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Crimson Bears to open gridiron season on the road
- Klas Stolpe
- 2 hours ago
- 14 min read
Updated: 3 minutes ago
Scrimmage shows the power JDHS brings this year as they prepare to play defending state champ South
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
Thunder Mountain Middle School’s Falcons Field was covered in black, red and white on Monday night as the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears showcased their football team in a scrimmage, highlighting a roster that will compete in the Cook Inlet Conference.
“We are still a ways from playing our best football, but that is pretty normal this time of year,” JDHS head coach Rich Sjoroos said. “We have a whole new offensive starting line. All five guys are new and I think it is the first time we have had that since probably 2019...Definitely some work to do there as far as the chemistry piece because a lot of times people get kind of enamored with big throws and big runs and big tackles and stuff. But it's really the line, starting at the high school level and beyond that really can dictate a lot of these games.”
New to the starting offensive line — but with four years in the program and time on line last season — is JDHS senior Isaiah Galletes-Fale.
“With our small number of athletes each year, it shows how committed and motivated the people who show up every day to practice are,” Galletes-Fale said. “And not only that, but we have implemented smaller guys in a typical larger man position at the offensive and defensive line. All power to them and we thank them constantly for giving up the glory of being in a skilled player position.”
When Galletes-Fale dons the JDHS jersey, he knows a season is built on the backs of prior years.
“What it means to me is a legacy to those who have come before,” Galletes-Fale said. “As I have had many older adults talk to me about their glory days on the team, including my own brothers, cousins and many of their friends. Whether it was last year, the year before or when the football program first started, I want to let them know that we will continue carrying the Juneau football into incoming generations.”
Sjoroos said senior Jake Chambers has transitioned from tight end to line.
“He put in a lot of work in the weight room, and we kind of approached him on the idea and he wants to have a great senior year,” Sjoroos said. “And I said, ‘Well, it's one way to start it is to be a starter on the offensive line for us.’ So he's embracing that role and doing a great job with that.”
Senior tight end Tyler Oudekerk (6’0”, 170 pounds) also had a strong weight training off season and will work the O-line, as will junior center Sean Fairchild (5’11”, 230) and classmate Leonidas Taualo-Tasi (5’10”, 215). Juniors Logan Womack (5’9”, 165) and Malik Shepperd (5’10”, 210) will also be among the front seven.
“I feel like our team chemistry is really high this year,” Chambers said. “This is the first year in high school that I feel we have had players going out of their way to organize film studies, walkthroughs and all sorts of stuff to prepare for the upcoming games, which I think gives the team an edge when it comes to building skills and getting better together...Wearing the jersey means a ton to me. These are all guys that I have grown up with and played alongside since we were little kids. And just to be out there after all the work we have put in offseason, it makes me real proud to be out there alongside my brothers representing Juneau together.”
Chambers and Taualo-Tasi will also work the defensive line, which will feature the return of junior Liam Fenumiai (5’10”, 320), who suffered a cardiac event at the end of last season.
“He got medically cleared after that unfortunate incident,” Sjoroos said. “He is doing great and is in some of the best shape I have ever seen him in. But we are just going to have him play one side of the ball and defense is definitely something he has passion for. So we are going to put him on that defense side and turn him loose. Pretty much every other lineman you don't have the ability to be on both sides of the ball.”
Behind the lines, however, stands one of the state’s best running backs and defensive backs in 5’8”, 165-pound senior Ethan Van Kirk.
“What has impressed me most about our team during the preseason is how much we have come together,” Van Kirk said. “A lot of the kids I am playing with today are teammates that I have been playing with ever since JYFL. It is hard to believe that we could get much closer, but this preseason we definitely have…I am feeling good about this season. As a team we have a great chemistry in the backfield, which I am sure will take us far throughout this season. On top of this, all offseason we have been really working to keep ourselves in good running condition, considering we do not have as many players as some of these Anchorage teams…Putting on the jersey and stepping onto the field for the first game is always an exhilarating feeling, and playing the defending state champion only furthers this feeling. I think that I can speak for all of my teammates when I say we are ready to take on whoever stands in front of us, state champions or not.”
