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Service football uses dominant defense to surge past Dimond and advance to state semifinals

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Service football uses dominant defense to surge past Dimond and advance to state semifinals


Every matchup in the opening round of the 2023 postseason for Division I Alaska high school football was a regular-season rematch. The Friday night bout between Service and Dimond played out a lot like the first one as a dominating defensive effort propelled the Cougars to a 30-6 victory over the Lynx.

“We came into this game knowing it was going to be a tough opponent because we beat them the first time and it’s hard to win two games in a season against the same team,” Service junior Caleb Wahlman said. “We balled out on defense and got the job done on offense for the most part. We kept the ball away from them and played some Service football.”

In the first meeting between the two Cook Inlet Conference foes, Service upset previously undefeated Dimond 28-14, spoiling homecoming for the Lynx and knocking them out of the top spot in the conference standings in the process.

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[Service forces nine turnovers to knock off previously unbeaten Dimond]

The Cougars forced a whopping nine turnovers in that Week 5 matchup, including six interceptions, and in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs Friday, they used a similar formula to beat the Lynx for the second time in less than a month.

Service forced seven total turnovers — including four interceptions and three fumble recoveries — three of which were returned for touchdowns.

“We can build off this by staying positive and keeping our heads up,” Wahlman said.

Service held a 6-0 lead at halftime after a tightly contested first half that featured as many punts — six between both teams — as there were points scored. Senior quarterback Jonathon Tautua connected with Wahlman for a 32-yard strike with exactly three minutes left in the second quarter for the half’s only tally.

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“We went into halftime knowing that our defense had been stepping up, and we came out and showed up,” Wahlman said.

On the first drive of the second half, Service drove the ball all the way down inside the red zone when Tautua was stopped short of the goal line and had the ball ripped from his grasp. But sophomore offensive lineman To’o Malaesilia was in the right place at the right time, picking up the loose ball and carrying it into the end zone.

“I just had to pick it up and score,” he said. “We do a drill where we put our pinkies together and just pick up the ball and run.”

While those were the last points scored by the Cougars’ offense in the second half, it was far from their last time scoring on the night.

Dimond put the ball on the ground on their first offensive possession of the third quarter, and in his first game back from injury, senior Kyan Caldarera scooped up the ball and returned it 53 yards to the house to put Service up by three scores.

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On each of Dimond’s next two drives, Wahlman recorded an interception, the first of which he returned 30 yards for a touchdown.

“I started running, felt kind of fast, kept running, and when I saw the end zone, I knew it was going to be a touchdown,” he said.

Service had its shutout spoiled when Dimond capped off its best offensive drive of the game with a 1-yard touchdown connection from junior quarterback Carson Wingate to fellow junior Alex Borke in the back of the end zone early in the fourth quarter.

The Cougars fumbled on their next possession, and it seemed like the Lynx had a slim chance of potentially making a late comeback.

However, on fourth-and-four deep in Service territory, sophomore defensive back Cassidy Phillip extinguished that faint hope when he jumped a route in the shallow portion of the end zone and returned it 101 yards for a pick-six touchdown.

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“It was a tipped ball and my teammate missed it, so I got it and just ran,” Phillip said. “I was worn out after it, but I was able to give my team the big lead that we needed.”

It was his first-ever varsity game after getting called up from junior varsity at the end of the regular season, and the incredible play will be a memory he’ll always cherish.

“It’s just an amazing thing to say that I did this on this day in my first varsity game,” Phillip said.

Playoff roundup

Friday

Bartlett 35, Colony 28

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The biggest upset of the weekend thus far took place out in the Valley, where the Golden Bears knocked the defending Division I state champion Knights out of the playoffs. It marked the first game back from injury for reigning Alaska Gatorade Player of the Year Jack Nash, but it wasn’t enough for Colony to complete a late comeback after falling into an early double-digit hole.

West 49, Juneau 7

The top-seeded Eagles took care of business at the Nest on Hillcrest as they beat the Huskies for the second time by more than 30 points this season.

North Pole 46, West Valley 24

In Division II action up in Fairbanks, the Patriots went on the road and nearly doubled the score of the Wolfpack as they avenged a nearly 10-point defeat in the regular season.

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Saturday

South 14, Bettye Davis East 12

In the second-biggest upset of the weekend, the seventh-seeded Wolverines edged out the banged up second-seed Thunderbirds on the road by coming up with a clutch late defensive stand on a two-point conversion attempt to prevent the tying score. It marked South’s first win over East since the 2015 season.

Soldotna 56, Chugiak 0

The top-seeded Stars stayed undefeated with another dominant showing in their second shutout of the season as they dispatched the Mustangs in first round of the Division II playoffs.

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Barrow 22, Houston 18

The Whalers knocked off the top-seeded Hawks and avenged a decisive one-possession loss in the regular season with one of their own to move on to the next round of the Division III playoffs.

Eagle River 49, Palmer 34

The Wolves beat the Moose much comfortably in their second meeting of this season to advance to the semifinals.

Lathrop 64, Wasilla 0

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The two-time defending Division II state champion Malemutes blew out the Warriors for the second time this season to get their title defense off on a dominant note.

Kenai Central 21, Homer 16

The Kardinals came from behind to beat the Mariners for the second time this season and knock the reigning Division III state champion out of the postseason.





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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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Alaska

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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Alaska

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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