The Juneau Huskies fell behind early on the road and then played nearly even for three quarters in losing the opening game of the 2024 season 22-6 to Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School on Saturday afternoon.
The loss comes as Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé’s football team is trying to rebound from last season when it finished 1-8, the first losing season in coach Rich Sjoroos’ 30-year career. But he said after Saturday’s game he is encouraged by how his team played away from home against a team ranked fourth in the state by NFL-affiliated High School Football America.
“I walked away feeling really, really good, despite coming up short on the scoreboard, which of course you never feel good about,” he said. “Our kids played hard today, and tackled really, really well. The defense I thought played phenomenal for week one and (there’s) just a real optimistic feeling about our potential.”
The Thunderbirds scored touchdowns and two-point conversions on their first two drives to take a 16-0 first-quarter lead. Sjoroos said the early struggle by the Huskies was perhaps to be expected since “we play isolated in Juneau.”
“We don’t have the luxury of any live action until our first game, other than summer camps,” he said. “And so we could have been playing against a middle school team and we were going to be struggling in the first quarter to kind of find our way.”
Also, Sjoroos noted, “I think they have 24 seniors on the roster and I suited 24 kids today.”
Much of the game saw both teams move the ball sporadically, with most drives stalling and a few ending in turnovers, including second-quarter drives by Juneau well into East Anchorage territory that ended in a fourth-down incompletion and an interception just before halftime. East Anchorage added another touchdown and two-point conversion to take a 22-0 lead by the end of the third quarter.
Juneau struck back in the fourth quarter after the Thunderbirds turned the ball over on downs on the Juneau 20. On the first ensuing play junior quarterback Noah Ault hit senior wide receiver Jayden Johnson for an 80-yard touchdown pass that saw the throw and run after the catch cover roughly equal distances.
The Huskies opted for a two-point conversion after an offside penalty by East Anchorage on an extra-point kick attempt, but failed to convert, making the score 22-6.
Juneau kept up the momentum by recovering a fumble in the backfield as East Anchorage was driving on its next possession. The Huskies drove to the Anchorage 29, but fell short when a pass by Johnson fell incomplete on fourth down.
Sjoroos said that while key starters are returning — including Johnson, Ault, and running backs Samuel Sarof and Hayden Aube — there are five new offensive starters, six new defensive starters and a new defensive coordinator this season.
“I knew it was going to be a tough test week one,” he said. “And we had some chances on some big plays. Chemistry is going to take time. I think for four kids today it was their first-ever high school football game.”
The Huskies play their home opener against Service High School next Saturday, Aug. 24, at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park.
“Ultimately I feel very good about where the program is going to go and the dedication-level stuff,” Sjoroos said. “We’ll be coming back strong and ready for week two.”
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
