West Anchorage’s Posala Ulberg celebrates after a play during the Eagles’ 21-14 victory over South Anchorage on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026 at West High. (Photo by Stephanie Burgoon)
Welcome back to The Rewind, a weekly digest that puts a spotlight on the biggest stories and best performances from Alaska’s world of sports.
Last week featured notable individual and team performances across the Alaska sports landscape at the high school and professional levels, as well as new developments on the college front. The fourth week of the high school football season saw one of the top contenders bounce back in a big way. On the college scene, the University of Alaska Anchorage volleyball team nearly pulled off an upset of a nationally ranked opponent. Outside the state, several Alaskans had outstanding efforts and career achievements worth noting in their respective arenas.
Headlines and highlights
The fourth week of the 2026 Alaska high school football season was capped off by a battle between two top Division I teams at the Nest on Hillcrest on Saturday. Both West and South Anchorage were coming off suffering their first losses of the season. But in the end, it was the hosting Eagles who triumphed over the reigning state champion Wolverines 21-14 to remain undefeated against in-state competition.
“We knew South was going to bring it; we knew (coach) John (Lewis) always puts together a good game plan defensively and offensively,” West head coach Brown Faaaliga said. “We just told our boys if we go out there and play our game, we’d be just fine. Coming from behind makes it a little more exciting but our boys were up for the challenge.”
After being tied 7-7 at halftime and struggling to get the passing attack off the ground, West fell behind 14-7 in the first 13 seconds of the second half. The Wolverines recovered a muffed kickoff and scored on a 22-yard touchdown sprint from South running back Ethan Yarrington. Then the Eagles turned to their ground game, led by senior running back Manny Maga and their offensive line, referred to as “the Kings.”
“These Kings over here, they’re special, and when you have someone like Manny behind them, it gets even more special,” Faaaliga said. “We lean on those guys the most and we lean on guys like Manny to make big plays when we need them to.”
West Anchorage’s Manny Maga tries to find an opening during the Eagles’ 21-14 victory over South Anchorage on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026 at West High. (Photo by Stephanie Burgoon)
Maga racked up 160 yards on 17 carries, with his last one going for a 4-yard touchdown up the middle as West retook the lead for the first time since the first quarter.
“At halftime, coach made some adjustments, and he just made the right calls, and we just executed it,” Maga said. “I give thanks to all my Kings. They really stepped up when it mattered the most and got the game-winning touchdown.”
When Maga scored, 124 seconds was left on the clock. The Eagles defense, led by senior linebacker Truss Irwin, then slammed the door on the Wolverines for the last time by forcing a four-and-out in which they didn’t allow a pass to be completed and sacked South quarterback Bryson Jackson for the fifth time in the game.
“In the fourth quarter, I decided I needed to pick my teammates up because the energy was higher than it was in the first half, but I decided it was time to get the energy up,” Irwin said. “We gave it all our effort, all our intensity, all our aggression and did what we needed to do.”
In other CIC gridiron action, Bartlett rumbled its way to a second straight victory by double-digit margins and spoiled Dimond’s homecoming in the process Friday night in a 52-22 win. The Golden Bears racked up over 300 yards on the ground and had three runners reach the end zone, and three more players scored on defense via fumble returns.
Earlier in the day on Saturday, Colony used a perfectly executed hook-and-ladder play on third and goal from the edge of the red zone to beat Bettye Davis East Anchorage 36-29 in double overtime. After hauling in a pass well short of the goal line, Kai Anderson-Berghoff tossed the ball to Jackson Forsyth, who proceeded to straddle the sideline before diving into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown that would seal the Knights’ thrilling victory.
In flag football action, reigning state champion South continued to use a dominant defense and explosive offense to record its sixth and seventh straight shutouts to open the season. The Wolverines got a pair of touchdown hat tricks from sophomore quarterback Emma Boin, who threw for three touchdowns on four passing attempts against Bettye Davis East Anchorage and threw two more and ran for a third against West. The Wolverines have now outscored their opponents 215-0.
