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Lathrop tops Soldotna to claim 2nd straight Alaska state DII football championship

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Lathrop tops Soldotna to claim 2nd straight Alaska state DII football championship


For the second 12 months in row and the third time within the final 4 years, the Lathrop and Soldotna Excessive soccer groups met within the remaining sport of the season with the Division II Alaska state championship on the road.

Final 12 months’s title tilt was received by the Malemutes considerably handily, 39-28. This time across the end result was the identical, but it surely was a a lot nearer bout that wasn’t determined till late within the fourth quarter in a 21-18 Lathrop triumph.

“I’m extra happy with this sport than anyone all season, the way in which our guys stored bouncing again by means of adversity,” Lathrop head coach Luke Balash mentioned.

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Each groups got here into the sport with undefeated data because the clear cream of the crop at their degree of competitors.

Football, Lathrop, Soldotna, State Champinoship, DII, Luke Balash, Tyler Clooten

This 12 months’s sport didn’t fail to stay as much as the hype and was crammed with robust working, laborious hitting and clutch performs on either side of the ball by every staff.

Finally, the 2 greatest deciding elements for the Malemutes got here down a well timed defensive cease simply earlier than halftime and a gutsy determination on offense within the second half.

Soldotna had the lead for a lot of the first half and was threatening to increase its result in double figures simply earlier than halftime however was thwarted by each Lathrop’s protection on the one-yard line and an expiring clock.

“The goal-line stand simply earlier than halftime was so enormous,” Balash mentioned.

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The Stars had wasted a timeout, primarily icing their very own placekicker earlier than he missed the additional level try on their first landing drive of the sport within the first quarter. As a substitute having one other probability to punch the ball in from a yard out or kick a brief subject aim, they went into halftime main 12-7.

“Massive credit score goes to the protection for saving us on this sport,” Lathrop junior quarterback Jenner Webb mentioned. “After gifting away two turnovers in a row, they made it in order that we had been solely down one landing.”

After Soldotna was compelled to punt on its first drive of the second half as a result of pre-snap penalties stalling what initially appeared like a promising possession, Lathrop had a giant determination deep in its personal territory on a fourth-and-1 from the 18-yard line.

Football, Lathrop, Soldotna, State Champinoship, DII, Luke Balash, Tyler Clooten

Balash known as a timeout to speak about it after the Malemutes unsuccessfully tried to get the Stars’ protection to leap offsides. He briefly contemplated simply enjoying conservative and punting the ball as an alternative of risking giving the ball again to their opponents with nice subject place.

“I checked with my defensive coordinator and he mentioned ‘Are kidding coach? We will’t get a yard?’ and I appeared on the gamers they usually had been like ‘Coach we acquired to go for it,’ ” Balash mentioned. “If that’s what everybody wished to do, that’s the consensus and that’s our coronary heart.”

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The Malamutes introduced within the higher runner of their two junior quarterbacks in Webb and he rewarded the daring gamble by ripping off a powerful 49-yard run to flip the sphere and provides his staff an enormous jolt of momentum.

“I acquired to provide credit score to my (offensive) line,” Webb mentioned. “They opened a gap {that a} semi truck might’ve match by means of.”

Their different quarterback, Solomon Wade, got here again in to complete the drive by throwing a nine-yard landing to star senior receiver Earl Parker three performs later for the go-ahead rating.

Each quarterbacks bounced again from throwing interceptions on Lathrop’s first two possessions of the sport and made key performs for the staff once they wanted to be made.

“It was simply being there in your guys,” Wade mentioned. “Simply locking in, fixing the errors, and doing what it’s important to do within the second. Massive gamers make massive performs in massive moments.”

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Football, Lathrop, Soldotna, State Champinoship, DII, Luke Balash, Tyler Clooten

Every staff would tack on one other landing to their remaining whole however the Malamutes got here up with simply sufficient stops on protection within the second half to carry the Stars offense at bay.

“Our protection performed wonderful on this sport,” Wade mentioned. “They performed lights-out and are actually one thing particular.”

This marks not solely the second straight 12 months he has completed the season as a state champion, however doing so along with his youthful brother as his teammate in sophomore lineman Wayne Snowden.

“It’s legendary,” Parker mentioned. “You don’t see that always, particularly two instances. There’s nothing extra I might ask for.”

Balash mentioned he loves a quote from the well-known soccer film “Friday Evening Lights” that claims “the one distinction between successful and shedding is how individuals deal with you, the method continues to be the identical.”

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“The method this 12 months wasn’t any completely different than final 12 months, the 12 months earlier than that, or the 18 years earlier than that,” he mentioned. “It’s simply the method that you simply do and also you give whether or not you suppose you may have a championship staff or not.”

