Alaska High School Football Elite 12 State Rankings (Sept. 7, 2026)

It was a brutal weekend for the defending football state champions in Alaska's top two divisions as No. 1 Soldotna fell to No. 2 Lathrop, 23-20, while No. 3 West Anchorage downed No. 4 South Anchorage, 21-14.

Inevitably, the results led to some shuffling this week at the top of the High School On SI Alaska High School Football Elite 12 State Rankings. Lathrop and West Anchorage both ease up a spot while Soldotna settles in at No. 3 and South Anchorage maintains its position at No. 4.

All three of Alaska's defending state champions are now on the outside looking in, including the reigning Division III champions from Homer who have already lost to both Barrow and Kenai Central this season. Those latter two will meet this weekend at Barrow's Cathy Parker Field on the shore of the Arctic Ocean in Utqiagvik in what could be a preview of the state championship game at that level.

It was definitely a weekend that brought some clarity to the state's prep football scene, and while there's plenty of football still to be played, it feels like the postseason picture is starting to come into sharper focus. West Anchorage and South Anchorage still feel like the clear favorites in Division I, and that Division III game in Utqiagvik this Saturday will tell us how the two frontrunners in that division stack up against each other.

The main wildcard at this point is in Division II. Lathrop only beat Soldotna by a field goal (23-20), and history says those two teams will likely meet again to settle the state title. The only team that appears capable of disrupting those plans is undefeated No. 5 Palmer which will visit Lathrop on Saturday in its own bid for relevancy. It would be a cataclysmic event, however, if the Moose return from Fairbanks with a win against the top-ranked Malemutes.

For now, however, it remains the Big 4 at the top with Palmer hoping to shock the state and add a fifth name to the pool of favorites at the top of the rankings.

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1. Lathrop

Record: 4-0

Previous Rank: 2

Last Week: Lathrop 23, Soldotna 20

Loss(es): None

Lathrop made it clear that, for now, it is Alaska's top team after upsetting previously top-ranked Soldotna on the road. Next up for the Malamutes is a home game against Palmer, the only other remaining undefeated team from Alaska's top two divisions.

2. West Anchorage

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: 3

Last Week: West Anchorage 21, South Anchorage 14

Loss(es): Heritage (Colo.), 38-16

West Anchorage asserted its claim to the No. 2 spot by knocking off defending Division I champion South Anchorage by a touchdown. That came one week after Lathrop beat the Wolverines by 11, and when you factor in Lathrop's three-point win over Soldotna, it feels like the top four teams are all closely matched. For now, the Eagles remain No. 2 as long as they keep winning, and they get a week off to prepare for a potentially difficult road trip to Juneau-Douglas on Sept. 18.

3. Soldotna

Record: 2-2

Previous Rank: 1

Last Week: Lathrop 23, Soldotna 20

Loss(es): Star Valley (Wyo.), 35-28; Lathrop, 23-20

Just four games into the season, Soldotna has lost as many games as it did in the previous four seasons, and the 2026 season marks only the third time in 21 seasons that the Stars have suffered at least two losses in a season. It also marks the program's first losing streak since it dropped back-to-back games to Lathrop to close the 2021 season. Finally, consider the fact that this is the latest in a season that Soldotna has been at .500 since an identical 2-2 start in 2009. That's where the Stars find themselves as they head to North Pole on Friday evening to begin the second half of what has been an underwhelming regular season by their high standards.

4. South Anchorage

Previous Rank: 4

Record: 2-2

Last Week: West Anchorage 21, South Anchorage 14

Loss(es): Lathrop, 27-16; West Anchorage, 21-14

Like defending Division II champion Soldotna, South Anchorage finds itself in unfamiliar territory at 2-2 while defending its 2025 Division I championship. And like Soldotna, the Wolverines have lost two close games after a 2-0 start. Their problem has been a sluggish offense that has yet to score more than 16 points in a game. It was good enough to win games against Juneau-Douglas and Bartlett, but it proved costly in losses to Lathrop and West Anchorage.

