Knights C-team gets fifth victory

PALMER -- The Colony Knights ran past the Wasilla Warriors 30-12 in C-team high school football action at Colony High School Tuesday night.

The combination of several clutch defensive plays and a steady running game helped the Knight C-team squad earn its fifth victory of the season.

After not having possession of the ball for most of the first period, the Warriors were able to sustain several long drives in the last three-quarters of the game.

A stingy Knight defense held Wasilla to only a pair of touchdowns. Colony ended a 10-play Wasilla drive midway through the second period with a key sack of Warrior quarterback Danny Camargo.

"We bent but didn't break," Knight head coach Howie Marks said. "It was a tough game. We beat them 30-0 the last game and I knew they would be fired up. We got the 'W,' I am happy."

The Knight defense picked off two Camargo passes and recovered a fumble on a broken reverse play in the second half to end possible Warrior scoring drives. Clint Peterson returned the second interception for a score late in the game to help CHS seal the victory.

The green and black attack struck first via the air as freshman signal caller Rhett Magner hooked up with flanker Jason Schwartzbauer on a 35-yard touchdown pass on just the second play of the game. The Knights gained possession by recovering an onside kick on the opening kickoff.

"We floated the kick," Marks said. "The onside was not planned. We just knew who would be able to get it and who would not."

After an initial running play, Magner took the snap from center and began to roll left. As the quarterback felt the Warrior defensive pressure, he ran back to the right side and found Schwartzbauer wide open for the score. The Knights continued their trickery, faking the ensuing kick and notching the two-point conversion.

Magner would also account for Colony's second touchdown of the contest. The quarterback scampered 12 yards for the score in the final minutes of the first half. The Knights reached the end zone twice during the drive. Randall Harvey's 6-yard score was quickly negated after a fellow Knight was whistled for an illegal block below the waist.

After recovering a failed Wasilla onside kick try to begin the second half, the Knights drove 51 yards down the field to give the squad a 23-0 lead. Dominic Bellotte capped off the 13-play drive with a 6-yard scoring run. Bellotte proved to be the workhorse, carrying the ball eight times in a six-minute span.

The drive nearly came to a screeching halt as an erratic Magner pass slipped through the hands of Warrior defensive back Matt Crane.

Crane and Camargo had fourth-quarter touchdown runs of nine and 12 yards, respectively, on back-to-back drives as Wasilla attempted a late-game comeback.

Following Crane's score the Warriors again attempted the onside kick and recovered the ball on Colony's 43-yard line. Eight runs between the tackles, a 22-yard rumble by Ricky Cunningham and a Colony personal foul led to the Camargo touchdown.

"I am very happy about our performance," Wasilla head coach Brad Bell said. "This is a great group of coachable kids. C team football is about the kids learning and improving. These kids are dedicated and have made a commitment."

The Warriors will next face Chugiak as part of their homecoming festivities on Thursday, Sept. 27, while the Knights will take on cross-town foe Palmer on Tuesday, Sept. 25.