October 22, 1997

ALASKA HIGH SCHOOL TITLE GAME THIS SATURDAY

Although state high school championship games in the "Lower 48" are still at least a month away, Alaska is gearing up for its state final this Saturday. Alaska's early winter forces the eight-week football season to begin in mid-August, three weeks before school opens.

The championship game will feature defending champion Chugiak High in Eagle River against Anchorage's Service High School, which is ranked number one in the state.

In last week's semifinal in Anchorage, the wind-chill factor was 10 below. To combat the cold, teams wore gloves, heating pads, mittens and long underwear. Saturday's forecast calls for 30-degree weather with snow.

"If we had a dome anywhere in the state, it would help," said Gary Matthews, executive director of the Alaska School Activities Association.