KNIGHTS TO NORSE: Colony quarterback signs with Luther College

PALMER — Colony High boys basketball head coach Tom Berg and assistant football coach Matt Jaronik are both CHS graduates who attended Luther College. Colony High graduate Del Ciucci is currently an assistant coach at the Decorah, Iowa, school.

Colony High now has another connection to Luther.

Senior all-state quarterback Parker Kizer signed his National Letter of Intent to attend Luther and will play for the NCAA Division III Norse.

“It feels like it’s going to be a real easy transition,” Kizer said as he celebrated with family and friends during a ceremony Thursday afternoon at Colony High.

And even better for Kizer, the two-time first-team all-state quarterback will step on to the field with three years of experience running Luther’s offensive system, the flexbone, at the high school level. Jaronik — who played in all 10 games at Luther as both a sophomore and junior for the Norse, and led Luther in both receptions and receiving yards as a senior — helped install the offense when Colony head coach Rhett Magner named him offensive coordinator for the Knights three years ago.

“I think he’s got a leg up on all of the other recruits,” Magner said. “Obviously it’s an advantage for him.”

Luther head coach Aaron Hafner also had the chance to see Kizer during a camp at Colony High during the summer.

“This is a great fit for him,” Magner said. “They know what kind of kid he is.”

Magner praised Kizer’s overall growth when it came to leading the offense from the quarterback position.

“It’s pretty big actually. We knew he was going to be a player. We knew he’s athletically gifted. Where he has improved the most is mentally,” Magner said. “Understanding what defenses are trying to do to stop him. His mental capacity for football has grown a lot. It’s been fun to watch.”

Kizer said he also feels he’s grown as a quarterback, and his experience with the system will help him at Luther.

“I feel very comfortable. It’s basically a second language to me,” Kizer said.

Kizer was also a three-year varsity starter in the defensive backfield for the Knights, but said it was always his goal to play quarterback at the next level.

“Some schools wanted me to play on the defensive side of the ball, but I really want to play quarterback,” Kizer said.

Kizer is also a member of the varsity basketball team at Colony High.

“I love playing basketball, but football is my first love,” Kizer said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.