Dimond will play West this Saturday for Alaska’s Division I high school football state championship at Colony High School. The Lynx, No. 1 in the High School Football America Alaska Top 5 high school football rankings, powered by NFL Play Football, beat Bartlett 36-6 in the state semifinals.
Cook Inlet Conference’s Offensive Player of the Year, Cayden Pili, a junior, ran for 91 yards and four touchdowns. He also passed for 96 passing yards and a touchdown.
The win lifts Dimond to 10-0 as it drives for the school’s first state title since 2001.
West (8-2) advanced to the title game with a 34-14 win over Bettye Davis East.
The championship game will be a rematch of the September 7 regular season game that Dimond won 29-12.
Alaska Division I Semifinals
Dimond 36, Bartlett 6
West 34, Bettye Davis East 14
Soldotna will square-off with Lathrop for the Division II state championship. It will be the fourth championship in a row that the two have played for the state title.
Last year, Soldota (9-1) snapped the Malemutes run over back-to-back state titles with a 64-14 victory. The Stars won the 2019 state championship matchup.
Lathrop (6-4) won this year’s regular season game 35-28.
Alaska Division II Semifinals
Soldotna 56, Chugiak 7
Lathrop 42, North Pole 13
