Alaska Elite 12 High School Football Rankings: Top 4 Hold Steady as Championship Picture Takes Shape

The top four teams in the High School on SI Alaska Elite 12 High School Football Rankings remain unchanged, and that quartet already appears likely to produce the eventual state champions in Alaska’s top two divisions.

It’s no surprise to see those four teams — Soldotna, South Anchorage, West Anchorage and Lathrop — among the early frontrunners in Alaska. It's also too early to rule out the crosstown rivals occupying the Nos. 5 and 6 spots. Colony and Palmer Friday for the first time since 2024 in the battle for Bogard Road, meaning one of them could take a step back this week.

In the meantime, Lathrop hosts South Anchorage on Saturday in a cross-division appetizer to next weekend's two main courses. Those three games should give us a much better sense of where Alaska's championship contenders stand approaching midseason. The two rivals are set for their annual regular-season clash Sept. 4.

No. 2 South Anchorage, meanwhile, is the defending Division I champion, but No. 3 West Anchorage has looked like the dominant team in Alaska’s top division so far. Those two heavyweights are on a collision course to meet Sept. 5, one night after the big Lathrop-Soldotna game. In the meantime, Lathrop will host South Anchorage this Saturday in a game that will serve as a cross-division appetizer to next weekend's two main courses that should give us some sense of where things stand approaching midseason.

Alaska high school football Elite 12 rankings. — High School On SI

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1. Soldotna

Record: 2-0

Previous Rank: 1

Last Week: Soldotna 49, West Valley 19

Soldotna had no problem with West Valley last week, and now Alaska's top-ranked Stars turn their attention to a Saturday home game against Star Valley of Wyoming. It's a rare battle between two top-ranked teams from states that don't get much attention on the national scene as the visiting Braves are the four-time defending Class 3A champions from Wyoming. They've finished 12-0 the past two seasons, and they'll carry a 33-game winning streak into the contest, their first of the 2026 season. The Stars, meanwhile, are Alaska's three-time defending Division II champions and they are on a 15-game winning streak of their own heading into this frontier showdown.

2. South Anchorage

Record: 2-0

Previous Rank: 2

Last Week: South Anchorage 13, Bartlett 0

South Anchorage has opened the season with two wins of at least 10 points without scoring more than 16 points in either game. The Division I Wolverines are getting it done with defense early in the season, including Friday's win over Bartlett. A Saturday road trip to face No. 4 Lathrop, the No. 2 team in Division II behind Soldotna, will provide its biggest test yet before a showdown with No. 3 West Anchorage to open September.

3. West Anchorage

Record: 2-0

Previous Rank: 3

Last Week: West Anchorage 52, Dimond 0

Two games, 119 points scored, none allowed. West Anchorage is starting to look like the team to beat in Division I — and perhaps all of Alaska. The Eagles have won their first two games by a combined margin of 119-0, including a 52-0 romp Saturday past the Dimond Lynx. They travel to Colorado next to face Heritage of Littleton before that big game against their rivals from South Anchorage on Sept. 5.

4. Lathrop

Record: 2-0

Previous Rank: 4

Last Week: Lathrop 42, Eagle River 0

Lathrop is off to a strong start with back-to-back shutouts of 49-0 against North Pole and 42-0 over Eagle River. The next two weeks should reveal much more about how good the Malemutes can be in 2026 when they host No. 2 South Anchorage Saturday followed by a Thursday night trek to Soldotna the following weekend.

5. Colony

Record: 2-0

Previous Rank: 9

Last Week: Colony 26, Service 10

Colony is out of the gate strong with big wins over Dimond and Service to get the season started, and last week's 26-10 victory over Service was enough to send the Knights four spots up the Elite 12. They're up four spots headed into their game against the Palmer Moose, their crosstown rivals located just three miles down the road. The two schools didn't play football in 2025, just one year after Palmer secured its first win in the series since 2014. With both teams sitting at 2-0, the renewal of the rivalry this Friday night is one of the week's more anticipated games.

6. Palmer

Record: 2-0

Previous Rank: 6

Last Week: Palmer 32, North Pole 26

Palmer survived its visit to North Pole last week with a 32-26 win. A third straight road trip to open the season is in the cards this week, but this time it's just a short drive west down Bogard Road to Colony High School where they'll face their crosstown rivals.

7. Bartlett

Record: 0-2

Previous Rank: 5

Last Week: South Anchorage 13, Bartlett 0

Bartlett has one of the most difficult schedules to open the season with back-to-back games against No. 3 West Anchorage and No. 2 South Anchorage. The Golden Bears are 0-2 after losing those two contests by a combined 80-0, and now they head out on the road to face West Valley. Something has to give as, the host Wolf Pack are also 0-2 and coming off a 49-19 shellacking at Soldotna.

8. Kenai Central

Record: 2-0

Previous Rank: 8

Last Week: Kenai Central 68, Redington 18

Kenai Central has looked like the team to beat in Division III, scoring 120 points in its first two games. The Kardinals followed up their 52-6 thrashing of the defending state champions from Homer in the season opener with a 68-18 dismantling of Redington. Next up is a road trip to Wasilla Friday night.

9. Juneau-Douglas

Record: 1-1

Previous Rank: 10

Last Week: Juneau-Douglas 17, Bettye Davis East Anchorage 14

Juneau-Douglas eked out a 17-14 win over Bettye Davis East Anchorage after losing a hard-fought 16-6 contest at home against No. 2 South Anchorage. The Crimson Bears head into Saturday's home contest against unranked North Pole as the clear favorites.

10. Service

Record: 1-1

Previous Rank: 7

Last Week: Colony 26, Service 10

Service came out flat against Colony after opening the season with a win at Bettye Davis East Anchorage, and now they'll host Eagle River (0-2) Friday. The Cougars can't take anybody lightly, but it should be a solid opportunity for them to earn another win before making the long trip to face Juneau-Douglas the following week.

11. Bettye Davis East Anchorage

Record: 0-2

Previous Rank: 11

Last Week: Juneau-Douglas 17, Bettye Davis East Anchorage 14

BDEA has lost its first two games by a combined nine points and now flies to California in search of its first win against Oakmont of Roseville. The game is the season opener for Oakmont, a 5-6 squad a year ago that lost in the first round of California's CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division 5 playoffs.

12. Barrow

Record: 1-0

Previous Rank: 12

Last Week: Barrow 40, Homer 22

Barrow beat Homer 40-22, in its season opener Saturday. The loss means the defending champions from Homer are 0-2 after suffering two blowouts, an indication that Division III is wide open. As the defending state runner-up, Barrow belongs among the Division III favorites alongside Kenai Central. The Whalers will visit Houston Saturday, looking to improve to 2-0.

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