got the best quarterback in the state."
Graziadei has his choice of three of the state's top six receivers in catches this year. Nick Varner has 35 catches for 533 yards and 10 touchdowns, Shawn Fletcher has 33 catches for 513 yards and five touchdowns, and Chuck Quint has 31 receptions for 545 yards and 14 touchdowns.
In last Friday's 52-48 playoff victory over North Pole, Graziadei threw for 358 yards and seven touchdowns. Six of those TD passes went to Quint, who had 10 catches for 201 yards. Lathrop uses a running-back-by-committee system with four backs getting playing time, and last week Jonal Cofey ran for 90 yards.
Lathrop features one of the biggest lines in the state, with no starter less than 250 pounds, led by seniors Bryan Fitzpatrick (297 pounds) and David Jamison (250). Juneau defensive lineman Eric Unruh said the Crimson Bears know about the Malemutes' size.
"Their offensive line is big, but hopefully our speed can get us through it," Unruh said. "We'll have to get some moves this week, like the swim and the rip. This is a hard one to figure, since we haven't seen them for a couple of years."
If Juneau wins tonight, the Crimson Bears will play the winner of Saturday's semifinal between East Anchorage and Colony in the Oct. 19 state championship game at Anchorage Football Stadium. The Crimson Bears have never advanced past the state semifinals before, losing to eventual champion Service in 1999, Juneau's only other semifinal appearance.
While Lathrop's offense is scary, its defense is susceptible to the run. Last weekend, North Pole running back Perry Monzulla ran for 287 yards and four touchdowns against the Malemutes. Ward Dobbs of West Valley also had a big game against Lathrop earlier this season.
To take pressure off Felix, who rushed for 308 yards and five touchdowns last week against Dimond, Juneau will counter with quarterback Mark Shilling and Keys at wide receiver. Shilling has thrown for 841 yards and 12 touchdowns this year, with just four interceptions, while Keys has 27 catches for 563 yards and seven touchdowns. Jon Andrew Malacas and Ryan Fagerstrom also have caught touchdowns this year.
"I like to run the ball," Sjoroos has said often this season. "Passing gets you to the playoffs, but running is what wins them for you."
• Charles Bingham can be reached at cbingham@juneauempire.com.