Juneau’s Cooper Kriegmont runs against Bartlett’s Kainoa Duarte at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. Juneau won 67-24. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Juneau’s Cooper Kriegmont runs against Bartlett’s Kainoa Duarte at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. Juneau won 67-24. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Tilt against Bartlett won’t be the Huskies last home game

Big win sets up first home Juneau playoff game in 8 years

With their playoff destiny in their hands, the Juneau Huskies did everything they could to ensure Saturday night wasn’t their last home game of the season.

The result was a 67-24 drubbing of the visiting Bartlett High School Golden Bears. The lopsided win secured the Huskies the top seed in their conference and means the Huskies (5-3, 3-1 Chugach) will host South Anchorage High School Saturday, Oct. 12 at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Stadium.

“They’re a very strong team,” said Juneau football coach Rich Sjoroos. “They’ll come to Juneau and not be fazed by anything, so hopefully we can get all of Juneau out here. It will be the first home football game since 2011, it’s been eight years. Hopefully, everyone’s excited to have some playoff football here in Juneau, and we get a big crowd out here to make it rowdy and make it hard on them.”

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

A cold rainy night coupled with a game that was well in hand at the half meant there wasn’t much of a crowd by the end of Saturday’s 43-point win, but the same conditions that made things unpleasant for spectators helped the Huskies out.

Over the course of the game, the Golden Bears coughed up the rain-slicked football six times — botched hand offs, flubbed kick returns and forced fumbles all contributed to the total.

At one point, four-straight Bartlett possessions ended with fumbles in their territory.

“My plan was to just to try to keep pace with them, but we really benefited from some turnovers and great field position in the second quarter,” Sjoroos said.

Instead, the Juneau offense led by quarterback Cooper Kriegmont, who was filling in for the injured Noah Chambers, turned those miscues into points.

[Photos: See Juneau clinch a conference title]

“The fact we were able to capitalize on those is big,” Sjoroos said.

Several drives were also extended by Bartlett penalties, too.

At the end of the first quarter, the Huskies enjoyed a 20-8 advantage but had a commanding 46-8 lead at the half.

Kriegmont was a major part of that.

He rushed for five touchdowns during the game and threw for another score to running back Ali Beya.

“I challenge guys a lot, and I was challenging him on a lot of things, and he stepped up to every curveball that was thrown at him, and he managed a great football game,” Sjoroos said.

Any time Juneau needed a first down it seemed like Kriegmont was able to find a seam and pick up the yardage required with a combination of patience and power that Bartlett was unable to stifle.

Juneau’s Ali Beya is tackled by Bartlett’s Tairel Tili at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. Juneau won 67-24. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Juneau’s Ali Beya is tackled by Bartlett’s Tairel Tili at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Field on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019. Juneau won 67-24. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Sjoroos said offensive linemen including Ethan Jaenicke, Marcos Yadao, Jake Ferster, Sione Veikoso and Landon Guthrie did a good job giving runners room to work.

“There’s a whole group of guys who were doing a great job up there,” Sjoroos said. “If our running back is getting five yards before he’s getting touched, that’s a good thing up front.”

Gaby Soto added three scores of his own, including a nice up-the-gut sprint that gave the Huskies their first points of the night. Jamal Johnson, who spelled Kriegmont at quarterback once the game was put away, also scored on a long run late in the game.

Should the Huskies ride the momentum of their big win into a win next week, it’s possible Juneau could host a second playoff game, but Sjoroos didn’t want to look too far forward.

“That is a carrot that hangs out there, and that’s never been done before in Juneau so getting that first one’s the priority, and we’ll see where that takes us,” Sjoroos said.

More in Sports

Juneau Douglas’s Elias Dybdahl makes a layup during Juneau Douglas 58-53 loss to Ketchikan at the Clarke Cochrane Gymnasium on Saturday. (Christopher Mullen/ Ketchikan Daily News)
Crimson Bears split road series, fall to Kings in Ketchikan on Saturday after win on Friday

JDHS finishes 1-3 in conference, will return to Ketchikan in three weeks for Region V tournament.

Juneau-Douglas’s Brandon Casperson is fouled as Ketchikan players swarm him during Juneau Douglas’s 61-50 victory over Kayhi at the Clarke Cochrane Gymnasium on Friday. Photo by Christopher Mullen/ Ketchikan Daily News
JDHS boys win on the road at Ketchikan

Crimson Bears slay Kings at site of region tournament.

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé sophomore Layla Tokuoka (14) threads a pass through Ketchikan senior Shyla Abajian (5), junior Lauren Tucker (11) and junior Kylie Brendible (32) during the Crimson Bears’ 51-23 win over the Lady Kings on Friday in Juneau. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
JDHS girls finish home sweep of Ketchikan

Crimson Bears have perfect conference record over Lady Kings

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé junior Gwen Nizich (11) shoots from past the arc over Ketchikan junior Kylie Brendible (32) during the Crimson Bears’ 52-23 win over the Lady Kings on Thursday in Juneau. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
JDHS girls greet conference rival Kayhi with win

Crimson Bears defeat Lady Kings 52-23 in home den

Viewed from a certain angle, a lake on Heintzleman ridge appears to be in a Valentine’s Day mood. (Klas Stolpe)
Pure Sole: A first love

An old, old, old, old, old (key word is old here), old… Continue reading

This painting, “Abandonment of the Whalers in The Arctic Ocean September 1871,” depicts the New England whaling ships trapped in pack ice off northern Alaska. Wainwright Inlet is in the background. (Photo courtesy Ted and Ellie Congdon, Huntington Library)
Alaska Science Forum: When the Civil War came to Alaska

About 150 years ago, a few days after summer solstice, the gray… Continue reading

The brands you wear don’t always say a lot about your political stance and moral compass. (Photo by Jeff Lund)
I Went to the Woods: Passive activism

I almost didn’t watch the Super Bowl because I was tired of… Continue reading

Thunder Mountain Middle School wrestler Matvii Kozodoi works a move against schoolmate Caleb Demmert during the inaugural Thunder Mountain Mayhem Team Duels Wrestling Tournament Feb. 1. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Thunder Mountain to host first-ever regional middle school wrestling tournament starting Friday

More than 230 wrestlers from 11 communities expected at two-day event.

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé senior Mary Johnson protects the ball from Wasilla junior Mielee Merchant (4) and senior Mylee Anderson (14) during a Crimson Bears loss to the Warriors last weekend in the George Houston Gymnasium. JDHS will host Ketchikan at 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
JDHS girls to host Kayhi for final conference games

Crimson Bears invite Lady Kings to their den Thursday, Friday

Most Read