One Knight at a time

PALMER — After a first quarter in which it looked as if the Colony Knights were facing much better competition then expected, the state’s No. 1-ranked 4A team quickly regrouped Friday to dominate the Lathrop Malamutes 46-0.

The Knights, defending their No. 1 ranking in the Alaska Sports Broadcasting Network Prep Football Poll, were expected to quickly trounce the 0-2 Malamutes, but the buzzer at the end of the first quarter showed the teams were playing tight with Colony leading 7-0.

“All week long we talked about no let-downs,” Colony head coach Jamie Mayo said. “I’m not going to say the first quarter was a let down, but offensively we made some mistakes.”

Mayo said the Knights were unable to run the ball well in the first quarter, partly due to a spirited Lathrop defense.

“Their kids did a great job,” Mayo said. “I’m impressed with the way they played the whole game.”

Colony’s lone score in the first was a 28-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Jaronik to Greg Michaelson with 1:40 left in the quarter.

But the close score of the first quarter didn’t carry over to the second, as Colony put up 25 second-quarter points to run away from the Malamutes.

“The kids did a really great job of correcting mistakes in the second,” Mayo said. “We had some great receptions.”

One of those receptions was made by Kenyon Depriest. After several penalties left the Knights facing a third down and 34 yards for a first down, Jaronik fired a deep pass for Depriest, who came down with the ball and ran to the end zone for a 43-yard score.

“We just have to have confidence in our receivers,” Jaronik said of his connection with Depriest. “Kenyon is tall and fast for his size. He can be a playmaker at any point in the game.”

Jaronik and Depriest would connect again for a 34-yard touchdown later in the quarter. Colony added touchdowns on a run by Tyler Jimenez, a safety recorded by JD Mayo and a field goal from Connor Weighs.

Colony would add two more scores in the second half — a fumbled punt attempt by Lathrop recovered in the end zone by the Knights and a touchdown pass from Mitchell Slater to Erick Fan.

The Knights improved to 3-0 on the season, which Mayo said is a testament to his team’s defense.

“I know don’t know what to say about them,” he said about the defense. “They set the tone.”

Lathrop fell to 0-3 on the season and has yet to score in a game this year. Kyle Nunenann lead the Malamutes with 23 passing yards while Brandon Olson managed two yards on 12 carries.

While the scoreboard may say the game was a blowout, Mayo said Lathrop played a good game.

“When you’re down by that much it’s really easy for kids to start doing cheap things,” he said. “They didn’t do any of that. They kept their composure and played tough the whole game.”

The Knights will face perennial 3A powerhouse Soldotna Friday at home, while the Malamutes go on to face Wasilla on Friday at Lathrop.

COLONY 46, LATHROP 0

Friday, at Colony High School

Scoring

First Quarter

C — Michaelson 28 pass from Jaronik 1:40 (Weighs kick)

Second Quarter

C — Depriest 43 pass from Jaronik 8:40 (kick failed)

C — Jimenez 7 run 4:34 (Weighs kick)

C — Safety (Mayo) 3:37

C — Depriest 33 pass from Jaronik 2:58 (Weighs kick)

C — Weighs field goal 00:11

Third Quarter

C — 6:43 fumble recovery in end zone (Hintz run)

Fourth Quarter

C — Fan 47 pass Slater (run failed)

Individual Statistics

Passing

Colony: Jaronik 4-10 106 3 TD; Slater 1-1 47 1 TD. Lathrop: Silva 0-2; Nunenann 2-4 23.

Rushing

Colony: Jaronik 8-40, Slater 3-13, Jimenez 12-36 TD, Rench 3-15; Lathrop: Olson 12-2, Sutton 2-0.