The 2019 football season ended for Nikiski on Saturday afternoon with a 52-0 loss to Barrow in the Division III state semifinals in Utqiagvik.
Nikiski trailed 22-0 at halftime and had several second-half drives stall out as the Whalers defense held strong.
It was the second straight contest Nikiski failed to score on Barrow. The Bulldogs lost 14-0 to the Whalers in a regular-season game Sept. 7 at home, a game that was played in wet, sloppy conditions.
Nikiski finished its season 3-5 overall, while Barrow moves on to the championship final for a third straight year.
Barrow advances to play the Houston Hawks in the Division III state title game Oct. 19 at Anchorage Football Stadium. Houston, the 2019 Peninsula Conference champions, pummeled Eielson 64-21 Friday in the first semifinal of the weekend.
Five players made it to the end zone for Barrow in the victory. L’jun Dias and Micah Serino each scored two touchdowns, while Anthony Fruean, Ervin Feleti and Jefferson Nobleza also hit pay dirt.
Feleti and Dias ran in two-point conversions, while Barrow quarterback Fruean also had a two-point conversion.
Barrow won the 2017 state championship before losing the big game to Eielson last season.
