Juneau tops Bartlett 33-28 to secure no. 3 playoff spot at home against East Anchorage next weekend

Krew Ridle runs for 4 TDs, Jaxin Jim scores fifth as Crimson Bears wrap up best regular season in four years

Senior quarterback Krew Ridle breaks away for his fourth touchdown for Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé during the Crimson Bears’ 33-28 victory against Bartlett High School at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

This is a developing story.

Quarterback Krew Ridle ran for four touchdowns and running back Jaxin Jim scored another as Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé wrapped up its best regular season in four years with a 33-28 home victory on Saturday against Bartlett High School.

Bartlett kept the game close throughout, scoring all four of its touchdowns on big plays ranging from 38 to 65 yards. But the Golden Bears also committed a critical personal foul penalty with 1:31 left in the game that turned a fourth-and-short near the Juneau 20-yard line into a fourth-and-14, resulting in an incomplete pass and JDHS running out the clock.

The Crimson Bears (4-3 in the Cook Inlet Conference, 5-3 overall) will open the playoffs at home next Saturday at 7 p.m. against Bettye Davis East Anchorage High School 2-5, CIC, 2-6 overall). Juneau defeated East Anchorage 17-14 on the Thunderbirds’ home field during the second game of the season.

"You’re guaranteed a winning season — first time that’s happened in four years for this program," JDHS Head Coach Rich Sjoroos told his players after the game.

Jaxin Jim, a senior running back and linebacker for Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé pressures Bartlett High School quarterback Flash Auauli Tauanuu into a hurried fourth-down throw with less than two minutes remaining to help preserve the Crimson Bears’ 33-28 victory at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent)

Ridle, whose 17 touchdowns entering the game were five more than any other Alaska high school player this year, outpaced himself Sunday. He scored on the Crimson Bears’ opening drive with a 25-yard run, then had subsequent rushing TDs of six and one yards before breaking away on a 59-yard run with 7:41 left in the fourth quarter to put Juneau ahead for good by the game’s final score.

"I know it's hard to run it up the middle against Bartlett so I just ran in there with the high motor, planning on not stopping, and I saw green grass and just booked it out of there," Ridle said of his game-winning score.

Jim, who ran for a two-yard touchdown to put Juneau up 21-12 halfway through the second quarter, also forced Bartlett quarterback Flash Auauli Tauanuu into a hurried and errant throw on the Golden Bears’ final possession.

"My defensive coach just sent me in on a blitz and I finished the job," Jim said.

Key contributions were made by several other Crimson Bears, including Sonny Mazon, who broke up a potential touchdown pass and then made a fourth-down tackle on a completed pass inside the Juneau 30-yard yard line, forcing Bartlett to give up the ball when it had a 28-27 lead with about 10:30 left in the game. Ridle’s winning score occurred five plays later.

Helaman Aitaoto-Tele'a, a junior lineman for Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé, is tackled by four Bartlett High School players as he tries to run a catch into the end zone during the Crimson Bears’ 33-28 victory at Adair-Kennedy Memorial Park on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Independent)

Another key second-half contribution was made by JDHS junior lineman Helaman Aitaoto-Tele'a, who on the final play of the third quarter caught his first-ever pass on a 20-yard connection from Ridle to the Bartlett 2-yard line. Ridle scored on the first play of the fourth quarter.

"I was thinking that I was so excited," Aitaoto-Tele'a said when asked about his reaction when the play to him was called. "Like I want to catch the ball. So today was like a day."

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.