Captains lead Colony boys to NLC title

PALMER — Early in the match with the Kenai Kardinals trailing, Kenai’s Austin McKee stepped into the box and calmly converted a penalty kick to knot the contest at 1.

And just as the Kards had a chance to pull the momentum their way, a pair of Colony senior captains came through for the Knights. Harrison Menard and Austin Richardson each scored within a 13-minute span of the first half to help the Knights score a 4-1 win over Kenai in the Northern Lights Conference boys title match Saturday evening at Palmer High School.

Menard knocked in a loose ball during the 19th minute, within two minutes of the McKee penalty kick, and Richardson sent a laser from beyond the penalty box during the 32nd minute in a big first half that allowed the Knights to earn their 11th NLC title in the last two decades.

“That goal was huge,” Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson said of the Menard tally. “To respond like that, that’s what a championship team does.

Menard provided the immediate answer to the penalty kick and Richardson added some pressure on Kards.

Late in the first half, the ball came out from the penalty box to Richardson in the midfield. Richardson blasted a shot just past the fingertips of Kenai’s diving goalkeeper, Wren Norwood.

“It was such a beautiful goal,” Johnson said. “Half volley from a distance, right into the upper corner. A four-year starter to step up like that, it’s really a straw that broke the camel’s back.”

Richardson’s teammates were in awe of the goal.

“I have no words for that shot. It was incredible,” junior Ben Sande said.

Richardson’s blast was the type of shot the Knights knew they’d have to have facing arguably the top goalkeeper in the conference. Norwood was the lone goalkeeper to be named first-team All-NLC this season.

“We understand he’s a really good goalkeeper,” Sande said. “Being more clinical today was the main thing to put them in the back of the net.”

And the Knights were able to get the type of pressure on Norwood they wanted to. Colony outshot Kenai 21-6 in the match.

Sande opened the scoring with a goal during the eighth minute, and also helped set up Colony’s final goal. Early in the second half, Sande took the ball at the left edge of the field, and drove toward Norwood. He sent a pass across the face of the net to set up a Menard shot. Norwood made the save, but Cameron Shaw was able to knock in the rebound.

Kenai finished with only six shots, but had at least two quality opportunities in the second half. Colony senior goalkeeper Zach Zmuda came up big for the Knights with at least two tough stops, including a diving save midway through the frame.

“Zmuda made some timely saves in the second half. They had a few good opportunities and he made some nice saves,” Johnson said. “One would have made it 4-2 at one point.”

The win gave Colony its 11th NLC title since 1998, and second in the last three years. Since 1998, only one other NLC teams has one multiple titles. Wasilla has won four championships in the last nine years. Soldotna, Grace Christian and Kenai have won a single boys’ title each.

Colony and Kenai move into the state tournament, which starts Thursday in Anchorage. Colony enters the final tournament as the defending state champion. The Knights beat Dimond 3-2 in double-overtime last season to win its second state title in school history.

Homer will also represent the NLC in the state tournament. The Mariners beat Grace Christian 2-1 in the third-place match.