Juneau’s sports weekend starts Friday with a scene right out of the Discovery Channel’s Planet Earth: Two bears duking it out in a seasonal battle for territorial supremacy.
The Juneau-Douglas High School Crimson Bears host the Kodiak High School Bears at Adair-Kennedy Field on Friday at 6 p.m. in a medium school matchup. Kodiak (1-0), of the Northern Lights Conference, beat small school Houston 14-0 in their season opener. JDHS (0-1), of the Southeast Conference, fell to Thunder Mountain High School 50-20 in their opener last weekend.
The Crimson Bears are working with a short roster of 23 players and fielded their first 11-on-11 snaps in the loss to the Falcons. Now with experience in live-game situations, look for JDHS to improve their offensive line play and sustain drives for quarterback Bubba Stults to work his magic through the air.
Junior JDHS running back Lance Galletes-Fiagatuso had an excellent start running the ball last week, ending their losing effort with a 45-yard scamper to the end zone that buoyed his team’s spirits coming out of the loss. Galletes-Fiagatuso should be relied on heavily to keep Kodiak’s stout defense honest.
Kodiak boasts a new no-huddle offense which will likely wear on JDHS’ threadbare roster. The visiting team’s offensive pace may compound JDHS’ lack of personnel and tire the Crimson Bear defense down in the third and fourth quarters.
The Empire is live-streaming the game online through Archipelago Webcasting. Streaming will begin at 6 p.m. The live steam, sponsored by the University of Alaska Southeast, is free to watch and doesn’t require an Empire log in.
Beat the odds fun run
Cancer Connection hosts the Beat the Odds Race Against Cancer at Riverbend Elementary School on Saturday. The 5K run or 2 mile walk starts at 9 a.m. at the covered playground behind the school.
Registration is available online at cancerconnectionak.org. All proceeds are a fundraiser for cancer awareness. Contact Ruth Johnson at 796-2273 or admin@cancerconnectionak.org for more information.
Free back to school skate
The Douglas Fourth of July Committee hosts the annual free Back to School skate at Treadwell Arena on Friday. The skate lasts from 6:30-8 p.m. All ages are welcome and ice skates are available at the arena. Contact Treadwell Arena at 586-0410 or at lauren.anderson@juneau.org.
• Contact Sports and Outdoors reporter Kevin Gullufsen at 523-2228 or kevin.gullufsen@juneauempire.com.
