Different year, same draw for Colony boys

PALMER — Even a blind draw can’t keep the Colony Knights from facing Juneau-Douglas in the first round of the state tournament.

For the third straight season, Colony will be pitted against perennial power Juneau in the quarterfinals when the ASAA/First National Bank State Soccer Championships begin Thursday in Eagle River. The 3:45 p.m. date at Eagle River High School will also guarantee the Knights will play the Crimson Bears in the state tournament for the sixth straight year.

“Juneau is obviously a traditional powerhouse team,” Longtime Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson said of the Crimson Bears, who have played in the last three state title games and 11 of the last 13, dating back to Colony’s 3-2 win over Juneau in the 2000 state championship game.

Johnson said he unfortunately does not know much about the 2013 edition of the Crimson Bears, which includes senior Jackson Lehnhart, who was recently named the Gatorade Alaska Boys Soccer Player of the Year. The match will feature the two winningest soccer coaches in state history. Juneau head coach Gary Lehnhart and Johnson are ranked Nos. 1 and 2 on the all-time wins list, both with well more than 200 career victories.

Colony and Juneau share the top half of the bracket with West Anchorage and North Pole. West Anchorage finished as the top team in the Cook Inlet Conference with an 11-1-1 mark. Colony beat the Eagles 5-0 in early April, but Johnson said the Knights can’t base much of anything on that match.

“(The score) is not indicative of their team. They did not have all their guys, it was 30 degrees outside and it was on April 6,” Johnson said. “It’s one of those throwaway games. West is a quality opponent.”

North Pole upset West Valley to win the Mid-Alaska Conference title and advance to the state tournament for the first time since 2006.

Colony won its 10th Northern Lights Conference title since 1998 with a 3-0 win over Wasilla in Kenai last Saturday. Overall, Johnson said he likes Colony’s chances in the tourney. A key could be Colony’s ability to play on its new turf field this season.

“We’ve been playing on turf all year. It’s not a foreign substance to us like it has been on some years,” Johnson said.

Johnson said he also likes the depth and talent of his team, which outscored opponents 14-0 during the three-match NLC tourney.

“We’re a pretty deep team, a team that’s going to try to make a run,” Johnson said.

Wasilla will open its state tournament against South Anchorage Thursday at 7:15 p.m. at Chugiak High School. Longtime Wasilla head coach Blake Livingston said he’s excited about his team’s opportunity to play a South team that finished second in the CIC with a 10-2-1 mark.

“I feel like the draw is as good as anyone,” Livingston said. “I feel like we have a strong team and can compete with anyone. South will definitely be a huge challenge, but I’m excited about it.”

Livingston’s squad didn’t have the chance to see an Anchorage-area opponent this season. Games were scheduled, but cancelled due to snow. Wasilla’s chief rival, Colony, beat South this year. Colony’s only blemish on its 17-0-1 mark is a 3-3 tie with the Warriors.

“I think Colony arguably might have the most talented team in the state. We definitely are gauging previous matches against Colony as a measuring stick right now,” Livingston said.

Livingston said it’s also nice to see a different opponent. The Warriors have drawn conference foes in the state tournament in recent years. Overall, Livingston said he likes what the Warriors have to offer.

“We feel like we have the pieces in place to potentially make some noise,” Livingston said. “We’re excited to see where we’re at.”

The Colony girls are in a similar position as the Colony boys. Like the boys, the girls head into the tourney unbeaten and a conference champion. Colony improved to 16-0-1 with a 2-1 win over Soldotna in the NLC title match.

And like the boys, the Colony girls will also see a familiar state foe in the quarterfinals. The Knights open tourney play against MAC champion West Valley Thursday at 2 p.m. at Eagle River. It will be the fourth time since 2008 that the Knights have met the Wolfpack in state tourney play.

Colony head coach Lorie Miner said the Knights are looking forward to making a run in the 2013 tourney. Colony has enjoyed a stellar season, outscoring opponents 62-5 in 17 matches this season.

“This team has the chemistry and is playing so well together,” Miner said. “They have the determination and the drive, the willpower and the want. As coaches, we believe in them, believe they have the ability to make it all the way through.”

West Valley upset top seed Hutchison 2-0 in the MAC title game to earn its seventh straight trip to state.

Colony and West Valley share the top side of the bracket with Service and Thunder Mountain. Service finished second in the CIC at 8-4-2. Thunder Mountain became the first team other than Juneau to win the girls state tourney bid from the Southeast Conference since the ASAA created a state tourney in 2000.

Alaska Schools Activities Association, the governing body for Alaska high school sports, adopted the blind draw for the state tournament prior to the 2013 season. ASAA has used different ways to seed teams in the past. Last season, the state’s four conference champions were seeded among the top 4 positions. In years past, eight teams were seeded regardless of conference finish.