On the trails, the Chugiak girls and South boys claimed the cross-country varsity team titles at the annual Big 8 Invite Meet at Kincaid Park on Thursday. Finishing first in the individual 5K varsity races were East senior Katahdin Staples on the boys’ side with a time of 15 minutes, 36.8 seconds, and Chugiak freshman Claire Shaha won the girls division with a time of 18:43.7.
Reigning 4A state volleyball champion Dimond has yet to cool down since beginning the in-state slate of its schedule. Not only have the Lynx yet to lose a match to an Alaskan opponent, but they haven’t even lost a single set after recording two more shutouts this past week. In the back-to-back sweeps of East and Service, junior outside hitter Anayah Sila led the team in kills, including a triple-double against the Thunderbirds with 12 kills, 12 digs and 10 assists.
The biggest meet of the prep swimming season so far took place Saturday at Bartlett in the Big 8 Invitational and saw Eagle River’s boys and girls team dominate, finishing first in 17 of the 23 competitions. The Wolves produced several multi-event winners, including reigning 200 and 500 freestyle state champion Lelaina Trembath, who won both of those events and helped the girls 200 yard medley relay finish first as well.
On the college sports scene, the UAA volleyball team had its seven-match winning streak snapped on the road over the weekend at the annual Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic. After cruising to three-set sweeps of Minnesota State and Tiffin on Friday, the Seawolves jumped out to a two-set lead over nationally-ranked Fresno Pacific on Saturday. Unfortunately, UAA couldn’t maintain that momentum and the Sunbirds rallied back from the brink to win in five sets. Junior outside hitter Kyana Gabriel led the team with a season-high 23 kills and notched a double-double with 15 digs in that heated match.
“It was a great start, but when Fresno was able to adjust and get into their system, they were hard to stop,” UAA head coach Morgan Hooe said in a statement. “Still, we showed we can go swing-for-swing with one of the best teams in the nation, and we’ll take a lot of confidence into the league season.”
The UAF volleyball team also saw its winning streak halted by Fresno Pacific that same day, except it wasn’t nearly as competitive. In the final match of the tournament, the Nanooks were swept on their own home court in three straight sets. Freshman right-side hitter Cori Leavitt led the team with 11 kills and was the only player to reach double figures in that metric.
UAA and UAF faced off on the running trails surrounding the UAF campus, and it was the Seawolves’ cross-country team that prevailed 36-22 in their season-opening race on Saturday. Coming in first in the men’s division of the annual Blue & Gold Race was UAA junior Ben Browning with a mark of 25:34, and fellow junior Natalie Allen clocked the second-fastest among women, just 12 seconds behind UAF senior Tabitha Williams, who was the first woman to cross with a time of 22:24.
“Really great races out of both teams today,” UAA head coach Ryan McWilliams said in a statement. “Great to get the season officially started. We have a confident group of athletes, and we are looking forward to putting in the work this season to be at our best when it counts. Really proud of the effort the Seawolves put out on the course today.”
On the recruiting trail, the UAA men’s basketball team added another local product to its 2026-27 roster with the announcement of incoming freshman Amelio Ambrosio. The former Dimond standout is coming off a senior season in which he led the Lynx to the Cook Inlet Conference tournament title, earned conference MVP honors and was named AABC First Team All-State. He was also named to the ASAA 4A All-State Tournament Team and averaged 19 points per game.
“Amelio is the perfect final piece to our recruiting class and has a tremendous future at UAA,” head coach Cameron Turner said in a statement. “He loves Alaska, understands what it means to be a Seawolf, and has a genuine desire to represent his state. … He’s athletic, extremely coachable, picks things up at an incredible pace, and has the tools to become a special player. Our job is to develop him, challenge him, and help unlock everything that’s inside of him.”
Alaska stars shining Outside
Michigan wide receiver JJ Buchanan (6) celebrates his 47-yard touchdown reception against Western Michigan during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Anchorage’s Deyvid Palepale recorded a solo tackle in the second quarter of the University of Michigan football team’s wild 13-12 win over Western Michigan on Saturday. He brought down Broncos running back Jalen Buckley on first down to limit him to a modest gain of 6 yards.