Senior quarterback and DB Krew Ridle (5’8”, 145), senior safety, wide receiver and DB Avei Tuvaifale (5’9”, 175), senior RB/DB and kicker Sonny Mazon (5’5”, 130), junior WR/DB Andrew Sanders (6’0”, 155), junior RB/LB Caleb Aube (5’6”, 150) and junior RB/LB Sylvan Washington (5’8”, 190) were among those noted by Sjoroos, along with senior RB/LB Jaxin Jim (5’10”, 180), Jim, while not the biggest, is one of the Crimson Bears’ strongest players and packs a punch on both sides of the ball.
“What really impressed me about this team is the dedication,” Jim said. “It has impressed me that a lot of guys are as dedicated as me, if not more…I feel great, and I am excited and eager to play as it is my senior year. My dedication has grown a lot. I have not missed one offseason workout during the winter and put up some big numbers, and during the offseason I have put my focus into film and understand the game at a higher level.”
Wearing the Crimson Bears jersey means a lot to Jim, as does the jersey number he will wear in honor of childhood friend Paul Lingley IV, 17, who died July 14, following a dirt bike accident with close friend Greyer Schwegel, 18. Lingley was about to start his senior year at Klawock High School where he ran cross-country, starred for the basketball team and helped raise his siblings in a single-father home.
“I play for the Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears and I am proud to wear that jersey,” Jim said. “Makes me want to put Juneau football on the map…I will be changing my number this year to 20 and I am excited to wear that number, it means a lot to me. My childhood friend Paul Lingley wore that number for Klawock basketball…He was a really good friend when he lived in Juneau, before he moved to Klawock.”
The JDHS drive to the Alaska Schools Activities Association First National Bowl Football State Championship begins with a road trip to defending state champion South Anchorage on Saturday. The Wolverines ended the Crimson Bears’ season 38-17 in the first round of last year’s playoffs and went on to win the title, defeating West Anchorage 24-10 in the semifinals and tromping Bartlett 37-3 for the championship.
"I have been really impressed with the way that players are filling in spots and putting in work to get better at new positions after our seniors graduated last year," Krew Ridle said. "It means a lot to me to put on a Crimson Bears jersey because I am representing my town and those who represented it before me."
JDHS graduated nine seniors from last year’s 3-6 team that played within a second-half victory every weekend before finishing fifth in the CIC. The power of last season showed as the top five teams were within one or two games of having the best seeding heading into the state tournament.
“I just think there's a grit to these kids in Juneau,” Sjoroos said. “They have got a tough schedule ahead of them though, going to South week one and they are the defending state champs and it is a tough environment and all that kind of stuff. Definitely out of the gates, taking on the best and it will be a good measuring stick, see what we got to work on and go from there. But I do like this group. I think they have the ability to tackle well. And I saw that at camp this summer. And anytime if you can play good defense and put in some good special teams, and not turn the ball over, well, those are the three things I look at, especially early in the year. You are going to put yourself in a pretty good spot in every game to at least be super competitive and see how it shakes out at the end.”
JDHS travels to play CIC South Anchorage at 2 p.m. Saturday (JV 11 a.m.).
The Wolverines graduated 21 players, but should refill that with at least 25 juniors from last season.
“Well, I told our guys to eat as much as you can,” Sjoroos said with a laugh. “I try not to make the mountain too big. Let's just be real. South is a very good football team. They went on an incredible run at the end of the year. We played them well last year, especially at home, we lost by one point. And even on the playoff game on the road, the score was 21-17 midway through the third quarter. So we were right there. We just had a couple turnovers and those kinds of things in a playoff game can really flip the momentum and it did."
"I think my biggest thing is preaching to them about ball security. I really believe you have got to be the one to hand the ball to the referee every play, and then just tackle well. I think those two things are going to be what we are really preaching. And just try not to do more than what your responsibilities are. I think we have a pretty good defensive group, they are good tacklers, but I also think they are good communicators. So as long as they do that on Saturday, I think that will give us a good start."
