Knights run past Wolfpack

PALMER — The West Valley Wolfpack spent a lot of time trying to figure out the Colony Knights offense Friday evening.

There were moments in which the Wolfpack appeared to have Colony senior standout Logan Conway figured out. Then Colony quarterback Steven Bilafer would break across the line of scrimmage, or complete a key pass, and the West Valley visitors were sent straight back to square one.

Riding its workhorse, Conway, Colony broke away in the second half, survived a chaotic final two quarters and a discipline breakdown to score a 42-20 win over Railbelt rival West Valley at Colony High.

Conway finished with 160 yards and three touchdowns on the ground and caught a touchdown passing to help Colony improve to 2-0 overall in 1-0 on conference.

For Colony head coach Brian McIntosh, who after the game was already starting to think seriously about the match-up against perennial power Juneau-Douglas next week, the fundamental difference was blocking.

“We blocked to the whistle,” he said. “Our receivers didn’t block very well last week, and we called them out on it and they were great in practice all week.”

McIntosh noted a senior receiver.

Tucker Looney sprang a lot of Conway’s big runs,” McIntosh added.

The Wolfpack had a workhorse of their own, but lost running back Joshua Cummings to an injury in the third quarter. West Valley struggled to fill the sudden vacancy in their offense, said head coach Kyle Allison.

Cummings had 159 yards on 10 carries, including an 81-yard touchdown, before the injury.

“Honestly, it has to fall back on coaches,” he said. “We have to be prepared that our number twos and threes are ready to play.”

Both teams struggled with penalties in the game. At times, either team appeared to be its own worst enemy. In the third quarter, Colony gave up half the distance to the goal line on three successive plays, eventually leading to the final West Valley score of the game. A fourth-quarter West Valley drive that started with offsetting personal fouls on the kickoff return would end the same way, with three personal fouls called on a single punt.

Aggression was a routine part of games on the road, Allison said.

“It’s one of the things we kind of prepare our kids for,” he said. “Whenever we’re on the road it’s going to be hostile. It’s their fans, their field, their home. We just have to make sure that we’re not the ones initiating anything like that. We can’t react or retaliate in any way.”

McIntosh said the Colony coaches will address the discipline breakdowns.

“I think this team’s better than that,” McIntosh said. “They’re gonna pay the consequences on Monday … but it’s a young team. We’re not going to beat them down for that.”

Despite the bravado, Colony is clearly packing offensive heat. They answered the fourth-quarter foul festival with a four-play 70-yard drive for a score, largely on the back of a 61-yard Bilefer rush.

For the next week, the Knights will have Juneau in the film room and on the mind, McIntosh said.

“This is Juneau in Juneau,” he said. “We’ve never beaten Juneau in Juneau. That’s all the motivation these kids need.”

In addition to Conway’s work on the ground, Bilafer helped beat the Wolfpack with his legs and arm. The junior had a 34-yard touchdown run, and finished with 114 yards in the game. He also completed eight passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns. Looney hauled in a touchdown pass for the second straight week.

West Valley dropped to 0-1 with the loss.

Colony 42, West Valley 20

Friday, Colony High School

First quarter:

Colony — Looney 23 pass from Bilafer (Menard kick).

Colony — Bilafer 34 run (Menard kick).

West Valley — Cummings 81 run (Marshall kick)

Second quarter:

Colony — Conway 1 run (Menard kick)

Colony — Conway 13 run (Menard kick)

West Valley — Cooks 10 pass (PAT blocked)

Third quarter:

West Valley — Cummings 2 run (Marshall kick)

Fourth quarter:

Colony — Conway 12 pass from Bilafer (Menard kick)

Colony — Conway 8 run (Menard kick).

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:

RUSHING — Colony: Conway 22-160, Bilafer 8-114, Nash 3-0, Callahan 1-(-6). West Valley: Jones 8-32, Cummings 10-159, Cooks 6-46.

PASSING — Colony: Bilafer 8-14-0 — 128; West Valley: Lester 6-16-0 — 94

RECEIVING — Colony: Ruffing 4-60, Looney 3-56 Conway 1-12; West Valley: Joyner 3-35, Jones, 1-(-3), Cummings 1-8.