Anchorage’s Aaron Hampton recorded a pair of tackles, including a solo, in the University of California’s 45-24 season-opening loss to UCLA on Saturday. His solo takedown was of Bruins starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava early in the fourth quarter when the game was still tied 24-24, and he limited the scramble to 5 yards, forcing a third-and-long.
Anchorage’s Jackson Harmon recorded a solo tackle and forced fumble for the Colorado School of Mines football team in a 16-16 tie against Washburn on Saturday. His takedown took place on the Ichabods’ final possession of regulation in a tight game that went to overtime, only to end in a stalemate.
Anchorage’s Fafo Lefano recorded the second-most total tackles among defensive backs and fifth-most on Valley City State University’s football team with five, including two solos in a 28-25 victory over Dickinson State on Thursday.
Anchorage’s Malachi Casey tied for the second-most catches and finished with the third-most receiving yards on the Lamar University Football team in Saturday’s 38-7 loss to the University of Louisiana with three catches for 26 yards.
Chugiak’s Landon Bobo made his collegiate debut for the Adams State University football team on Aug. 27 in a 62-45 loss to Western New Mexico University. The former Mustang converted his lone field goal attempt from 37 yards, was successful on all six extra point attempts and tallied 450 yards on kickoffs with three touchbacks and one out kick of bounds.
(If you know of an Alaska athlete who has achieved a standout performance or reached a noteworthy milestone Outside, email sports@adn.com or jreed@adn.com with the details.)
Fast Forward
Prep
Flag Football
Dimond at South, Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
The top two teams in the state will put what will most likely still be undefeated records on the line when they meet for the first time this season in a rematch of last year’s state finals.
Football
East at Bartlett, Friday at 4 p.m.
The annual “Boot Game” between the two East Anchorage rivals, honoring the memory of late all-state defensive lineman Aanooali‘iatoa “Aanoo” Alo, will be part of a crowded slate of games played Friday night.
Cross country
Class Race, Saturday at Delaney Park Strip at 6 p.m.
Representatives from all eight of the Anchorage School District high schools will be back at it again for the second week in a row to compete against each other, except this time around they’ll be doing so against the runners in their same grade.
College
Volleyball
UAA vs. Seattle Pacific, Thursday at Alaska Airlines Center at 7 p.m.
The Seawolves will aim to bounce back as they begin the Great Northwest Athletic Conference portion of their schedule this week, starting with the Falcons and then taking on Montana State Billings on Saturday night at the same start time.
Cross country running
Seawolf Throwdown, Saturday at Kincaid Park at TBA
The Seawolves return from their trip up to the Interior and will face off against their in-state rival for the second weekend in a row for their only home competition of the season.
