Way-Too-Early Alaska High School Football Top 25 Rankings

Alaska may not be known for regularly producing big-time college football recruits or future NFL players, but the high school football scene in the nation’s northernmost state is rich in passion, community spirit and a resilient, hard-nosed style of play that makes every game memorable.

The On3 Massey Ratings, officially used during the BCS era, is a model that ranks sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule and margin of victory. Below are the top 25 teams in the Alaska high school rankings heading into the 2025 season, according to Massey.

1. Soldotna Stars

Since Alaska high school football went to a three-division format in 2012, Soldotna has either won the Division 2 state championship or finished second. Last season, the Stars avenged their Oct. 5 loss to Lathrop by defeating the Malamutes in the state championship game. That victory pushed head coach Galen Brantley past former Palmer coach Rod Christiansen as the state’s winningest high school football coach.

Leading the Stars in their quest for a 15th state championship are two-way lineman Koda Lepule, offensive lineman Eli Brantley, running back Andon Wolverton, defensive back Matthew Schilling and quarterback Owen Buckbee.

2. West Eagles

West Anchorage fell short of winning its fourth state title after losing to Dimond last October in the championship game, 14-7. There were still plenty of positives for the Eagles last season, including a six-game winning streak and a 34-14 playoff victory over rival East Anchorage.

3. Lathrop Malemutes

Over the last five seasons, Lathrop have been Soldotna’s fiercest challengers for the Division 2 state championship. The Malemutes beat the Stars in the postseason in 2021 and 2022 but lost in 2023 and 2024. Lathrop rebounded from a 1-4 start last season to finish with a 6-5 mark, including a 35-28 win over Soldotna in October that represented the Stars’ first regular-season loss since 2021.

4. Dimond Lynx

Last season, Dimond defeated West Anchorage for the Alaska high school football Division 1 state championship. That victory capped off an undefeated, 11-0 season for the Lynx and earned the program its fourth state title. This year, Cayden Pili returns to quarterback the Dimond offense, and he will facilitate an attack featuring wide receiver Corde Bates, running back Abraham Tauanuu, and tight end Carter Woodhead.

5. East Anchorage Thunderbirds

It’s been seven years since the Thunderbirds last won a state championship and they are hoping to snap that streak this fall. Last season started out promising for East Anchorage with wins in five of the team’s first six games, but a loss to rival West Anchorage in the state semifinals was a bitter way to end the 2024 campaign. Running back Peniamina Prince Siliato and wide receivers LJ Smallwood, Matthew Jackson and James Anaruk will spearhead a Thunderbirds offense with championship aspirations.

6. Bartlett Golden Bears

Bartlett‘s trophy case features four state championship trophies but it’s been seven years since the Golden Bears were last on top of Alaska high school football. Last season, Bartlett finished with a 6-4 record with a loss to eventual state champs Dimond in the Division 1 state semifinals. If the Golden Bears are to fulfil their title aspirations this fall, they will need big performances from running back Simeon Alailefaleula, wide receiver Juhzeel Ewing-Batista and tight end Jairus Mua.

7. Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears Juneau-Douglas

It’s been feast or famine for Juneau-Douglas in recent years. The Crimson Bears were dominant in 2021 and 2022, winning 20 of their 23 games, but have fallen to the bottom of their conference over the last two seasons. The hope in the state capital is that Juneau-Douglas can return to its 2021-22 form this fall.

8. South Anchorage Wolverines

Last season started out poorly for South Anchorage and things pretty much stayed that way. The Wolverines opened the 2024 campaign with a 32-7 loss to rival Service, fell 23-16 to their other crosstown rival West and lost to Bartlett in the state quarterfinals. On the bright side, South Anchorage’s fifth-place conference finish was its best since finishing second in 2020. The Wolverines will look to keep that momentum going into 2025.

9. Eagle River Wolves

Eagle River is coming off of a rare losing season, its first since its 2019 team also went 4-5. The Wolves will be looking to return to their winning ways this fall and make a deep run in the Division 2 playoffs. Whether that happens or not will largely depend on the performance of two-way standout Nolan Beaty, who led the team in passing touchdowns, rushing touchdowns and interceptions.

10. Service Cougars

Service dominated Alaska high school football in the 1990s, winning state titles in 1994, 1997, 1998 and 1999, but the Cougars have fallen off since the turn of the millennium – though they did compete for the Division 1 crown in 2019. Making things harder for Service in 2025 will be having to replace starting quarterback Jonathon Tautua, who accounted for 27 total touchdowns as a senior last season.

11. Colony
12. North Pole
13. Palmer
14. Chugiak
15. West Valley

16. Wasilla
17. Seward
18. Homer
19. Kenai Central
20. Houston

21. Barrow
22. Nikolski School
23. Redington
24. Kodiak
25. Valdez