Colony runs, passes past Eielson, 39-6

MAT-SU - The Colony Knights were named the No. 1 team in Alaska in the first coaches poll of the season, thanks in part to a 39-6 thrashing of visiting Eielson last Friday.

Quarterback Cole Magner led the way for the Knights.

The senior quarterback led the Knights in the Railbelt Conference high school football game.

He scored two touchdowns on eight carries. He also passed for two TDs on five receptions in 10 attempts, good for a total of 12 yards.

The TD passes came from 48 yards out to John Fillman and 37 yards out to Sean Sullivan.

Heres how the Colony scoring went:

Nick Van Kirk, the hero in the overtime victory against Service a week before, kicked a 19-yard field goal. Fillman caught the 48-yard TD pass from Magner, and Van Kirk kicked the extra point.

That made it 10-0 for Colony at the end of one quarter.

Magner scored on a 12-yard run, and Van Kirk kicked the PAT. The Knights got two points when Eielson quarterback Eddie Clements was tackled in the end zone. That was one of three carries for Clements, who was credited with a minus-8 yards rushing on the final statistical sheets.

By the end of the first half, Colony led 19-0.

Sullivans 27-yard TD pass from Magner came in the third quarter, followed by a Van Kirk extra point.

Eielsons Tyler Ham, who carried the ball 26 times for 101 yards, scored the visitors only TD in the third quarter.

It was also in the third quarter that Sean Rapphun ran a kickoff back 82 yards to push the Colony lead at the end of the third quarter to 33-6.

Magner closed out the scoring with a 27-yard TD run in the fourth quarter, followed by a failed PAT from Van Kirks foot.

Colony racked up 284 yards rushing and 112 yards passing.

Rollin Youmans was the top ball carrier, with 78 yards in 10 carries.

But there was plenty of yardage to go around: Magner gained 74 on eight carries, Doug Lampton gained 62 on six carries, Scott Gray gained 46 on one carry, Augie Manelick gained 23 on two carries, Rapphun gained three yards on two carries and Josh Williams was limited to a minus-2 yards on one carry.

The Colony receivers hauled in five passes. Sullivan caught two for 37 yards, including his TD. Fillman had a 48-yard catch for the TD, Ryan Collins had a 16-yard catch and Rapphun had an 11-yard catch.

Counting the quarterback sacks and other negative yardage plays, Eielson ended up with 93 yards total rushing and another 96 in the air (on seven completions in 12 attempts).

Colony is now 2-0 and plays at Lathrop in Fairbanks Friday at 7 p.m.