"South didn’t win state with just their seniors; they have a good group so there are challenges ahead of us, first time traveling as a group, getting settled, quick turnaround, stay hydrated and prepped on the field, remember our responsibilities…South knows they are at the top and will come in with a lot of confidence, especially when we have 20 kids on the sideline and they have 50. They are going to feel pretty good about their depth and their numbers…but our kids don’t ever seem to back down from a challenge.”
South Anchorage head coach John Lewis said the Wolverines run a Fly Sweep offense, using speed to create the power game and the passing game. Among their returners are Offensive Player of the Year, senior Ethan Yarrington (#5, LB/RB), and All-State first team selection, senior Bryson Jackson (#8, WR).
"We pride ourselves for our aggressive defense and special teams," Lewis said. "We are the smallest team in size, but toughness and fearless attitude make up our DNA...Juneau plays tough football like we do, but the amount of commitment that each kid must do just to play, they always have my respect. Great coaches coach what they have, and that staff does that job better than anyone, and we know this first game will be one of the toughest this season."
South Anchorage’s scores last year began with a season-opening 13-8 loss to West Anchorage. The Wolverines then went on a seven-game win streak: Bartlett 14-7 (OT), Lathrop 31-7, East 33-7, JDHS 29-28, Colony 48-29 and Dimond 37-6. South lost their final regular-season game to Service 24-19 before sweeping their playoff run and state title. This season is another test for South.
"I have had some practice at this," South coach Lewis said. "And truth is the 2025 team won, 2026 has different strengths and weaknesses to overcome, but the most important thing to stress is this: the trophy sits on a shelf, you are here to win state for 2026, repeat talks gets you in the wrong mind space. We are hunted every year, everyone wants to beat us, so it's another season to finish the ride to the end of October."
Lewis said he has been surprised this preseason by "the number of kids coming out, from other sports, to capture the fun and experience football brings to the table. There is no other sport that challenges you to be competent, fearless, and tough then football. We have been gathering the best and toughest athletes our school has, they want to be coached, and they understand hard work."
JDHS will travel to CIC Bettye Davis East Anchorage on Aug. 22 to face the Thunderbirds (varsity 2 p.m., JV 11 a.m.).
“Pretty thin playbook to start the year,” Sjoroos said. “You are trying to figure out where all the pieces fit because we are not the only team that has players coming back from vacations or different obligations and are trying to get back in the mix. It takes a little bit of time to get all the pieces put together. I think it is just get yourself started in the right direction and find yourself moving upward by the middle of the year and then just playing your best football at the end of the season. That is really the goal that we put in front of us.”
The Crimson Bears’ first home game is at 7 p.m. Aug. 29 (JV 4 p.m.) against the D2 Railbelt Conference’s North Pole Patriots.
JDHS will host the CIC Service Cougars on Sept. 5 (V 7 p.m.); travel to the CIC Colony Knights on Sept. 11 (V 7 p.m. JV 4 p.m.); host the CIC West Anchorage Eagles on Sept. 18 (V 4 p.m.); host the non-conference Sitka Wolves JV Sept. 19 (JV 7 p.m. ); travel to the CIC Dimond Lynx on Sept. 26 (V 2 p.m. JV 11 a.m.); and host the CIC Bartlett Golden Bears on Oct. 3 (V 3 p.m.).
The first round of the playoffs is scheduled for Oct 10-11 and semifinals Oct. 17-18, both rounds at the higher seed. The state championship is scheduled for Oct. 23 at Colony High School (7 p.m.).
Last season JDHS lost to Service 19-12, defeated East 41-22, lost to Palmer 41-20, lost to Bartlett 27-0, lost to South 29-28, defeated Dimond 15-14, defeated Colony 34-20, and lost to West 44-8 and to South 38-17.
For Sjoroos, the challenges of a season also involve the junior varsity, which he believes is one of the best the Crimson Bears have had.
“I think it's important to keep those guys together,” he said. “Building them the kind of year that I think they can have, which will obviously pay dividends for the varsity in the future. It is tempting to pull some of those guys up, put them at the varsity level at a younger age, but I don't think this year that's the direction that I wanna go…Obviously, we have a lot of challenges with depth. Our numbers are the lowest since 2019. We have a pretty small senior class and a smaller freshman class, and a pretty good-sized junior and sophomore class. But any time you have two classes that are on the smaller side, that leads to lower numbers and most years, we'll have just one. But this year we have two groups that don't have a lot of numbers and so it puts us in a tougher spot for practices and things like that.”