NAHL
Anchorage Wolverines vs. U.S. NTDP U17 team, Friday and Saturday at Sullivan Arena, 7 p.m.
Before they officially embark on the 2026-27 season, the Wolverines will have a great tune-up opportunity when the U.S. National Team Development Program returns to Anchorage for the first time in two decades.
• • •
Last week’s results
High school
Flag football
Tuesday
North Pole 55, Lathrop 7
Eagle River 18, Bartlett 6
South 54, East 0
Colony 35, Wasilla 8
Dimond 18, Service 14
Chugiak 26, West 14
Wednesday
Dimond 46, Wasilla 6
Thursday
West Valley 12, Palmer 0
Service 13, Eagle River 0
North Pole 20, Colony 18
South 27, West 0
Friday
Colony 55, West Valley 0
Dimond 54, Bartlett 0
Lathrop 19, Palmer 0
Saturday
Colony 31, Lathrop 0
Wasilla 20, Redington 7
North Pole 43, Palmer 0
• • •
Football
Friday
Bartlett 55, Dimond 22
Lathrop 23, Soldotna 20
Wasilla 41, Eagle River 7
Palmer 21, Chugiak 7
North Pole 8, West Valley 7
Kodiak 68, Valdez 0
Barrow 40, Redington 6
Homer 65, Houston 8
Saturday
Seward 34, Monroe Catholic 6
SWDP 74, Nikiski 6
Colony 36, East 29
Juneau 47, Service 12
West 21, South 14
ASBN Poll
Division I
1. Juneau 3-1 at Colony
2. Colony 3-1 vs Juneau
3. West 3-1 Bye
4. Bartlett 2-2 vs East
5. South 2-2 at Dimond
Division II/III
1. Lathrop 4-0 vs Palmer
2. Palmer 4-0 at Lathrop
3. Barrow 3-0 vs Kenai
4. Wasilla 3-1 at West Valley
5. Kenai 2-1 at Barrow
• • •
Volleyball
Tuesday
Palmer 3, Mountain City Christian Academy 1 (23-25, 25-8, 25-13, 25-23)
West 3, Bartlett 0 (25-16, 25-20, 25-22)
Chugiak 3, Service 1 (25-23, 16-25, 25-10, 25-23)
South 3, Eagle River 0 (25-9, 25-11, 25-16)
Dimond 3, East (25-23, 25-11, 25-14)
Wednesday
Delta 3, North Pole 2
Thursday
South 3, Bartlett 0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-21)
West 3, Eagle River 1 (20-25, 25-13, 25-21, 25-19)
Dimond 3, Service 0 (25-10, 25-18, 25-16)
Chugiak 3, East 0
Friday
Nikiski 3, Homer 1 (26-24, 25-19, 18-25, 25-21)
Soldotna 3, Kenai Central 0 (25-11, 25-20, 25-21)
Juneau-Douglas 3, Ketchikan 0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-19)
Saturday
Wasilla 3, Service 1 (25-23, 20-25, 25-10, 25-18)
Juneau-Douglas 3, Ketchikan 0 (25-15, 25-7, 25-23)
• • •
Cross country
Big 8 Invite
Girls Team Scores
1. Chugiak 24; 2. Service 63; 3. West 81; 4. East 113; 5. South 117; 6. Dimond 120; 7. Eagle River 155
Varsity Girls
1. Claire Shaha, Chugiak 18:43.7; 2. Maddison Kukuk, Chugiak 18:55.1; 3. Olivia Sandoval, Chugiak 18:56.8; 4. Chloe Hayner, West 19:01.1; 5. Rylee Ruggles, Chugiak 19:09.8; 6. Kendall Barnett, West 19:13.1; 7. Fiona Selvik, Service 19:16.8; 8. Miya Kam-Magruder, Service 19:37.3; 9. Ashlyn Paynter, Eagle River 19:39.2; 10. Madeleine Lojewski, East 19:40.5; 11. Ellie Stull, Dimond 19:48.3; 12. Maggie Hamel, Service 19:57.0; 13. Kyra Walter, Chugiak 19:58.2; 14. Alise Elliott, South 19:59.2; 15. Cora Neroda, Service 20:10.0; 16. Marcelle Shasby, West 20:18.3; 17. Hana Varnell, East 20:31.2; 18. Sadie Haas, West 20:38.8; 19. Clara