PALMER — In three of Palmer’s first four games this season, the Moose have recorded zero yards passing.

In two of those games, Palmer didn’t even try to throw the ball.

But it’s not like the Moose are hurting because of it.

ROBERT DeBERRY/Frontiersman A group of Colony Knights bring down the ball carrier during Colony’s 27-7 win over the East Anchorage Thunderbirds at Colony High School last week. The Knights, who host Palmer tonight at 7 p.m., allowed -17 total yards in the game.

In typical Palmer fashion, the Moose have amassed more than 900 yards on the ground and currently sit on the top of the Railbelt Conference with a 3-0 mark.

So when the Moose make the short trip to Colony High School tonight to face the Knights, host Colony is expecting more of the same.

“We know what their game plan is, and in order for us to be successful, we’ve got to stop it,” Colony head coach Jamie Mayo said following his team’s 28-7 nonconference victory over East Anchorage last week.

Palmer rushed for 265 yards during its 34-19 upset of the defending state champion Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears at Machetanz Field last week, and used a pair of Coleman Ahrens runs on back-to-back plays in the second half to help secure the victory.

Ahrens was sprung by blocks on the right side of the Palmer offensive line on both scores.

“We just felt really confident in our offensive line at that point,” Palmer senior center Kevin Priestly said after the win.

Ahrens and Brennan Bohman have provided the Moose with a stable two-back package. Brennan has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in three straight and has a team-high 368 yards and three touchdowns. Ahrens has added 274 yards and three scores.

In addition to Palmer’s play on offense, the Moose defense continued its success. Take away a touchdown Juneau scored as time expired, and the Bears reached the end zone only once in the game.

Prior to the Juneau game, the Moose had only allowed seven points in two Railbelt Conference contests.

Mayo is also excited about the play of his defense, a unit that held East to -17 total yards.

“We’ve had two very good defensive games in a row,” Mayo said, referring also to a 56-6 win over Lathrop in which the Knights allowed only 134 total yards. “I think we’re starting to show the identity of this team.”

Offensively, the Knights bring a more balanced attack led by senior quarterback Collin Murphy.

Not only does Murphy lead his squad in passing (27-of-50 for 293 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions), he’s also rushed for a team-high 310 yards and five scores.

Murphy is also one of four Colony runners with 180 or more yards rushing. Senior Chris Kreig is second on the squad with 225 yards and four scores.

Colony (1-1) is currently in the middle of the Railbelt standings after an early-season loss to North Pole and the win over Lathrop.

Houston at Soldotna

Houston gets undoubtedly its toughest test of the year when the Hawks fly south to face the two-time defending state champion Soldotna Stars at Soldotna High School on Saturday.

“We’ve got a test in SoHi, probably a good a team in the state as there is,” Houston head coach Norm Bouchard said after the Hawks’’ 40-0 win over Ketchikan last week.

Soldotna (3-0) has yet to be challenged, outscoring its first three opponents

149-38.

Last week, Soldotna cruised past Homer 54-0.

Houston has also scored its share of lopsided victories. The Hawks, who lead the Northern Lights Conference with 155 points, have scored 40 points in each of their last two wins.

After beating Homer 40-8 two weeks ago, Houston grabbed the 40-point win over the Kings at Terry Shurtleff Field last Saturday.

In the nonconference win over Ketchikan, Houston recorded 630 total yards against the small-schools independent.

Seniors Kyle Sumner (155 yards) and Ryan Contreras (150 yards) both topped the 150-yard mark, while sophomore Brandon Dukes hit 100 yards for the first time in his career.

Sumner, who leads the Hawks with 318 yards rushing this season, also added a 55-yard touchdown catch.

Houston senior quarterback Jordan Webb threw two touchdown passes last week, and now has six in the last two weeks. Webb is 28-for-48 with 429 yards passing and seven touchdowns this season.

Lathrop at Wasilla

A pair of Railbelt teams will be looking for their first conference win on Saturday when Wasilla hosts Lathrop at Veterans Memorial Field.

Wasilla dropped to 0-3 in conference play with a 10-9 loss to West Valley. Lathrop (0-2) took a break from conference play last week and suffered a 14-13 loss to Dimond in Anchorage.

Senior Chris Crane led the Warriors with 122 yards rushing and a touchdown in the loss. Crane now has 427 yards rushing, which leads all Mat-Su running backs and the mid-season point, and has scored two touchdowns.

Junior quarterback Cody Pfeifer earned his first career start against the Wolfpack, replacing an injured Adrese LaVern.

Pfeifer (7-of-14, 135 yards, two interceptions) had replaced LaVern, Wasilla’s senior signal caller, in the second have of each of the Warriors’ prior two games.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.