What they lack for in numbers, the Crimson Bears make up for as a team.
“We find a way to come together as a group and have each other's backs,” Sjoroos said. “Week one nobody wins a state championship, week two nobody wins it. It is all about getting better so that you can try and make that run at the end of the year. And I feel like we've played some good playoff games the last few years. We haven't necessarily had the end result we were looking for, but I feel we have put ourselves in a good spot to win a couple of those. Hopefully this year will be the same, that we can just continue to progress. As coaches we try to support each other and be organized and have a good plan in place for the kids to be successful. I told the kids, ‘My goal is just try and put you guys in spots to be successful and represent our community well.’ And I think the kids do a good job of embracing that.”
The Crimson Bears coaching staff are Sjoroos (HC), Jeff Hedges (OL/DL), Brandon Ridle (defensive coordinator), Silver Maake (assistant DC), Danny Isaak (WR), Mike Behrends (RB), Chris Connally (QB), Naash Richey (head JV), Zach Starboard (JV DC), Jaysen Katasse (JV assistant) and Brandon Duran (JV OL/DL). Manager is Jaasyah Crowley.
PLAYERS (preseason position, height, weight)
Seniors:
#2 Sonny Mazon (RB/DB, 5’5, 130); #3 Ethan Van Kirk (RB/DB, 5’8, 165); #8 Avei Tuvaifale (WR/DB, 5’9, 175); #14 Krew Ridle (QB/DB, 5’8, 145); #20 Jaxin Jim (RB/LB, 5’10, 180); #55 Tyler Oudekerk (TE/DL, 6’0, 170); #56 Jake Chambers (TE/LB, 6’0, 185); #75 Isaiah Galletes-Fale (OL/DL, 6’5, 330).
Juniors:
#5 Sylvan Washington (RB/LB, 5’8, 190); #12 Dylan Miller (WR/DB, 5’11, 160); #13 Cohen Odenheimer (OL/DL, 5’6, 170); #15 Beckham Kasler (WR/DB, 5’6, 140); #21 Andrew Sanders (WR/DB, 6’0, 155); #22 Jarry Maghinay (RB/LB, 5’6, 180); #23 Caleb Aube (RB/LB, 5’6, 150); #49 Helaman Aitaoto-Tele’a (TE/DL, 6’2, 240); #54 Logan Womack (OL/DL, 5’9, 165); #65 Sean Fairchild (OL/DL, 5’11, 230); #74 Liam Fenumiai (OL/DL, 5’10, 320); #78 Malik Sheppard (OL/DL, 5’10, 210); Leonidas Taualo-Tasi (OL/DL, 5’10, 215).
Sophomores:
#1 Carter Day (QB/LB, 5’10, 165); #4 Jude Rushton (WR/DB, 5’7, 130); #6 Hendrik Van Kirk (RB/DB, 5’7, 140); #7 Parker Katasse (QB/DB, 5’5, 130); #9 Hania Richey (WR/DB, 5’9, 140); #10 Danny Duran (RB/DL, 5’8, 170); #16 Tayt Whiteley (TE/DL, 5’11, 205); #17 Caleb Demmert (WR/DB, 5’7, 125); #19 Jose Carranza (WR/DB, 5’8, 140); #52 Byron Jack III (RB/DL, 5’7, 140); #53 Soren Young (RB/LB, 5’7, 150).
Freshmen:
#24 Liam Bigelow (WR/DB, 5’8, 140); #27 Kolten Krueger (RB/LB, 5’8, 160); #47 Oto Kivalu (RB/LB, 5’7, 175); #58 Channer Maki (OL/DL, 6’3, 250); #68 Drake Paul (OL/DL, 5’7, 210); #69 Cole Whiting (OL/DL, 5’7, 175); #70 Tierney Bible (OL/DL, 5’8, 215); #72 Kolten Hay (OL/DL, 5’7, 220); Vance Tupou (OL/DL, 5’8, 180).
• Contact Klas Stolpe at sports@juneauindependent.com