Robinson, East 20:53.6; 20. Charlotte Knox, Chugiak 20:56.6; 21. Marina Petumenos, Service 21:01.1; 22. Meadow Bailly, South 21:03.6; 23. Brooklynne Haigh, Chugiak 21:13.2; 24. Mira Posey, Dimond 21:18.6; 25. Amelia Fortt, South 21:21.1; 26. Hannah Veltkamp, Dimond 21:22.8; 27. Niva Flagstad, South 21:24.1; 28. Samantha Sierks, Dimond 21:25.7; 29. Livia Bond, South 21:28.3; 30. Nonie Mucha, South 21:30.6; 31. Peja Skinner, Dimond 21:33.8; 32. Nina Varnell, East 21:38.1; 33. Jonna Keller, Eagle River 21:40.0; 34. Abigail Page, South 22:01.6; 35. Paige Lojewski, East 22:14.6; 36. Allie D’Amico, Eagle River 22:22.8; 37. Lily Poray, West 22:23.2; 38. Ekaterina Henderson, Eagle River 22:59.7; 39. Anna Duffy, Eagle River 23:21.5; 40. Anika Linstid, Eagle River 23:22.6; 41. Lillian Konrath-Bera, Eagle River 23:32.5; 42. Violet Jopp, West 24:12.5; 43. Adelynn Hilliard, East 24:38.2; 44. Grace Post, West 24:56.6
Boys Team Scores
1. South 40; 2. Chugiak 57; 3. Eagle River 103; 4. West 105; 5. East 121; 6. Dimond 136; 7. Service 137; 8. Bartlett (Incomplete)
Boys Varsity
1. Katahdin Staples, East 15:36.8; 2. Atlin Frederick, West 16:21.6; 3. Peter May, South 16:28.4; 4. Ethan Elliott, South 16:32.1; 5. Joe Laudermilch, Chugiak 16:38.1; 6. Zachary Vedros, Eagle River 16:38.4; 7. Jagger Price, Chugiak 16:39.7; 8. Beck Harth, South 16:40.5; 9. Elliott Drake, Bartlett 16:41.0; 10. Aksel Flagstad, South 16:42.5; 11. Finn Dudley, West 16:44.3; 12. Holden Aquino, East 16:51.3; 13. Henry Ivary, Chugiak 16:54.6; 14. Tian Sandvik, Service 16:55.0; 15. Trygve Solomonson, Eagle River 16:57.0; 16. Jakob Long, Chugiak 17:17.0; 17. Isaac Yager, South 17:29.6; 18. Zane Gerlach, South 17:29.7; 19. Maxim Macy, Chugiak 17:31.2; 20. Tate Skinner, Dimond 17:33.7; 21. Josiah Sheldon, Service 17:33.9; 22. Kenneth Mullins, West 17:34.0; 23. Clayton White, Dimond 17:34.8; 24. Paul Peterson, Eagle River 17:36.0; 25. Christian Kies, Chugiak 17:38.2; 26. Elijah Lang, Chugiak 17:39.8; 27. Lance Smith, South 17:40.8; 28. Rylan Koontz, Eagle River 17:43.0; 29. Cameron Posey, Dimond 17:44.3; 30. JT Gurney, West 17:45.4; 31. Pedro Munoz, East 17:49.3; 32. Alex Casurella, Service 17:50.8; 33. Silas Hartlieb, Dimond 17:56.1; 34. Caleb Driscoll, Eagle River 18:06.1; 35. Elliot Jennings, Eagle River 18:09.3; 36. Jack Weiss, Dimond 18:15.3; 37. Lewis Knier, Service 18:27.6; 38. Zeke Keck, Service 18:29.0; 39. Simon Hoedel, Service 18:37.0; 40. Elisha Maenda, East 18:37.4; 41. Leif Mowery, East 18:40.5; 42. Aidan Lane, Eagle River 18:49.8; 43. Jonathan Greenway, East 19:00.6; 44. Ian Lim, Bartlett 19:07.6; 45. Rowan Shearer, West 19:20.0; 46. Keaden Dunlap, Service 19:43.7; 47. Gabriel Burns, Bartlett 20:50.6
• • •
Swimming
Big 8 Invitational
Girls 200 Yard Medley Relay
1. Eagle River (Keira Gust, Khalyse Rollins, Anna Heaphy, Lelaina Trembath ), 1:50.25; 2. Service, 1:53.03; 3. South, 2:02.62.
Boys 200 Yard Medley Relay
1. Eagle River ‘A’ (Matthew Baker, Evan Olson, Nate Shockley, CJ Rollins), 1:39.57; 2. Eagle River ‘B’, 1:45.25; 3. Dimond, 1:48.36.
