High school football in the Arctic was a bold idea 20 years ago. Now, Utqiagvik's team is proving it's more than a curiosity.
Oct. 8—UTQIAGVIK — The score was a lot to a little by the end of the first quarter of football on the blue turf a few miles outside this North Slope city in late September. If the mild fall weather denied Barrow High School one of its home-field advantages, it didn't show on the lopsided digits of the scoreboard. The final game of the Division III regular season never seemed in doubt for the ...
Utqiagvik, Alaska — In late September, Barrow High School's football team, known as the Whalers, showcased a dominant performance in their Division III regular season finale. The game took place on a blue turf field situated just a few miles outside the city, in a location that is essentially unique in the United States— the only high school football squad in the U.S. Arctic.
Despite the team's initial struggles in learning the sport, the Whalers have since made their mark, winning the state championship once and reaching the final four times in the past decade. The team's existence, however, has always remained a head-turning curiosity in U.S. athletics. Barrow's football team plays against teams that are located even farther away, with the closest games being in Fairbanks, 500 air miles away.
The Whalers' home games are held on a gravelly strip of land sandwiched by a lake and the Arctic Ocean, and fans often watch from their vehicles honking in support.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
