As the Alaska high school football regular season reaches its final weekend, the landscape of the Elite 12 state rankings features a few dominant frontrunners alongside a scramble for postseason positioning. At the pinnacle, the Lathrop Malemutes stand alone as the state’s sole undefeated team, though a high-stakes final stretch looms large for programs across Divisions I and II as playoff brackets take shape.
Entering the final slate of games, Lathrop holds a flawless 7-0 record following a decisive 41-14 victory over Wasilla. With only a matchup against 1-6 West Valley remaining on their regular-season schedule, the Malemutes are heavily favored to run the table and lock up the top spot heading into the postseason. Meanwhile, West Anchorage has quietly engineered the state’s most impressive resume outside of Lathrop, securing the top seed in the upcoming Division I playoffs with a 6-1 mark.
The Eagles head into their regular-season finale at Colony having already claimed first place in the Cook Inlet Conference at 4-0, courtesy of a vital head-to-head tiebreaker over second-place South Anchorage. Behind the leaders, both Soldotna (5-2) and South Anchorage (5-2) have righted the ship following rocky stretches in late August and September, cementing themselves as the No. 2 seeds in the Division II and Division I brackets, respectively.
Playoff Seeding Drama in Division II
The most intense drama of the final week sits squarely in the middle of the rankings, highlighted by a Friday showdown between Palmer and Wasilla. Both programs enter the contest with identical 5-2 records and similar schedules marked by losses to top-tier opponents Lathrop and Soldotna.
The winner of Friday’s matchup will capture the No. 3 seed in the Division II playoffs, earning a road trip to face Soldotna in the semifinals. The loser will face a daunting trip north to Fairbanks to take on No. 1 Lathrop, leaving both squads to determine their postseason seeding.
In Division I, a parallel subplot surrounds Colony and Juneau-Douglas as they battle for the No. 3 seed. Juneau-Douglas suffered an unexpected 28-27 loss to Dimond last week, though the setback will not cost the Crimson Bears a playoff berth. To secure the third seed, Juneau-Douglas must defeat Bartlett on Saturday afternoon and hope Colony stumbles against West Anchorage on Friday night. Finishing fourth would pair the Crimson Bears with top-seeded West Anchorage in the semifinals, a matchup both Colony and Juneau-Douglas are eager to avoid.
Rivalry Shifts and the Rest of the Elite 12
Further down the rankings, a fascinating three-team race involving Barrow, Kenai Central, and Redington has injected volatility into the lower tier. Kenai Central’s surprising loss to Redington last weekend reshuffled the standings, opening a window for Barrow to climb despite taking their own loss to the Kardinals.
With postseason matchups materializing and final conference titles decided over the next few days, the regular-season finale serves as the final proving ground for teams looking to build momentum before elimination games begin.