5. Palmer

Record: 4-0

Previous Rank: 5

Last Week: Palmer 21, Chugiak 7

Loss(es): None

Palmer is the "best of the rest" in Alaska high school football, leading the pack behind the Big 4 ahead of it. The Moose can make it the Big 5 with a win Saturday at Lathrop, but that would be an even bigger surprise than Lathrop's win at Soldotna last weekend.

6. Colony

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: 6

Last Week: Colony 36, Bettye Davis East Anchorage 29

Loss(es): Palmer, 14-7

After losing to its crosstown rivals from Palmer, Colony got back in the win column last week by outlasting Bettye Davis East Anchorage, 36-29. The Knights will host Juneau-Douglas this Friday, and we'll start to find out just how close this second group of teams in the Alaska Elite 12 stacks up with the four frontrunners as the teams begin to face each other this weekend.

7. Bartlett

Record: 2-2

Previous Rank: 7

Last Week: Bartlett 52, Dimond 22

Loss(es): West Anchorage, 67-0; South Anchorage, 13-0

Bartlett has successfully dug out of the 0-2 hole it found itself in after losing to West Anchorage and South Anchorage by a combined 80-0 to open the season. The Golden Bears host Bettye Davis East Anchorage on Friday with a chance to move above .500 before facing a trio of ranked teams — Service, Colony and Juneau-Douglas — to close the regular season.

8. Juneau-Douglas

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: 8

Last Week: Juneau-Douglas 47, Service 12

Loss(es): South Anchorage, 16-6

Juneau-Douglas's only loss so far is a 16-6 setback to South Anchorage in the season opener, suggesting that on a good night, the Crimson Bears might be able to put up a pretty good fight against just about anybody in Division I. They get another chance to prove it Friday night in a visit to Colony.

9. Service

Record: 2-2

Previous Rank: 9

Last Week: Juneau-Douglas 47, Service 12

Loss(es): Colony, 26-10; Juneau-Douglas, 47-12

Service was rocked in a 47-12 loss at Juneau-Douglas last weekend, and the Cougars have yet to find any kind of rhythm, with each of their two wins followed by a lopsided loss. They have a bye week to prepare for next week's visit to current No. 7 Bartlett, a game in which their postseason hopes could hang in the balance.

10. Wasilla

Record: 3-1

Previous Rank: 10

Last Week: Wasilla 41, Eagle River 7

Loss(es): Soldotna, 49-14

Wasilla is hard to get a read on so far. The Warriors lost 49-14 to Soldotna, which is par for the course for most Alaska teams, while wins over Chugiak and Eagle River don't tell us much. Their best win in terms of quality competition might be a 21-14 victory over Kenai Central, which appears to be a solid contender to play for the Division III championship. A Friday visit to 0-4 West Valley won't tell us much either — unless, of course, the Warriors end up losing. For now, winning the games they are supposed to win is where this Wasilla team finds itself, and it won't have another chance to make a statement until a late-September trip to Fairbanks to take on No. 1 Lathrop.

11. Barrow

Record: 3-0

Previous Rank: 11

Last Week: Barrow 40, Redington 6

Loss(es): None

Halfway through its 2026 schedule, Barrow is one of only three remaining undefeated teams in Alaska, along with No. 1 Lathrop and No. 5 Palmer. The Whalers have yet to be tested, averaging just shy of 43 points per game while allowing barely 13 points per game, but that could change when they face No. 12 Kenai Central at home Saturday on the tundra. It could be a preview of the eventual state championship game.

12. Kenai Central

Record: 2-1

Previous Rank: 12

Last Week: IDLE

Loss(es): Wasilla, 21-14

Kenai Central had a week off to prepare for its big trip to the Arctic to face No. 11 Barrow on Saturday. There's a lot riding on the outcome, and the winner will be in the driver's seat for Division III playoff seeding.

Final Analysis

For now, Lathrop has earned the right to sit atop the Alaska Elite 12, but there is little separation among the state's top contenders. Even with key head-to-head matchups looming and several undefeated teams still looking to prove themselves, it feels like the top four will probably remain unchanged next week unless Palmer decides to throw a wrench in the plan.

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