Alaska High School Football Preseason All-State Team: Top Players to Watch in 2026

Alaska high school football returns Friday, Aug. 14, with many of the state's top players from 2025 back for another season.

Defending Division I champion South Anchorage leads the High School On SI Alaska Preseason All-State Team with five selections, including two-way standout Ethan Yarrington. West Anchorage also has five selections, while Division I runner-up Bartlett has four.

Top-ranked Soldotna, the three-time defending Division II champion, is represented by running back Chase Hall and offensive lineman Koda Lepule. The Stars enter 2026 seeking their 15th state championship in 19 seasons.

Here is the 2026 High School On SI Alaska Preseason All-State Football Team:

Offense

QB — Ean Checque, North Pole, SR

Checque passed for 1,457 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior, and he's back to lead a North Pole Patriots team that finished 3-5 a year ago and opens the season with a gut check right out of the gate against the Lathrop Malemutes. The game could set the tone for the entire season.

RB — Chase Hall, Soldotna, SR

Hall shared the Soldotna backfield with Andon Wolverton last season, rushing for 1,074 yards and a team-high 15 touchdowns. With Wolverton gone, Hall moves into an even larger role in 2026.

RB — Ethan Yarrington, South Anchorage, SR

Yarrington was Alaska's leading rusher with 1,143 yards and 20 touchdowns while also starring at linebacker for South Anchorage. He is arguably the top college prospect in the state, regardless of position.

WR — Bryson Jackson, South Anchorage, SR

Jackson caught 18 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown — solid numbers for an offense built to run on Yarrington's legs.

WR — Wilson Lawson, Lathrop, SR

Lawson ranked second in receiving yards and third in receptions among Alaska receivers, and he found the end zone five times in Lathrop's run to the Division II state finals.

WR — Ahmir Walker, Chugiak, JR

Walker may not draw as much notice as some of his peers playing for the state's top programs, but his 429 yards on 24 catches were good enough to rank fourth in Alaska. His six touchdowns are the most of any returning receiver.

OL — Kaylor Iloilo, Service, SR

Iloilo is a returning all-state performer in the trenches for Service and one of the state's top offensive linemen . He is 6-foot-1 and 310 pounds.

OL — Koda Lepule, Soldotna, SR

Lepule isn't the biggest guy up front at 5-foot-9, 250 pounds, but he showed his worth in last year's Division II championship game after being selected as one of the ASAA's Outstanding Players of the Game.

OL — Gideon Makihele, West Anchorage, JR

Makihele is one of the few juniors to make the cut here, and for good reason. The 15-year-old stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 275 pounds. After earning all-state honors as a sophomore, Makihele enters 2026 as one of Alaska's top returning offensive linemen.

OL — Osaiasi Lavulo, Bartlett, SR

The 6-foot-1, 280-pound Lavulo earned all-state honors as a junior while helping lead Bartlett to the Division I state championship game.

OL — Salefasa Matatule, South Anchorage, SR

Matatule finished the season strong, earning one of the six nods for Outstanding Player of the Game for his line work on both sides of the ball in the Division I championship game. He's back to help anchor South Anchorage's bid for a second straight title.

K — Elias Sandberg, West Anchorage, SR

Sandberg carries a 4.5-star rating from Kohl's Professional Camps, which has praised his leg strength and kickoff hang time. He also kicked a 42-yard field goal, believed to be the longest in West Anchorage history.

RS — Trayvon Lott, Colony, SR

Listed at 5-foot-8 and 136 pounds on Hudl, Lott used his speed and elusiveness to earn Alaska Kick Returner of the Year honors.

Defense

DL — Nathaniel Lilomaiava-Sialega, Barrow, SR

At 6-foot and 305 pounds, Lilomaiava-Sialega provides Barrow with considerable size in the middle of its defensive front.

DL — Salefasa Matatule, South Anchorage, SR

Matatule is the rare two-way selection on our all-state team, but he's a force in the trenches whether he's playing offense or defense.

DL — Jairus Mua, Bartlett, JR

Mua was a first-team all-state selection as a sophomore, and he enters his junior season as one of the state's top defenders off the edge.

LB — Sithri Fainuulelei, Bartlett, SR

Fainuulelei was a first-team all-state performer from his outside linebacker position last fall, and he earned his first college offer from Lewis & Clark over the summer. Expect more attention from NAIA and NCAA Division II programs this fall as one of the leaders for the Division I runner-up.

LB — Devoh Peseti, East Anchorage, JR

Peseti was a playmaker in his sophomore season for East Anchorage, forcing turnovers and coming up with big stops when the T-birds needed him most. That experience has him positioned to be one of the state's premier defenders heading into his junior season.

LB — Jezekaiah Tufue, West Anchorage, SR

Tufue is another returning all-stater in a Class of 2027 loaded with honorees. He's part of an all-Anchorage quartet manning our linebacker corps.

LB — Ethan Yarrington, South Anchorage, SR

Yarrington's contributions are not limited to the offensive side of the ball. He was selected as South Anchorage's Player of the Game in its 37-3 rout of Bartlett in the Division I state championship game, and he's the main reason the Wolverines are favored to become the first repeat champion at that level since Dimond in 2000-01.

DB — JJ Chanhtseng, West Anchorage, SR

Chanhtseng recorded 81 tackles for West Anchorage last season and earned second-team all-state honors.

DB — Colt Jardine, Bartlett, SR

Jardine earned second-team all-state honors as a junior and returns as one of the leaders of a Bartlett defense that helped the Golden Bears reach the Division I championship game.

DB — Uriah Rider, Dimond, SR

Rider has a chance to step up this fall and be a leader of a Dimond secondary that loses an all-state talent in Caleb Cooke.

DB — Jacob Wahlman, Service, SR

Wahlman is another returning all-state selection who earned second-team honors a year ago. He's one of the premier defenders for a Service squad looking to climb the ranks in 2026.

P — Gideon Plikat, West Anchorage, SR

Plikat was Alaska's Punter of the Year and carries a four-star rating from Kohl's Professional Camps, with punts that have produced hang times of approximately four seconds.

The preseason selections include players from all three of Alaska's football divisions, with defending champions South Anchorage, Soldotna and Homer among the programs preparing to defend their titles. The games begin Aug. 14, when the state's top returning players get their first opportunity to turn preseason recognition into another all-state season.

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