When you think about high school football, your brain probably goes straight to those massive Texas stadiums or maybe a humid Friday night in Georgia. You aren't thinking about a field 100 yards from the Arctic Ocean where the wind chill makes your breath freeze before it hits the air. But that’s exactly where the realest version of the sport lives.
Alaska high school football is weird, beautiful, and incredibly difficult. It starts in August—the first in the nation to kick off—because by late October, most of the state is staring down a deep freeze. If you're playing for a state title at Colony High School or Wasilla in late October, you aren't just fighting the defense; you’re fighting literal sub-zero temperatures.
Honestly, the logistics alone would make a Lower 48 coach quit on the spot.
The Travel is Actually Insane
Let’s talk about Ketchikan. To play a "local" conference game against the Barrow Whalers (now Utqiaġvik), the Kayhi Kings once flew 1,600 miles. Think about that. That is the same distance as flying from San Diego to Seattle just for one Saturday afternoon kickoff.
There are no roads to Utqiaġvik. You fly in, or you don't go.
Because of these massive distances, the Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA) has to get creative. Teams in the North Slope or Southeast might spend twelve hours in transit, staying overnight in Anchorage just to make a connection. It’s expensive. It’s exhausting. And yet, these kids are still expected to turn in their homework on Monday morning. Most programs have to run endless fundraisers—raffles, dinners, even "rent-a-player" programs for yard work—just to afford the plane tickets.
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Why Soldotna is a Dynasty Unlike Any Other
If you want to talk about dominance, you have to talk about the Soldotna Stars. People outside of Alaska have no idea that Coach Galen Brantley Jr. has built one of the most statistically terrifying programs in the country.
In September 2024, Brantley Jr. broke the record for the most wins by an Alaska coach, passing the 160-win mark. The guy has a career winning percentage that looks like a typo. Soldotna doesn't just win; they steamroll. In 2023, they went 11-0 and outscored their opponents 703 to 113.
They finished the 2025 season as the No. 1 team in the state regardless of division, riding a 13-game win streak into 2026.
What makes SoHi (as the locals call it) so special? It’s the "Stars" system. They run a Wing-T offense that is so disciplined it feels like watching a Swiss watch made of teenagers. They don't care if you know they're going to run the ball. Seniors like Dax Walden and Andon Wolverton have put up numbers that would make video game characters jealous. In their 2025 Division II title run, they beat Lathrop for the sixth consecutive time in a state final. That’s not a rivalry; that’s a residency.
The 2025 State Titles: A Shift in Power?
While Soldotna owns Division II, the 2025 Division I landscape saw a bit of a shakeup.
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South Anchorage finally got back to the mountain top. The Wolverines claimed their first state championship since 2019 with a 37-3 blowout against Bartlett. It was a statement game. While West Anchorage, led by QB Baylor Wasson, entered the postseason with a lot of hype, South’s defense turned into a brick wall when it mattered most.
Here’s how the 2025 season shook out:
- Division I: South Anchorage Wolverines (beat Bartlett 37-3)
- Division II: Soldotna Stars (beat Lathrop 28-21)
- Division III: Homer Mariners (beat Barrow 20-0)
Homer successfully defended their title in 2025, proving that the Kenai Peninsula is basically the heart of Alaska football right now. Between Soldotna and Homer, that small stretch of road holds a lot of hardware.
The Weather Factor: Football at -5 Degrees
Most people assume games get canceled when it snows. In Alaska, snow is just a change in traction.
The real enemy is the wind and the "ambient" temperature. Up on the North Slope, schools usually won't close unless it hits 40 below zero. Football games obviously don't play in that, but playing in 5-degree weather with a wind howling off the Arctic Ocean is standard for the Whalers.
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Fans show up in fur hats—the real stuff, wolf or wolverine—and three layers of heavy coats. The players have to use heated sidelines and constant rotation to keep their extremities from going numb. It changes the game. You can’t throw a 40-yard post route when the ball feels like a frozen brick and the wind is gusting at 30 mph. You run the ball. You grind. You hope your fingers work long enough to make a tackle.
The Recruiting Gap
If you’re a 4-star recruit in Alaska, you have to work twice as hard to get noticed.
College scouts don't exactly stumble across games in Fairbanks or Eagle River. Guys like Deuce Alailefaleula from Bartlett (a massive 288-pound defensive lineman) are the exception. He’s one of the top-ranked recruits for the 2026 class because his film is undeniable, but for most kids, getting to a camp in the "Lower 48" is a massive financial hurdle.
Despite that, the talent level is rising. More coaches are using HUDL and social media to bypass the geographic isolation. We’re seeing more Alaska kids end up on rosters at schools like Black Hills State or even mid-major D1 programs.
Actionable Steps for Following Alaska Football
If you're actually interested in following the 2026 season or supporting the sport, here’s how you actually do it:
- Watch the NFHS Network: They live-stream most of the playoff games and several regular-season matchups. It’s the only way to see these games if you aren't physically in Anchorage or Wasilla.
- Follow ASAA365: This is the official hub for scores and brackets. Don't rely on national sites; they often get the Alaska scores 48 hours late.
- Support Local Fundraisers: If you see a "Rent-a-player" or a travel raffle for an Alaska team, chip in. You aren't just paying for a jersey; you're paying for a kid to see a part of their state they’d otherwise never visit.
- Track the "First National Bowl": This is the name of the state championship series. It usually happens in mid-to-late October. Mark your calendar for the second weekend of October if you want to see the best football in the 49th state.
The season is short, the travel is long, and the weather is brutal. But there isn't a single person in the Alaska football community who would trade it for a 70-degree night in Texas.