North Of Arctic Circle, A High School Football Game
A polar bear wandered near the Barrow High School football field in Alaska last month. John Gleason hide caption
A polar bear wandered near the Barrow High School football field in Alaska last month.
John GleasonThis Saturday, Alaskans will be watching the state's first-ever high school football playoff game north of the Arctic Circle. The Barrow Whalers host the top-of-the-world game against the Houston Hawks.
David Gerke, the father of the Whalers' 17-year-old quarterback, Albert Gerke, tells NPR's Melissa Block that a polar bear was wandering near the field a couple days ago.
He says someone will keep an eye out for polar bears during the game this weekend. He also notes that whaling season starts Saturday.
"A lot of people are going to be out trying to catch a whale," Gerke says. "Actually, where they butcher the whales up is right next to the field on the old Air Force runway, so it's possible there could be whales getting butchered up as the boys are playing a game."