by Chris Frenier

The upcoming week in high school sports is certainly going to be an exciting one.  

High School Cross Country

The Region IV Cross Country Running Championships wrapped up last Saturday, and today, Alaska's best high school long distance lopers are meeting in Soldotna to settle the state championship at Skyview High School. The popular favorite on the girls' side of the equation is defiantly West High School, with Region IV champion Shoshana Keegan leading the way. The Eagles' greatest competition is expected to come from the West Valley Wolfpack, who are looking to defend their two straight state titles after a dominate regional championship performance.   Juneau-Douglas also looks to make a strong showing.

For the boys, the current favorite is without a doubt the Kodiak Bears.   Led by Trevor Dunnbar, the winner of both the Lynx and Skyview Invitationals, the Bears are looking to dominate the competition and win their first ever state championship in cross country running. If there is any team that seems to have a chance at upsetting the Bears, it is South Anchorage High School. The Wolverine boys are looking to defend their 2005 state title, but are now without the help of individual state champion David Bondi.   Instead, they send sophomore Aaron Fletcher in as their best runner. Fletcher and Cory Pena, another Kodiak runner, appear to have the best shot at upsetting the landslide favorite Dunnbar.  

High School Football

What's that you say…Cross Country running not your idea of a good time? Well, then just think, its only one week until the state football championships and this weekend's games will finally provide some clarity to a jumbled playoff picture.

East's win last night over West was the first of three games this weekend with playoff implications. By defeating the Eagles in a thrilling 35-34 comeback, the Thunderbirds clinched the second seed in the 2006 State Championship tournament. That leaves just two open spots, since undefeated South Anchorage High School clinched the first seed with a win over the West High Eagles last week. One of the two spots is now guaranteed to the Bartlett Golden Bears, who will earn the number three seed with a win over the South or the four seed with a loss to the Wolverines. The T-Bird's victory over West also clinched a spot for the Chugiak Mustangs, who play Eagle River today. A Chugiak win and a Bartlett loss would give the Mustangs the third seed, while either a Bartlett win OR a loss by the Mustangs drop Chugiak to the fourth seed.  

The playoff scenarios for the Railbelt conference are somewhat less complicated.   Colony, Juneau, Palmer, and West Valley will be the four teams representing their conference this year, but their exact seeding is still not determined. By beating Wasilla last night, Palmer set themselves up to gain the number two seed if the Colony Knights defeat Lathrop today. That would give the Colony nights the first seed, Palmer the second, Juneau the third, and West Valley the fourth.  

So, to wrap up our playoff preview, here are my predictions for the state tournament bracketing. South will beat Bartlett and Chugiak will beat Eagle River today to solidify the CISC bracket. In this scenario, South will turn around and play Bartlett again in the first round of the tournament, and East will play Chugiak. For the Railbelt Conference, Colony will beat Lathrop today, meaning that Palmer will play Juneau and Colony will play West Valley in round one of the playoffs.   The rest of the tournament, well, that's up to you to figure out…

College Sports

If you're looking for sporting entertainment of the collegiate variety this month then you will not be disappointed.   The University of Alaska Seawolves officially start their hockey season on October 13 th against Merrimack, and remember, basketball season is just around the corner.   Also, college football is on the TV nearly every day, with a whole day's worth of games each Saturday.   After looking over the month's schedule, I have complied what I like to call “Chris' Best Bet College Games of the Month.” This months number one choice pits two storied SEC schools against each other as #2 Auburn takes on #5 Flordia on October 14 th .   Your second pick is being played as we speak.   #1 Ohio State has traveled to #13 Iowa with each team hoping to keep its perfect record alive.   Lastly, Urban Meyer's Flordia Gators appear again, this time on the 7 th of October agaisnts the #9 ranked LSU Tigers.   So there you have it…your must see games for this month.

Well, that's about it for this month's update.   Make sure to continue to keep your eyes on both the young NFL season, and the Major League Baseball playoffs, which start this Tuesday, October 3rd .