Moose run past Knights

PALMER -- With only two weeks left in the regular season, the Palmer Moose are now in the driver's seat as they run toward the Northern Railbelt Conference title.

The Moose notched a pivotal 20-13 win over the crosstown rival Colony Knights at Machetanz Field Friday night.

With the Moose facing a 13-6 deficit midway through the second half, Palmer defensive back Devin Conroy intercepted a Rhett Magner pass with 31 seconds left in the third quarter and the Moose used the swing in momentum to score a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to take the lead and the win.

Junior tailback Allen Franklin scored 4-yard touchdowns on back-to-back drives in the fourth quarter to help lead Palmer to victory.

Palmer used its typical brand of football, a devastating ground attack, to pull away with the win in the fourth quarter.

Led by the offensive line of center Tory Johnson, guards Junior Aumavae and Nick Pilch and tackles Justin McCain and Colby Yuill, the Moose churned out 139 yards rushing on 19 carries in the fourth quarter. Palmer ran for 328 yards in the game.

The Moose averaged more than seven yards per carry in the final frame. Eighteen of Palmer's 19 carries in the fourth quarter gained positive yardage.

Moose quarterback Charlie Bentti ran the option nearly flawlessly in the fourth quarter gaining 59 yards on 10 carries.

"I don't think there is any coach in the state that will argue against Charlie as the best option quarterback in the state," Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen said.

Franklin gained 44 of his game-high 158 yards in the fourth quarter and Mike Weber gained 36 yards on just three carries in the final period.

Following the Magner interception, the Colony signal caller's second of the half, Franklin trailed an Aumavae block and scored on a 4-yard trap to cap off the nine-play, 65-yard drive.

"We came together as a family," Aumavae said of his team's performance in the final quarter. "We kept the enthusiasm up after every play, gain or loss."

"The difference was their line," Colony head coach Randy Magner said. "Their line dominated the game."

Palmer missed the extra point following Franklin's first touchdown, allowing Colony to hold the slim one-point lead. On the ensuing drive, the Moose defense held Colony to just four offensive plays, and forced the Knights to punt.

Following the Colony punt, Palmer marched down the field once again. The Moose ran the ball 12 times for 74 yards and took more than six minutes off the clock.

With 1:45 left in regulation, Franklin dove right up the middle behind the blocks of Johnson and Pilch to score his second 4-yard touchdown of the game.

Franklin ran in the two-point conversion to give Palmer the 20-13 lead.

Palmer gained 199 yards on the ground in the first three quarters, but three costly fumbles halted Moose scoring drives. PHS also had a Weber 35-yard touchdown called back due to a holding penalty with 4:01 left in the first half.

"We certainly executed better in the second half," Christiansen said. "We lost a couple balls and that hurt us."

"Turnovers killed us in the beginning," Pilch said.

The Moose took an early 6-0 lead on a 1-yard Bentti touchdown, just more than 10 minutes into the first quarter.

Colony bounced back minutes later with a 1-yard Magner touchdown.

In the final two minutes of the first half, Magner orchestrated an eight-play, 85-yard scoring drive and the Knights took a 13-6 lead. Magner found Justin Schwartzbauer in the end zone with 11 seconds left to give Colony the touchdown advantage after two quarters.

Schwartzbauer hauled in a 38-yard pass in double coverage during the drive, in addition to his 16-yard touchdown catch-- also in double coverage.

Magner also completed passes to Billy Collins and Josh Morlan on the scoring drive.

The win was Palmer's first over Colony in five years. Palmer last beat Colony 24-23 in 1998.

Last season the Moose suffered a heartbreaking 31-30 loss to the Knights at Colony High School.

"In the last couple of years I felt like it was more psychological than physical," Palmer assistant coach Brad Hanson said. "We had the ability and needed to take care of business."

Palmer improved to 4-2 overall and 3-0 in

Northern Railbelt Conference play with the victory.

The Moose can clinch the conference title with a win against North Pole next week.

Colony drops to 3-3 overall and 2-1 in conference play.

Colony and Lathrop are locked in a three-way tie with North Pole at 2-1 in the conference.

The Knights and the Malemutes meet next Friday at Colony High.