Knights rally, fall short against Juneau

PALMER — With three of their four conference games coming during the final four weeks, the Colony Knights have their eyes set on the second half of the season.

And even though the Knights dropped to 0-4 Friday with a 33-24 nonconference loss to Juneau-Douglas, Colony head coach Brian McIntosh said he hopes the positives he saw Friday will help his team rebound during a crucial stretch of the season.

“Our team finally came together tonight,” McIntosh said after the loss. “We were a little short, but I’m proud of my kids; the way they played, the effort they had, the heart they played with.”

Senior quarterback Bryce Niver and senior receiver Antonio Bush connected for three scores during the final quarter as Colony worked to overcome a double-digit deficit.

Niver, who set career marks in about every passing statistic for a single game, accounted for nearly 350 yards of total offense. Niver outgained Juneau-Douglas by himself, with 249 yards through the air and 91 more on the ground. He tossed three touchdown passes and ran for another.

“He’s doing a great job,” McIntosh said of his senior signal-caller. “He’s progressed a lot. He’s significantly better than we anticipated.”

The bulk of Niver’s production came in the second half. Niver rushed for 82 of his 91 yards during the final quarters, and completed 17 passes for 150 yards and three touchdowns in the second half.

“He did a great job managing (the game). He did a great job running when protection broke,” McIntosh said.

With the Knights trailing 13-0 into the third quarter, Niver broke through the center of the Juneau defense and scored on a 22-yard run to put Colony on the board midway through the frame. And after Juneau struck for a pair of touchdowns during a 90-second stretch later in the third, Niver rallied the Knights and tossed three touchdowns to Bush during the final quarter.

Bush, who broke a longstanding school record for receiving yards in a season as a junior, had another big night with 12 catches for 130 yards and three scores in the game. Bush was one of four receivers with at least five catches. Steven Bilafer finished with a career-best seven catches for 45 yards. Tucker Looney and Fischer Summers each chipped in five catches for 37 yards.

Bush now leads the state with eight receiving touchdowns.

Bush snagged the first of his three touchdown catches, a 23-yarder, on the first play of the fourth quarter. That cut Juneau’s lead to 27-12. Less than three minutes later, Bush caught a 10-yard Niver touchdown pass to bring Colony within nine points.

His final touchdown catch, a 10-yarder, came late in the game.

Juneau senior Demetrius Campos accounted for nearly all of the Juneau scoring, finishing with three rushing touchdowns and a catch for a score. Campos rushed for 160 yards on 20 carries, but it was feast or famine for the 5-foot-7 speedster. Of Campos’ 20 carries, eight were for a loss. But he had nine rushes of 10 yards or more, including a 44-yard score and a 33-yard carry.

“He’s a heck of a runner. We knew if we didn’t get him in the backfield, he’s just so fast in the open field,” McIntosh said.

Campos gave his team the lead with an 11-yard touchdown late in the first, and added the 44-yard scoring run with 4:29 left in the second.

The key damage came in the third quarter when the senior scored twice in an 89-second span. Two plays, and 14 seconds after Niver’s touchdown run, Campos answered with an 18-yard score.

Less than 90 seconds later, Campos caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Dorian Izaak.

The game wraps up a brutal first half for the Knights. All four of Colony’s opponents were ranked in the latest Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network Poll, and two (Service and Soldotna) played for a state championship last year.

Colony hosts Railbelt rival Lathrop Friday, meets North Pole at home the following week and ends its regular season on the road against Palmer and West Valley.

Juneau-Douglas 33, Colony 24

Friday, Colony High School

First quarter:

Juneau — Dem. Campos 11 run (Maake kick) 5:12.

Second quarter:

Juneau — Dem. Campos 44 run (kick failed) 4:29.

Third quarter:

Colony — Niver 22 run (kick failed) 5:15.

Juneau — Dem. Campos 18 run (Maake kick) 5:01.

Juneau — Dem. Campos 11 pass from Izaak (Maake kick) 3:38.

Fourth quarter:

Colony — Bush 23 pass from Niver (kick failed) 11:48.

Colony — Bush 10 pass from Niver (pass failed) 9:00.

Juneau — Sua 13 run (kick failed) 6:21.

Colony — Bush 10 pass from Niver (pass failed) 00:05.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:

RUSHING — Juneau: Dem. Campos 20-164, Izaak 4-20, Sua 3-14, Nordgren 3-4, Da. Campos 2-4, Hill 1-(-2); Colony: Niver 21-91, Conway 7-20, Summers 1-3.

PASSING — Juneau: Izaak 6-20-0—64; Colony: Niver 29-49-1—249.

RECEIVING — Juneau: Da. Campos 3-33, Hill 1-13, Dem. Campos 1-11, Empson 1-8; Colony: Bush 12-130, S. Bilafer 7-45, Looney 5-37, Summers 5-37.