North Pole forfeits football game against Colony

PALMER — The Colony Knights spent three afternoons this week preparing for their final opponent of the 2015 regular season, the North Pole Patriots.

At least, that’s what the Knights thought they were doing. As it turns out, Colony will have an unforeseen break in its game schedule. North Pole, slated to play at Colony High Friday, will not make the scheduled trip and will forfeit the game. North Pole High School officials dropped the news on Colony High activities director Mike Boyd Wednesday, and Boyd relayed it to head coach Rhett Magner.

North Pole school officials cited concerns about weather and road conditions as reasons for forfeiting the nonconference game. Magner was concerned about how to tell his players that their final regular season home game and senior night were canceled.

“I waited until after practice. I wanted them to have a good day. I didn’t want to waste an opportunity to practice,” Magner said Wednesday night of the Knights, who clinched the Railbelt Conference title earlier this season and will host a playoff game Oct. 9. “I said congratulations for beating North Pole, winning at home and finishing out the (regular season) 6-2.”

Magner said his players were confused at first, before he told them North Pole is forfeiting the game and will not travel.

Interior Alaska has been hit hard by winter storms in recent days. Winter weather and poor travel conditions postponed a Houston High School road trip to Eielson Air Force Base last week. The Hawks were headed north Sept. 25, but the team bus was turned around near Talkeetna due to winter storm warnings and travel advisories. But despite the challenges, Houston was still able to play a game at Eielson. Houston’s game at Eielson scheduled for Sept. 26 was postponed to Sept. 27, and the teams played a rare Sunday afternoon game after Houston altered its travel plans.

North Pole’s forfeit of the Colony game, also announced on the North Pole High School Football Booster Club Facebook page Wednesday, also came on the same day in which reports surfaced that North Pole head coach Richard Henert had resigned, and offensive coordinator Jon Rogers had been placed on administrative leave by the Fairbanks North Star School District.

North Pole forfeiting Friday’s game forced Colony to postpone its annual senior night festivities. It also means no Battle for the Boots for the 2015 season. The Battle for the Boots was created in 2010 in memory of former North Pole head coach Buck Nystrom, Alaska’s all-time winningest football coach, who died in 2006 of complications from heart surgery. Nystrom had close ties to past and current members of the Colony High football coaching staff, and members of both the North Pole and Colony coaching staffs created the tradition in Nystrom’s honor. The prize for the victor each year is a trophy, a bronzed pair of cleats Nystrom wore as a player during his time at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

The cancelation also means the loss of a home game for the Knights, and any revenue that would be raised at the ticket gate and concession stand. Plus, it’s a missed opportunity for the players to hit the field, Magner said.

“It stinks because in Alaska you only get eight regular season games,” Magner said. “If we wouldn’t have taken care of business (and made the playoffs), it could have been our last game of the season.”

Magner said the players were disappointed when they heard the news.

“It stings,” Magner said.

But if there’s a silver lining, it’s the opportunity for additional focus on the postseason, he said. With no game Friday night, Magner said the Colony coaches will be in Anchorage Friday night scouting potential opponents.

“It’s good to see them in person. Watching teams on film, you can’t really gauge the physicality,” Magner said.

“It’s good to see them in person. Watching teams on film, you can’t really gauge the physicality,” Magner said.

Entering the final week of the regular season, Bartlett (4-1) leads the Cook Inlet Conference, and Chugiak (4-2) is in second place in the CIC. East, West and Dimond are all tied at 3-2 in CIC play. Outcomes of a pair of games Friday night will help decide which team Colony sees in the first round of the playoffs. West is at Bartlett and Dimond hosts East. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m.

The Knights will host the No. 5 seed from the CIC in the first round Oct. 9 at Colony High. Prior to kickoff, Colony High will celebrate its senior night, and recognize the seniors in its football, cheer and band programs.

Colony, which finished the regular season 6-2 with the North Pole forfeit, clinched the Railbelt with a 3-0 mark.

North Pole is also playoff bound. The Patriots clinched the Southeastern Conference title earlier this season, and is scheduled to compete in the medium schools state playoffs.

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