Knights nip North Pole

PALMER — For the Colony Knights, Saturday’s 2009 season opener began with a bit of redemption, hosting their league rivals, the North Pole Patriots.

Last year, the Patriots sent the Knights packing in the first round of the playoffs, a defeat still fresh in the Colony seniors’ minds. Saturday was payback against a team ranked at the top of the Railbelt Conference, as the Knights topped the Pats 17-7.

North Pole had the first go on offense, with 6-foot 3-inch, 217-pound quarterback Lee Jones behind a line much taller than their defensive counterparts. On the first play, Jones dropped back to pass, set his feet and released, the pass going right into the arms of Del Ciucci, cornerback for Colony.

The Knights failed to develop any momentum after the turnover, punting back to the Patriots. The back-and-forth continued throughout the first quarter, as neither team could find its rhythm on offense. Colony linebacker Ben McGraw forced Jones to fumble, but again the offense could not break into the end zone.

After a six-play drive, the Knights were the first to break the deadlock with a Connor Weihs 19-yard field goal early in the second quarter.

On the ensuing North Pole drive, Danny Grzesiuk, in at quarterback for Jones, again found a Colony cornerback, this time for disastrous results. Chad Lowery intercepted the ball at midfield in stride and did not stop until he crossed the goal line.

After Matt Jaronik picked off another pass from Grzesiuk, Jaronik couldn’t generate any more points as Colony’s quarterback. The defense stopped a drive deep into Knights territory and went into halftime with a 10-0 lead, despite four turnovers by North Pole.

Having worked out their first-game-of-the-season jitters, both offenses returned for respectable showings in the second half.

Colony had the ball first and looked much more in sync running the quarterback option. A nine-play dive ended with a punt pinning the Patriots on their own 14 yard line.

Jones and Eric Antesberger split time under the North Pole center for the Pats’ first drive of the third quarter. With mostly quarterback keepers, the Patriots line started to take advantage of its size. Rushes of four to five yards and key completed passes drove the Patriots down the field for a 15-play drive, capped by a two-yard touchdown run by Antesberger.

With Colony leading 10-7, a failed onside kick attempt gave the Knights the ball at midfield. Jaronik handed the ball to Lowery for a short gain.

On the second play of the drive, the quarterback decided to keep the ball himself after seeing a three-gap hole opened by the right guard and tackle. Jaronik ran 49 yards almost untouched into the end zone with 1:44 left in the third quarter to cap the scoring at 17-7.

North Pole tried unsuccessfully to respond, turning the ball over on downs early in the fourth quarter. And in the fourth quarter when the Knights got the ball, they refused to give it up.

Jaronik orchestrated a 13-play drive that ate up most of North Pole’s hopes. When the Pats got the ball back after a Colony punt, there was little time left for the two scores needed. They ended up turning the ball over on downs, letting the Knights take the final two kneels.

After the game, Colony coach James Mayo said Saturday’s opener was an easy game to get his team motivated for. All his seniors had been talking about for two weeks is the loss in the playoffs and the loss in the first game of last season to North Pole.

The sloppiness of the first half was to be expected, he said, as his team was almost too excited for the game. He knew it was going to be a defensive battle and changed his scheme to have three defensive linemen down with five linebackers to give North Pole a look it had not seen at pre-season camps.

Looking to next week, Mayo said Kodiak is a bit of an unknown. But, he said, fans can expect a lot more of Jaronik.

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.

Colony 17, North Pole 7

Saturday, Colony High School

Second Quarter

Colony — Weihs 19 field goal, 9:15.

Colony — Lowery 50 interception return (Weihs kick) 7:11.

Third Quarter

North Pole — Antesberger 2 run (kick good) 1:44.

Colony — Jaronik 49 run (Weihs kick) 0:58.

Individual Results

RUSHING — Colony: Jaronik 16-92, Jimanez 8-37, Rench 4-23, McGraw 4-14, Lowery 2-0; North Pole: Jones 15-70, Andesberger 11-30, Hingst 1-2, Chance 1-4, Isaacson 4-17, Anderson 1-2, Frazier 1-2.

PASSING — Colony: Jaronik 5-11-0—34, Slater 1-1-0—(-2); North Pole: Jones 2-9-1—14, 1-4-2—13.

RECEIVING — Colony: Jimanez 2-16, Ciucci 2-8, Hintz 1-5, Jaronik 1-(-2); Norht Pole: Hingst 1-12, Hollett 2-15.