Linemen lead deep group of veterans

PALMER — When the Colony Knights march into the 2010 season Saturday night at Dimond High School, they’ll be led by a familiar group up front.

Five returning starters on the offensive line and two-thirds of its starting defensive front are back as the Knights prepare for another run toward the Alaska large-schools state playoffs.

“We’re excited,” first-year head coach Brian McIntosh said. “The thing about the line, coach (Jason) Ross does a phenomenal job of motivating them to not get complacent. It’s easy to come back as a starter from last year and be complacent. He pushes them out on that field.”

That group of Colony linemen, made up predominately by seniors, is ready to push the Knights back into another playoff run.

Seniors Trey Farber, Josh Doan, Renn Wright and Rio Stewart are all returning starters on the offensive front. Farber and Wright have returned to starting spots on the defensive line as well. Junior Ty Farber, a part-time starter last year, inherits a starting spot left by all-conference lineman Dakota Wainwright, who has moved back to play fullback as a senior.

McIntosh said, with that veteran experience up front, he expects the Knights to be able to do more on both sides of the ball. Colony has expanded the playbook on offense and defense, thanks in part to that experience.

McIntosh is also thrilled about his returning group at receiver. Senior Kenyon DePriest, who led the Knights with 15 catches for 277 yards and four touchdowns as a junior, is back. Senior Greg Michaelson (8-101-2) returns. The Knights also have seniors Payton McCann, Anthony Bricker and Connor Weihs in the arsenal.

Weihs, who converted 24-of-29 point after touchdown attempts and booted five field goals as Colony’s kicker, began the 2009 season as a starting wide receiver. After a finger injury early in the season, McIntosh said, Weihs was mainly used as a kicker. McCann returns to the program after sitting out his junior season with a shoulder injury.

“We should have a heck of a receiving corps,” McIntosh said.

Strong-armed senior Mitchell Slater will have the job of hitting those wide receivers as Colony’s starting quarter. Slater saw limited action last year, serving as a backup to second-team all-conference signal caller Matt Jaronik. But he did throw a touchdown. McIntosh said he’s excited about Slater’s potential as a senior starter.

“He’s better and better every day,” McIntosh said. “He’s always had a big arm, but he’s getting a great grasp (of the offense).”

Senior Skye Rench, who finished third on the team last year with 303 yards rushing and three touchdowns, will start at the running back spot. Wainwright will be a first-year starter at fullback.

“He’s a big kid, but one of the faster kids on our team,” McIntosh said of the converted lineman. “And he has soft hands.”

Arguably Colony’s top returner on defense is not a starter. It’s longtime coordinator Jamie Mayo, who stepped down during the offseason after five years as head coach.

“It’s a big deal,” McIntosh said of Mayo staying with the program. “The experience he brings to the staff, he’s one of the top defensive assistants in the state.”

Mayo will once again serve opponents his 3-5 set, which marries three down linemen with five linebackers.

Leading the linebackers is senior Caleb Monson.

McIntosh said Monson, a team captain, worked hard in the offseason.

The Knights also have Cole Male at linebacker, along with DePriest, Michaelson and Wainwright.

Among the top defensive backs on the squad, McIntosh said, are Weihs and Ross Oleck at cornerback and McCann at safety.

Colony, which started the 2009 season 7-0 before ending the season with back-to-back losses to Juneau-Douglas in the regular-season finale and Bartlett during the first-round of the playoffs, opens the 2010 campaign Saturday at Dimond.

McIntosh said the Knights are venturing into the unknown against Dimond.

“We know their head coach is a former offensive line coach at South, so we’ve been watching some South film,” McIntosh said. “But we really don’t know. We’re preparing for everything.”

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