Moose host Knights in first-round playoff action

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

PALMER - As Colony prepares to face their cross-town rivals, the Palmer Moose, in the first round of the playoffs on Friday at Machetanz Field, they might be thinking about the 27-6 loss to Palmer earlier this season.

While Colony hopes to avenge the loss it suffered four weeks ago, Palmer's memory stretches further back - two years ago. In the first round of the 2003 playoffs, Colony upset the Moose 12-7 at Machetanz Field.

&#8221We have our corps group that played on varsity that year,“ Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen said. &#8221For most of the players it's not a big thing. But it's something they've learned about from the coaches and older players.“

Several of Palmer's senior leaders on the 2005 squad, started as sophomores on the 2003 squad that lost to Colony. That group includes players such as linebacker Jake Heun, lineman Tory Johnson and defensive back Devon Conroy.

It only took moments after a 40-0 win over Wasilla last week in the Potato Bowl for Palmer to shift its focus toward Colony. Heun was quick to recall the playoff loss to Colony from two years ago.

&#8221That's a big thing on our mind,“ Heun said.

Friday marks the third time in four years Palmer will face a Valley opponent in the first round of the playoffs. The Moose met Wasilla in the opening round in 2002.

&#8221It's a big challenge to beat a team twice a year,“ Christiansen said.

Looking at the long-term, Christiansen said, it doesn't really make much of a difference if your opponent is eight miles away, or 80 miles away. It's all part of the path to the state championship game.

As Palmer started talking postseason toward the end of the season, among the goals was getting Conroy healthy. Christiansen said as few as three weeks ago, Conroy was at best 75 percent. But the senior utility man is now back up to speed.

&#8221He's good as he's been in the last four weeks,“ Christiansen said.

Conroy, who lines up at running back and wide receiver on offense, ran for three touchdowns and caught another in the win over Wasilla. He led the Moose with 107 yards on the ground. On his three touchdown runs, Conroy simply out-ran the defense.

&#8221He's got that deceptive speed,“ Christiansen said. &#8221It doesn't look like he's going that fast, but before you know it, he's gone.“

Another priority for Palmer has been to work on the passing game. Senior quarterback Jeremy Weber completed 6-of-9 passes for 122 yards, and threw two touchdowns in the win over Wasilla. Weber tossed a pair of touchdown passes in a game for the third time in four weeks.

Derek Holcomb caught one of Weber's touchdown passes against the Warriors - his third of the year - and led the squad with 94 yards receiving.

While Palmer enters the postseason on a winning note, Colony suffered a loss in its season finale. Lathrop, ranked sixth in the seven-team conference, upset the Knights 34-21 at Colony High School. After trailing 27-7, the Knights scored a pair of second-half touchdowns to get back into the game.

Colony continued to have success on the ground, as junior Ryan Coffman rushed for a game-high 136 yards and two scores. In the last two weeks, Coffman has ran for 309 yards and three touchdowns. Fellow junior Chebon Jimenez had been the feature back in the Colony offense, with 649 yards in the first six games.

A pair of quarterbacks saw action in the loss to the Knights. Senior Tim Egger got the start, and played the first half. Egger completed 3-of-6 attempts for 26 yards. Junior Teddy Babcock took the snaps for the final two quarters. Babcock finished 6-of-13 for 179 yards. He connected with senior wide receiver Adrian Latocha on a 47-yard scoring pass, and threw two interceptions.

For the second time this season, Austin Manelick finished with six catches for 102 yards. The versatile senior leads the Knights with 26 catches and 365 yards receiving.