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Crimson Bears ground Thunderbirds 35-14 to start playoff run
JDHS roster earns first postseason win of their high school careers
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
The gridiron lads in the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé football team that vanquished Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School on Saturday night 35-14 on the Adair-Kennedy field were in middle or elementary school when the Crimson Bears fell in back-to-back state championship games.
“They were like superheroes to me,” senior linebacker Jake Chambers said. “Like, my brother played then. It felt like they were idols, you can never even touch that. They were my heroes and I got to watch them play.”
Added senior running back Ethan Van Kirk, “It was like seeing superheroes on the field. I remember my eighth grade year I was sitting up in those bleachers right there at the top and I was watching one of those playoff games. It was just amazing. I felt so inspired by those guys. I hope I get to put some of that onto these middle schoolers today.”
“A lot went through my mind then when I saw them play,” senior quarterback Krew Ridle said. “I was the ball boy for the Crimson Bears that year, all the way up to state. It was a great feeling and I am just so happy to have that feeling that they had when they were playing.”
Now the 2026-27 Crimson Bears are chasing their own dream after winning the first home playoff game since 2022 and first home-night playoff game since 2019.
JDHS advances to play South Anchorage at the Wolverines field on Saturday, Oct. 17 in a state semifinal. Number two seed South defeated number seven seed Bartlett 7-0.
Other quarterfinal scores included number one seed West Anchorage 49, eight seed Dimond 7; number four seed Colony 22, number five seed Service 14.
SCORE BY QUARTER
Juneau-Douglas 13 - 6 - 7 - 9 = 35
East Anchorage 0 - 14 - 0 - 0 = 14
HOW THEY SCORED
1ST QTR
7:57 - Crimson Bears - Ridle 38-yard run. 2-pt conversion fails. 6-0.
2:50 - Crimson Bears - Ridle 9-yard run. Mazon PAT good. 13-0.
2ND QTR
9:55 - Thunderbirds - Motoa 44-yard pass to Sanders. Foster PAT good. 13-7.
4:02 - Thunderbirds - Motoa 6-yard pass to Reyes. Foster PAT good. 13-14.
0:21.9 - Crimson Bears - Riddle 8-yard run. 2-pt conversion fails. 19-14.
3RD QTR
0:18 - Crimson Bears - Van Kirk 36-yard run. Mazon PAT good. 26-14.
4TH QTR
4:34 - Crimson Bears - Chambers/Taualo-Tasi/Jim team safety. 28-14.
1:38 - Crimson Bears - Van Kirk 1-yard run. Mazon PAT good. 35-14.
JUNEAU-DOUGLAS STATS
Passing: Krew Ridle was 0-for-2 for zero yards.
Rushing: Krew Ridle rushed 42 times for 211 yards and three touchdowns. Ethan Van Kirk rushed 25 times for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Andrew Sanders rushed one time for six yards. Jaxin Jim rushed one time for four yards. Sylvion Washington rushed one time for minus one yard.
Receiving: Juneau-Douglas did not complete a pass.
Interceptions: None.
Turnovers: Juneau-Douglas had one lost fumble and one turnover on downs.
EAST ANCHORAGE STATS
Passing: Travis Motoa was 9-for-21 for 146 yards and two touchdowns. Kiona Toa was 0-for-1 for zero yards.
Rushing: Travis Motoa rushed four times for 25 yards. Kiona Toa rushed two times for minus one yard. Thomas Curry rushed four times for zero yards. Ezekiel Alabado rushed one time for zero yards.
Receiving: Kaiedenn Sanders caught two passes for 72 yards and one touchdown. Matthew Jackson caught four passes for 56 yards. Sylas Johnson caught one pass for six yards and one touchdown. Justin Ziolkowski caught one pass for six yards. Elijah Fanene-Navarro caught one pass for six yards.
Interceptions: None.
Turnovers: East Anchorage had no lost fumbles or interceptions but turned the ball over on downs twice.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at sports@juneauindependent.com
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