Hawks, Knights ride the running game deep into the postseason

The Houston Hawks and the Colony Knights are the top storylines in the Valley for the 2019 prep football season. I’ll argue they’re among the best stories in Alaska football this season.

Houston has spent its season rewriting its football record book, and has one more shot at school history. The Hawks could earn their first state football title with a win over Barrow Saturday afternoon at Anchorage Football Stadium. Colony is enjoying possibly the greatest midseason turnaround I’ve ever seen during my near 30-year association with Valley football. Houston is a school of about 400 competing in the Division III level. Colony has just more than 1,000 kids and is a Division I program. There are many differences among the programs. But Houston and Colony have at least one thing in common, and it is central to the reason why the Hawks and Knights are still playing this deep into August.

Both teams boast the wishbone offense.

“There are three things that can happen when you throw the football and two of them are bad.”

Preach!

I can’t take credit for the sentence that could be my favorite football quote. Ohio State legend Woody Hayes is the man who made the quote famous in the football world. I am sure everyone playing the latest version of the Madden video game or watching Pat Mahomes chuck it all over the place on Sunday will read this and think I am full of it. But I’m all about the running game. I was baptized in the Wing-T, and have loved the running game ever since. In my world the pulling guard deserves just as much credit and the man handing the ball off, and the downfield blockers are the real rock stars.

I’ll admit. I do like at least one play you can pass out of. I can’t hear the word waggle without smiling.

Back to Houston and Colony.

There are some who will call the wishbone a basic youth football offense. But the Hawks and Knights have proved it can be effective. I do love the evolution of the offensive game that I have seen in Alaska over the past decade or two. I’ve seen programs that can really move the ball down the field quickly via the passing game. But I have also seen far too many teams that were getting far too gimmicky, and seemingly pass the ball just for the sake of passing the ball. I have broadcasted football games when I thought if I see one more failed bubble screen I am going to beat my head against the press box wall.

At Houston, with the wishbone, the coaching staff has put its best athletes in a position to succeed. Twins Gavin and Owen Mulhaney have run over, around and past everyone this season. Gavin, the quarterback, and Owen, a halfback, have put together unbelievable numbers. Fullback Kennedy Fono has also made a great impact for the Hawks.

Last week, Houston beat Eielson for the first time in school history. Since Houston fielded a football team for the first time in 1997, the Ravens have had Houston’s number. But it was all Houston in the semifinals.

Final score: 64-21.

The Hawks finished with 420 yards on 42 carries. That’s 10 yards per carry in case you are wondering.

Colony’s move to the wishbone has been a total game-changer. The Knights started their season 1-4 and were basically on life support entering a Week 6 clash with rival Wasilla. Both the Knights and Warriors stood at 0-2 in Chugach Conference play. The loser of that game would not be mathematically eliminated from the postseason, but would be facing one heck of an uphill battle. In the week prior to the Wasilla game, the Knights pretty much blew things up. The Knights made changes on both sides of the ball. But the most significant switch was to the offense. The Knights deserted the pistol-based attack which showed a lot of spread, and went old school with the bone.

And it worked.

The Knights have won four straight. After blanking Wasilla 14-0, the Knights upset a Juneau team that would go on to win the Chugach Conference. Colony followed by walloping Dimond during the final week of the regular season. Last week, the Knights knocked off defending state champion East Anchorage 28-27. With the win, Colony became the first Valley team to win a Division I or large-schools quarterfinal game on the road since Palmer beat South Anchorage in 2009.

Ridge Raval has been the go-two back in the offense since Colony changed things up, and put together monster efforts. During the win over East, Michael Bradley was the workhorse, rushing for 179 yards and two scores.

Colony will face Service Friday at 7 p.m. at Service in the DI semifinals.

Both teams are on unbelievable run playing a style of football I love to see.

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