Girls 200 Yard Freestyle
1. Lelaina Trembath, Eagle River, 1:57.02; 2. Nora Fawcett, Service, 2:05.88; 3. Zaylee Mullinax, Dimond, 2:07.30.
Boys 200 Yard Freestyle
1. Nate Shockley, Eagle River, 1:46.50; 2. Colin Russian, Eagle River, 1:47.96; 3. Theodore Olson, Eagle River, 1:50.25.
Girls 200 Yard IM
1. Anna Heaphy, Eagle River, 2:14.75; 2. Anna Brooks, Service, 2:15.51; 3. Tricia Wu, Service, 2:32.61.
Boys 200 Yard IM
1. Evan Olson, Eagle River, 2:02.78; 2. Elijah Whitford, Chugiak, 2:12.97; 3. Zachary Jacobs, Eagle River, 2:19.52.
Girls 50 Yard Freestyle
1. Keira Gust, Eagle River, 25.44; 2. Khalyse Rollins, Eagle River, 26.26; 3. Natalie Hostetter, Service, 26.39.
Boys 50 Yard Freestyle
1. Matthew Baker, Eagle River, 21.84; 2. Griffin Fencil, South Anchorage, 22.46; 3. CJ Rollins, Eagle River, 23.08.
Girls 1 mtr Diving
1. Lexie Bond, Service, 159.35; 2. Esme Carter, Service, 157.15; 3. Adel Bond, Service, 146.30.
Girls 100 Yard Butterfly
1. Anna Heaphy, Eagle River, 1:04.22; 2. Mariah Hoffman, Dimond, 1:05.85; 3. Ardenne Rivera, Dimond, 1:06.61.
Boys 100 Yard Butterfly
1. Gavin Heath, Chugiak, 55.10; 2. Elijah Whitford, Chugiak, 58.56; 3. Matthew Ray, East, 59.18.
Girls 100 Yard Freestyle
1. Zaylee Mullinax, Dimond, 57.79; 2. Alethia Schoppert, Service, 59.85; 3. Natalie Hostetter, Service, 59.95.
Boys 100 Yard Freestyle
1. Matthew Baker, Eagle River, 48.59; 2. Gavin Heath, Chugiak, 48.84; 3. Zander Walker, Eagle River, 51.72.
Girls 500 Yard Freestyle
1. Lelaina Trembath, Eagle River, 5:11.94; 2. Nora Fawcett, Service, 5:37.80; 3. Alethia Schoppert, Service, 6:12.93.
Boys 500 Yard Freestyle
1. Nate Shockley, Eagle River, 4:52.07; 2. Colin Russian, Eagle River, 4:53.46; 3. Theodore Olson, Eagle River, 4:55.31.
Girls 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
1. Eagle River (Khalyse Rollins, Audrey Townley, Audrey Lukasik, Keira Gust), 1:45.31; 2. Service, 1:45.61; 3. Dimond, 1:49.49.
Boys 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
1. Eagle River (CJ Rollins, Evan Olson, Andrew Deisseroth, Matthew Baker), 1:32.16; 2. Chugiak, 1:35.99; 3. South, 1:37.63.
Girls 100 Yard Backstroke
1. Keira Gust, Eagle River, 59.47; 2. Elizabeth Russian, Eagle River, 1:07.41; 3. Jemma Sherwood, South, 1:07.57.
Boys 100 Yard Backstroke
1. Noah Unks, Eagle River, 55.89; 2. Reed Wirschem, East, 58.28; 3. Cameron Posey, Dimond, 58.54.
Girls 100 Yard Breaststroke
1. Anna Brooks, Service, 1:07.49; 2. Khalyse Rollins, Eagle River, 1:12.60; 3. Tui Stanbury, South, 1:18.63.
Boys 100 Yard Breaststroke
1. Evan Olson, Eagle River, 1:00.31; 2. CJ Rollins, Eagle River, 1:03.05; 3. Griffin Fencil, South, 1:03.30.
Girls 400 Yard Freestyle Relay
1. Service ‘A’ (Lilly Anderson, Esmae Banning, Alethia Schoppert, Nora Fawcett), 4:04.47; 2. Service ‘B’, 4:53.07; 3. Dimond ‘B’, 5:07.39.
Boys 400 Yard Freestyle Relay
1. Chugiak (Gavin Heath, Elijah Whitford, Luke Whitford, Hunter Fazio), 3:25.57; 2. Eagle River, 3:28.35; 3. East, 3:46.69.
• • •
College
Volleyball
Thursday
UAF 3, Tiffin 0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-7)
Friday
UAA 3, Minnesota State 0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-14)
UAA 3, Tiffin 0 (25-18, 25-9, 25-19)
UAF 3, Minnesota State 2 (25-21, 17-25, 25-19, 19-25, 15-9)
Saturday
Fresno Pacific 3, UAA 2 (16-25, 28-30, 25-19, 25-18, 15-9)
Fresno Pacific 3, UAF 0(25-15, 25-17, 25-20)
