The Rewind: Alaska sports highlights for Oct. 4-10, 2026 A weekly digest of the biggest stories and best performances in Alaska sports, including high school football playoffs, prep tennis regionals, volleyball upsets, and college athletics updates. The eighth and final week of the 2026 Alaska high school football regular season saw shows of force by the top seeds at the Division I and II levels. Lathrop Dominates Final Regular Season GameIn Fairbanks, Lathrop is heading into the playoffs with an unbeaten 8-0 record after obliterating West Valley on the road 70-14 on Friday night. Propelling the Malemutes to the lopsided result was a prolific passing performance by star sophomore Boaz Balash, who threw for a career-high nine touchdowns. He threw for nearly five times as many scores as he did incompletions, going 17-of-19 for 503 passing yards.All four of his completions to senior wide receiver Wilson Lawson went for touchdowns, the longest of which was a 70-yard catch-and-run that went to the house. In Palmer, West Anchorage steamrolled Colony 45-7, racking up 214 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. Senior Manny Maga accounted for more than half the yardage, with 121 yards and two scores on 12 carries.The defense also got in on the scoring action with a fumble recovery return for a touchdown by junior defensive lineman Gideon Makihele and an interception return for another by senior cornerback Jayciano Cabesas. In flag football action, Service became the second Hillside team to topple previously top-seeded Dimond with a 22-0 upset victory Saturday.Leading the Cougars as they avenged an early-season defeat was senior quarterback Leia Silva, who led the team in both passing and rushing yards and recorded a touchdown hat trick by throwing for two and running for a third. The 2026 prep tennis postseason got underway around the state with regional action.West Anchorage Wins Ninth Tennis TitleIn Anchorage at The Alaska Club East, the home of this week's state tournament, perennial powerhouse West Anchorage ran away with another successful title defense, claiming its ninth straight.'Every year, no matter how things look going in, there's always nerves,' West head coach Ben Larson said. 'You want the best for all your kids no matter if they're the top kid in the state or the last kid on varsity ... It's always nerves, and it's always a relief when we've got it clinched.' The Eagles were represented in three of the five finals matches, including both finalists in the girls singles division as sisters Lana and Cherish Cebrian faced off for the top spot. Older sister Lana was able to claim her fourth straight region title with relative ease, and said she is proud of the progress her younger sister has made.'She gave it her all,' Lana Cebrian said. 'We played once throughout the season and she got a better score, but I felt like I played better and more consistent. ' The boys' singles match featured an upset and a successful title defense.West's Adam Kaufman battled through a back injury that snuck up on him and still found a way to best top-seeded Todd Debenham of Dimond, who was undefeated before their finals match and had narrowly beaten Kaufman during the regular season as well.'It feels great and is something I worked a really long time towards,' Kaufman said. 'I played the same guy two weeks ago, and I lost in a tight match. I saw what I had to fix and I worked hours and hours on it these past few weeks, and it felt really good to see it pay off.Chugiak Upsets South Anchorage Volleyball Team' In the most competitive volleyball game in the Cook Inlet Conference last week, third-seeded Chugiak upset second-ranked South Anchorage in five sets in a home victory Tuesday night. The Mustangs were led to the statement victory by senior outside hitter Audrey Parks, who led the team with a career-high 35 kills and furnished a double-double with 16 digs, the second-most on the team.Senior libero Avery Warren led the team with 41 digs and sophomore setter Teagan Shiflea had the most assists with 55. On the college scene, the UAA volleyball team swiftly took care of business on the road, sweeping rival University of Alaska Fairbanks in three straight sets on Thursday.The Seawolves had a pair of players notch double-doubles in this Great Northwest Athletic Conference clash with senior Lee Ivakina and junior Kyana Gabriel tying for the team lead in kills with 10 apiece. They also finished first and second in digs, with Gabriel logging a match-high 13 and Ivakina with 10.