Knights embrace rivalry

PALMER — Colony and North Pole are not your typical geographical rivals. About 400 miles separate the two schools. But distance does not diminish the schools’ enthusiasm for an annual meeting that has become a staple to both teams’ schedules.

Friday, the Knights and Patriots will hit the field at Colony High School for the fourth annual “Battle for the Boots.”

The battle, created in memory of former North Pole and Eielson head coach Buck Nystrom who died after complications from heart surgery in 2006, is meaningful to Colony head coach Brian McIntosh and the Knights on many levels, McIntosh said Monday.

The game honors the memory of Nystrom, who won a state-record 150 games during his 25 years as a head coach. It recognizes the friendly rivalry between the Knights and Patriots, a former Railbelt Conference rival. The annual meeting also doubles as a fundraiser for a charity close to McIntosh’s heart, the American Cancer Society.

“They really helped us out,” McIntosh, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2010, said of the American Cancer Society. “When my wife and I went down to (Rochester, Minn., for treatment) they gave us a place to stay. It’s nice to give back.”

It started as a fundraiser at Colony High School, but North Pole High School continued that tradition when it hosted the Knights for the game.

“For them to continue to do that, words just can’t describe how much that meant to me and Colony,” McIntosh said.

A portion of the proceeds from Friday’s ticket sales will be donated to ACS, McIntosh said. Groups will also be selling items such as cotton candy Friday, with revenue also going to the charity.

After Nystrom died in 2006, McIntosh said friends and colleagues of the late, great coach tossed around the idea of creating something in his honor. Former Colony head coach and longtime defensive coordinator Jamie Mayo was a good friend of Nystrom’s. That helped create a tie between the two schools. The football programs also often participate in offseason camps together.

“We all have great respect for them,” McIntosh said of the Patriots.

Once the idea was conceived, McIntosh said the coaches from both programs received permission from the Nystrom family to bronze a pair of Nystrom’s old cleats. That became the traveling trophy, or the boots, the teams battle for each year.

“It’s really special,” McIntosh said.

McIntosh said the Knights also wanted to have that special game to look forward to every year.

“(Palmer and Wasilla) have the Potato Bowl. We’re left out in that stuff,” McIntosh said.

Colony is 2-1 in three battles for the boots. North Pole beat CHS 48-42 in the Interior last year.

“All season long, we’ve said we want to bring those boots back to Colony High,” McIntosh said. “It’s a really big game.”