Knights score 28 unanswered points in win over East

PALMER — When Colony went into halftime trailing visiting East Anchorage 7-0, the Knights knew it was time to make an adjustment.

“I think the biggest adjustment wasn’t so much what the coaches did, but what the kids did. And that was raising their level of focus,” Colony head coach Jamie Mayo said after the Knights’ 28-7 win over the Thunderbirds.

Colony rebounded from a rough first half in which the Knights were plagued by mistakes and scored 28 unanswered points to claim the nonconference win.

“We shot ourselves in the foot several times in the first half,” Mayo said, referring to a handful of missed blocks, mistakes and turnovers. “In the second half, I don’t think there were any missed blocks, no bad snaps, no fumbles. Our kids did a great job.”

Colony senior quarterback Collin Murphy tossed two touchdown passes and ran for another to help the Knights overcome the sluggish first half and notch their second victory of the season.

Murphy tied the score at 7-7 with a 5-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Later in the quarter senior Chris Krieg rumbled for a 36-yard score to give the Knights the 14-7 lead.

In the fourth, Colony’s lead grew to 14 points when Murphy connected with senior Gino Paolleti on a 9-yard scoring pass.

Murphy struck again later in the fourth when he found sophomore Matt Jaronik for a 15-yard scoring strike.

“We played the second half like we thought we should have played the first half,” Mayo said.

Colony improved to 2-2 overall with the win and allowed only single digits in scoring for the second straight week. Mayo said he feels like the Knights are hitting their stride.

“I think we’re starting to show the identity of this team,” Mayo said. “We’ve had two very good defensive games in a row.”

West Valley 10,

Wasilla 9

FAIRBANKS — The West Valley used a 25-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter to slip past the Wasilla Warriors 10-9 at West Valley High School on Sunday.

The victory marked West Valley’s first of the season. Wasilla fell to 1-3 overall and 0-3 in Railbelt Conference play.

The Wolfpack took the early lead with a 12-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, but Wasilla senior closed the margin with a 7-yard touchdown run midway through the second.

Wasilla’s two-point conversion attempt failed, and West Valley held the one-point lead going into the half.

Wasilla kicker Tillerman Kroon kicked a 21-yard field goal in the third quarter, but that was before the Wolfpack notched the go-ahead score on the field goal of their own.

Crane led the Warriors with 122 yards on 26 attempts in the game. Junior quarterback Cody Pfeifer finished 7-of-14 for 135 yards passing and two interceptions.

Wasilla returns home next week to face the Lathrop Malemutes at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium. Lathrop is also winless in Railbelt conference play.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.