The Juneau Huskies (2-3 overall, 1-3 in the Cook Inlet Conference) are facing their toughest challenge of the season on Saturday with a road trip to Anchorage for a gridiron clash with the conference-leading Dimond Lynx (5-0 OA, 4-0 CIC).
Senior co-captain Hayden Aube’s mindset for game day is simple.
“Run them over,” he said.
The 5’7, 165-pound running back/linebacker said he has been playing football for eight years.
“Ever since I was a little kid,” he said. “My senior year has had its ups and downs, wins and close losses. Just hoping we can finish these last couple games out winning strong, hopefully getting a home playoff game. You look around and you see everybody interacting with each other, there is never one person singled out not talking to someone, at least a single person is talking to someone. I think we are all a big family. We have to come into this game with a lot of intensity. When we went to South High we didn’t have any of that. When we go to Dimond we’re going to bring the energy. We have nothing to lose. They do have something to lose being an undefeated team.”
Aube was leading the state in tackles with 49 heading into last week’s one-point loss to West Anchorage at Adair Kennedy Field. That number rose, but the tally has not yet been verified.
Dimond, with 45 juniors and seniors on their roster, will be a task.
The Lynx feature the odds-on favorite for player of the year, junior dual-threat quarterback Cayden Pili, who last season ran for five touchdowns against the Huskies in week two at Adair Kennedy Field and may have won player of the year as a sophomore if he hadn’t broken his ankle in week three, ending his season. Pili’s older brother Brandon plays nose tackle for the Miami Dolphins of the NFL and his sister Alissa plays for the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA.
Juneau head coach Rich Sjoroos recounted a play involving Pili from last season.
“I told our punter (Dawson Menz) all week long we do not want to kick to him, we don’t want him doing a big run back, he was also their punt return guy, quarterback, mister everything,” Sjoroos said. “Sure enough in the third quarter our punter, he didn’t mean to, kicked it right down the middle and Pili, he’s licking his fingers and runs it back like 55 yards. I signaled for the punter to come over and said now maybe I didn’t explain myself, I just want you to understand, this guy’s brother plays for the Miami Dolphins and his sister is the Pac-12 Player of the Year and is going to be in the WNBA. And it was the funniest line I ever heard. Our punter looked at me and went, ‘So you’re saying he’s really good.’ What a line, in the heat of the game, I laughed so hard. He graduated last year, a really good kid.”
Pili was Alaska Player of the Week and rushed for four touchdowns in a 29-12 Lynx win over West Anchorage recently and had another four touchdowns in Dimond’s 42-18 win over South last weekend. The Lynx have also stopped Bartlett 35-30, California’s Linfield Christian 40-39 and Colony 28-14.
“When it looks like he is going to throw he’s running and when it looks like he is going to run he’s throwing,” Sjoroos said. “He keeps you off balance. But he is also surrounded by a lot of really good players. Their team as a whole is playing really well. First thing I am approaching is being on the road again. We have to find a way to go to Anchorage and bring the same energy we play with at home.”
Sjoroos said the 17-6 win over Bishop High in California was different because it was the first time a football team from Juneau had gone there and the atmosphere created some of the energy the team needed.
“These early Saturday afternoon games on the road you have to find your own energy to get going,” he said. “We didn’t do a very good job of that a few weeks ago and now the next opportunity to do it is against Dimond and they are tops in our state. If we can bring the energy to put ourselves in a competitive football game into the second half then we can dig a little deeper and find a way to come out on top. We have to find a formula to turn it into a four-quarter game and hopefully put the pressure on them… Other than that one game against South our effort level has just been off the charts. I love the grit and the determination of our guys when they know that every week we have less kids and we are undersized, just all those things kind of working against them. They just don’t let it phase them. They are very coachable. I have told them since the Spring, this is just a really good group that just makes you feel good as a coach when you go home at night. Regardless of the wins or losses you feel good about what you are doing and the progress they are making. You just hope they develop friendships that go beyond football and I think that they have.”
Senior co-captain Caleb Ziegenfuss noted the Huskies’ makeup.
“We have a lot of chemistry,” he said. “Especially coming for last year. Most of these players were on that team. We’ve been through a lot. I think we are all tough kids, I definitely think we are a tough team. We just have heart. Most of these guys I have been playing with for 10 years.”
The 5’10 150-pound Ziegenfuss was introduced to rotations at quarterback this season, but is primarily a stalwart on defense.
“It is definitely a challenge playing both and staying on the field all game for every play,” he said. “Playing defense my whole life, and now playing some quarterback, it does help me understand what the quarterback might do in most situations.”
To Ziegenfuss, stopping a big play is more important than throwing a touchdown pass.
“If I can stop a big play they can’t get points, that is definitely a better feeling to me,” he said.
Senior co-captain Jayden Johnson said playing wide receiver and defensive back helps him understand how both positions move on the field.
“I think DB is the toughest position to play, you have to guard someone running full speed not knowing where they are going,” the 6’2 175-pound Johnson said. “Playing both helps me know body movement.”
Playing since the fourth grade Jayden was inspired by older brother Jamal, now a sophomore running back at Fort Lewis who, on September 14, was partially responsible for helping the Skyhawks football win for the first time in over five years and end the nation’s longest active losing streak in college football at 40 games. Jayden had the opportunity to play with Jamal on the Huskies and also on the Thunder Mountain track and field team.
“I looked up to him and grew into the game,” Johnson said. “We are not always the biggest team, number-wise, so we are all pretty close. We have that chemistry. We all grew up together. I just want us to be a hard team to beat. That’s what the coach always says. We are going to go all out, give it everything we’ve got, 100%, no matter what the score says. We don’t really care about rankings. We are just going to go out there and play our game and by the end of the season be that hard team to beat.”
Johnson is leading the Huskies in receptions, catching 13 passes for 254 yards and four touchdowns. Junior Sam Sarof leads in rushing with 92 carries for 313 yards and five touchdowns and sophomore Ethan Van Kirk has 38 carries for 225 yards and one TD. Junior Noah Ault has completed 30% of his passes for 299 yards and three TDs (1 INT).
Huskies senior co-captain Sage Schultz also started in the Juneau Youth Football League.
“This team is special to me because I love this sport and the sport is special to me,” Schultz said. “And I have a lot of friends on the team, that makes it more special. I just love playing the game.
Primarily a defensive back playing safety and cornerback, the 5’9 150-pound Schultz is on a tear with a team-leading six interceptions this season.
“It feels good to get a pick,” he said. “I’ve had more picks this season than the last three years of my high school career.”
Now he hopes to trip up Dimond.
“Number one in the state,” he said. “If we can beat them we’ll have a chance at getting a playoff home game. If not we’ll just have to win an away game in the playoffs. We’ll have to find a way to win in Anchorage.”