Football, Lathrop, Soldotna, State Champinoship, DII, Luke Balash
Football, Lathrop, Soldotna, State Champinoship, DII, Luke Balash, Tyler Clooten





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Alaska

Short-lived cold snap, with another warming trend this weekend

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Short-lived cold snap, with another warming trend this weekend


ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Temperatures across the state are cooling off, as our strong low from the weekend moves into the Chukchi Sea. This will set up for colder air to spread across the state this week, as another short-lived cold snap is expected. While some light snow is possible for the Interior, areas of the Slope and Western Alaska, Southcentral will stay on the drier side until the night. Meanwhile, Southeast will continue to hold onto moderate rain with gusty conditions.

SOUTHCENTRAL:

Temperatures this morning are 10 to 20 degrees colder than yesterday, as colder air has settled back into Southcentral. Clear skies and calm winds are evident this morning for parts of the region, with light snow falling through the Copper River Basin. We’ll see fairly quiet conditions today, outside of Kodiak which will see increasing snow and rain into the afternoon and evening hours. This comes as our next area of low pressure moves up the Alaska Peninsula.

We’ll see light snow spreading north across the Kenai overnight into Wednesday, with light snow expected through Prince William Sound. Several inches are likely through the Kenai and Chugach Mountains, with the pass expected to see a couple of inches of accumulation. Western parts of the Kenai will see the potential for a few inches, while inland areas of Southcentral largely stay dry. If Anchorage and surrounding locations see any accumulation, it’ll amount to less than half an inch.

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As snow tapers off Wednesday, we’ll see the return to colder and drier conditions into Thursday. Thursday may be the coldest day this week across the region, before another warming trend carries us into next week. Right now holding with snow through early next week, but areas of wintry mix are possible as highs warm above freezing.

SOUTHEAST:

The winter storm warning for Skagway and higher elevations expired at 6am this morning. While some light snow showers are still possible, little accumulation will occur the rest of the day. Scattered to periodic showers are occurring elsewhere across Southeast today, with less than half an inch of rainfall through the day. Any moisture available into the evening will see a transition to some wintry mix or snow into Wednesday morning. However, the better chance will come from another low lifting north into the panhandle. Any snow and wintry mix we see for Wednesday will primarily stay confined to the central and southern panhandle. We’ll see much cooler weather taking hold this week for Southeast.

INTERIOR:

Some areas of light snow are possible this morning, with less than half an inch to be expected. While temperatures are still warm for much of the Interior, highs will steadily fall throughout the day. Many areas will see lows bottom out near or below zero by tomorrow morning. We’ll see high pressure keep things dry and sunny through the next couple of days, with the coldest stretch of weather from Wednesday morning into Thursday morning. Much like the rest of the state will experience, a warming trend arrives this weekend. We’ll see the return to highs in the 20s, with some snow in the forecast. Be prepared for some gusty conditions through the Alaska Range by the close of this week.

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SLOPE/WESTERN ALASKA:

Areas of light snow and blowing winds will continue to impact the Slope, with a winter weather advisory remaining in place for the Central Brooks Range and the Beaufort Sea Coast. Both locations will see up to 1 inch of snow and gusty winds up to 35 mph. While the winter weather advisory will expire for the Central Brooks Range this afternoon, the Beaufort Sea Coast will see the alert continue into Tuesday evening. Snow and blowing snow will be the primary impact today, with a return to colder weather through the rest of this week, this comes as high pressure settles into the area.

The storm responsible for the damaging winds for Southcentral over the weekend, has pushed north into the Chukchi Sea. We’ll still see some light snow accumulations for Western Alaska, with 1 to 3 inches expected. Some fo the heaviest snow will fall across the Seward Peninsula and the Western Brooks Range.

An area of low pressure in the Bering Sea will keep gusty winds and snow in the forecast for Gambell/St. Lawrence. Be prepared for heavy snow at times and areas of reduced visibility. Overall, colder weather will settle into Western Alaska, with the possibility of morning fog in the valleys over the next few mornings.

ALEUTIANS:

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Some light areas of snow will occur for the Pribilof Islands and into parts of the Alaska Peninsula today, as a weak low moves up the Peninsula. This will be the main focus for snow into Wednesday for Southcentral. This low will bring heavy precipitation and gusty winds for the Eastern Aleutians and the Alaska Peninsula. Looking ahead through the rest of the week, we can expect to see more a ridge beginning to build into the region. This ridge will slowly shift east, keeping several upper level disturbances traversing the Aleutians. Temperatures will remain fairly warm in the 30s and 40s.

