Late field goal lifts Colony past Wasilla

WASILLA — A standout kicker can be an ace in the hole for a high school football coaching staff, and the Colony Knights played that card Friday night.

Colony senior Eli Krozel booted a 26-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Knights to a 10-7 win over the rival Wasilla Warriors at Veteran’s Memorial Field.

“Being able to have a soccer player to kick like that is a force,” Colony head coach Robbie Nash said of Krozel, who helped the Colony boys soccer team win a Division I state title in 2019.

Earlier in the drive, with the Knights facing 4th-and-11 with 46 seconds left in regulation, Colony trotted Krozel out for a 48-yard attempt. After consecutive penalties, the Knights were pushed back 10 yards. That put the Colony offense back onto the field, but the Knights came through with one of the biggest plays of the night.

Facing 4th-and-21, Colony quarterback Ben Alley connected with receiver Evan Gatton on a 22-yard pass down the left sideline. Three plays later, Krozel knocked the ball through the uprights to help Colony improve to 4-0 overall.

“That was a clutch pass from Ben to Evan. It really got us back into range, changed things,” Nash said.

It was one of a handful of big plays for the Knights as they slipped past Wasilla (3-2). Alley completed five passes, but three were for 22 yards or more. Two of Alley’s biggest plays of the night came on both of his team’s scoring drives.

Early in the second quarter, Wasilla defensive linemen Payson White and Andrew Devine recorded sacks on consecutive plays. On 3rd-and-23, Alley connected with receiver Patrick McMahon on a 46-yard pass to keep the drive alive. Five plays later, Colony’s Ethan Kraus scampered 27 yards to the end zone to give the Knights the 7-0 lead.

“We keep shooting ourselves in the foot. We don’t want to pass when we have to, we want to pass when we want to. We were lucky tonight,” Nash said.

Nash said penalties were an issue.

“We’ve been battling it all year long. The first half we did really well,” Nash said.

Trailing by just a touchdown, Wasilla was able to tie the score late in the fourth quarter. Warriors quarterback Gavin Harrington capped a seven-play, 67-yard drive by hitting the left sidelines for a 25-yard touchdown run on fourth down.

Friday marked the first time Colony and Wasilla met in a varsity football game for the second time in the same season. Both sides agreed the first meeting, a 44-7 Colony win, was a much better game than the score indicated.

“It was a tough game. Those numbers didn’t reflect what the game was,” Nash said of the contest in August.

After the game, Wasilla head coach Ken Ottinger praised his team.

“I’m proud of my team. My team plays hard. My team does the right things on and off the field. We were there, just a couple of things,” Ottinger said. “I think we scared them. I think people realize Wasilla football is here.”

Colony’s Aidan Ehmann led the Knights with 101 yards rushing on 20 carries. Wasilla’s Colton Lindquist ran for a game-high 119 yards on 24 carries. Harrington added 97 yards rushing and a score.

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