OUTLOOK AHEAD:

Model consensus continues to agree on another warming trend heading our way into next week. This stretch of warmth will likely lead to many spots cementing themselves within the top warmest January’s on record. While we’ll spend the rest of this week on the colder side, highs steadily climb this weekend into next week. We’ll see highs in Southcentral climbing back above freezing, with areas of the Interior climbing back into the 20s.

Have a safe and wonderful Tuesday!

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

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Anchorage, Alaska hit by hurricane-force winds, structures damaged across city

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Anchorage, Alaska hit by hurricane-force winds, structures damaged across city


Associated Press

Hurricane-force winds cause widespread damage in Alaska’s largest city

Thousands of residents across Alaska’s largest city were still without power Monday, a day after a powerful storm brought hurricane-force winds that downed power lines, damaged trees, forced more than a dozen planes to divert, and caused a pedestrian bridge over a highway to partially collapse. A 132-mph (212-kph) wind gust was recorded at a mountain weather station south of Anchorage. A large low-pressure system in the Bering Sea brought the high winds, moisture and warmer than average temperatures — in the low 40s Fahrenheit (slightly over 4.4 degrees Celsius) — to Anchorage on Sunday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Tracen Knopp.



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Thousands without power in Alaska after hurricane-force winds hit

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Thousands without power in Alaska after hurricane-force winds hit


Thousands of residents in Anchorage, Alaska, faced widespread devastation and power outages Monday after hurricane-strength winds battered the city on Sunday.

Why It Matters

This latest incident comes as power outages across the United States have become a growing concern as extreme weather events increase in frequency and intensity, often leaving millions of Americans in precarious situations. Hurricanes, wildfires, ice storms and heatwaves have caused widespread disruptions, highlighting the vulnerability of aging electrical grids to severe conditions.

Prolonged outages not only hinder daily life by cutting off access to heating, cooling and essential appliances but also pose significant risks to public health, particularly for the elderly and those with medical conditions reliant on powered devices.

What To Know

The Anchorage storm, which began Sunday, delivered gusts reaching 132 mph at a mountain weather station south of the city, according to the National Weather Service. Within Anchorage itself, winds hit 75 mph, toppling trees, scattering debris and partially collapsing a pedestrian bridge over the Seward Highway, the city’s main southern thoroughfare.

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At the height of the storm, 17,500 customers were without power, according to Julie Hasquet, spokesperson for Chugach Electric Association. As of Monday, roughly 5,700 homes remained offline with full restoration expected to stretch into Tuesday.

Dick Powell cuts a birch tree blocking Steeple Drive in South Anchorage during the windstorm on January 12, 2025. A powerful storm in Anchorage left thousands without power.

Bill Roth/Anchorage Daily News/ AP

The storm’s chaos wasn’t limited to neighborhoods. Anchorage’s airport, a vital hub for passenger and cargo traffic, saw significant disruptions. Winds forced 13 aircraft, including a U.S. Air Force plane, to divert to Fairbanks, which sits nearly 360 miles away.

On the ground, emergency crews scrambled to clear bridge debris, which had obstructed traffic on the highway. However, no injuries were reported when the side fencing and roof of the bridge fell onto the four-lane divided highway on Sunday. Traffic was rerouted and crews removed the debris.

Alaska Department of Transportation spokesperson Shannon McCarthy pointed to the winds as the probable cause of the bridge failure. However, structural engineers are investigating to determine the full extent of the damage.

Meanwhile, the storm marked a rare convergence of high winds, warmer-than-average temperatures and moisture from a low-pressure system in the Bering Sea, said National Weather Service meteorologist Tracen Knopp. Anchorage saw temperatures in the low 40s Fahrenheit, unusual for mid-winter.

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What People Are Saying

Alaska Department of Transportation spokesperson Shannon McCarthy said: “The winds were the leading cause, but our bridge engineers will be out there today and may be able give us a more comprehensive analysis of what happened.”

Julie Hasquet, a spokesperson for Chugach Electric Association, said some customers may not have power back on until Tuesday. She said: “When our crews show up for repairs, they don’t know what they’re going to find.”

Resident Steven Wood told Anchorage television station KTUU about how he and his family was watching the winds blow things around the yard Sunday morning when they saw their neighbor’s roof partially blow off and head right toward them.

“All of a sudden, I see the roof start to peel off, and all I can yell is, ‘Incoming! Everybody run!’” Wood said.

What Happens Next

Cleanup efforts are underway in Anchorage as the city begins recovering from the powerful storm.

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This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.



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