Prep football: Knights score spot in playoffs

PALMER — Colony played like its season was on the line Saturday against the Lathrop Malemutes Saturday to earn a berth in next week’s state playoffs against Juneau.

“We told our kids all week long that this game was a playoff game,” Colony coach Jamie Mayo said following the Knights’ dominant 40-8 win over the Malemutes at Colony High.

Knowing it needed a win, Colony came out fast against Lathrop, scoring on a 29-yard pass play just three minutes into the game.

The victory set up a showdown next Saturday against Juneau, which finished its conference season with an undefeated record. Had the Knights lost, it would have marked the first time the team finished out of the playoffs since 1997.

In an effort to keep Lathrop’s speedy return man Kenny Lewis from returning kicks, the Knights elected to onside kick to open the game — a decision that paid immediate dividends when Collin Murphy recovered his own kick on the game’s opening play.

“We watched a lot of film this week,” Colony special teams coach John Kowalczk said. “We didn’t want to take a chance with their speed.”

Colony running back Jaron Murphy finished with a game-high 154 yards on 23 carries for the Knights, which out-gained Lathrop 390-219 on the game.

Colony capitalized on its good opening field position, marching 51 yards on nine plays to take a 6-0 lead on perfectly-thrown lob from Collin Murphy to receiver Tim Jaronik.

Collin Murphy finished the game with 111 yards passing for the Knights, which threw the ball 29 times on the afternoon. Mayo said the pass-happy game plan was intentional, as he’s trying to open things up for his running game.

“We know everyone is going to key on Jaron,” Mayo said. “We’ve got to find ways to loosen teams up.”

Jaronik said he feels like the timing between the Colony receiving corps and Murphy — who took over three weeks ago when starter Brad Truax was injured against Palmer — is starting to come around.

“We’re starting to get it,” Jaronik said.

Running back Gino Paoletti stretched Colony’s lead to two touchdowns when he took an inside hand-off from Collin Murphy and blasted up the middle for 42 yards and a score on his first carry of the game.

Colony dominated the first quarter, racking up 131 yards of offense while limiting the Malemutes to just 25 yards and one first down on Lathrop’s first two drives.

Kenny Lewis finished with 110 yards for Lathrop, but the Malemutes could only manage a total of 129 yards on the ground as a team.

Paoletti, who also started at linebacker for the Knights, said Colony wanted to counter Lathrop’s good team speed with physical play.

“We knew they would be quick, but what shuts down speed is intensity and execution,” Paoletti said.

Lathrop’s third drive of the day didn’t end much better, as cornerback Matt Swan intercepted Lathrop quarterback Freddy Richard and returned the pick into Lathrop territory. But Colony’s drive stalled, and Jaronik’s 38-yard field goal try was blocked to give the Malemutes new life.

Lathrop cashed in on the blocked field goal, getting a two-yard Freddy Richard touchdown plunge that was set up by Lewis’ longest carry of the game, a 29-yarder. A two-point conversion throw from Lewis to Sam Warner cut the Colony lead to 12-8.

Lathrop had a chance to pull within one at the end of the half, but Daniel Beauchamp’s field goal try from 37 yards sailed wide as time expired, sending the Knights into the locker room clinging to a four-point lead.

Paoletti picked up his second touchdown of the game midway through the third quarter when he barreled up the middle for a 5-yard score that capped an efficient 10-play drive that began at the Colony 31.

Colony used an untimely Lathrop turnover to begin pulling away later in the quarter. After defensive lineman Wyatt Evans forced Lathrop running back Travis Watkins to fumble on the Lathrop 15 yard line, Colony capitalized with a 15-yard scoring pass from Collin Murphy to Ryan Rupe that gave the Knights a 26-8 lead.

Colony picked off two Richard passes and recovered two Lathrop fumbles while yielding just one turnover, a meaningless interception late in the game.

Jaron Murphy was responsible for Colony’s next score, carrying the ball on six of seven plays on the 52-yard drive, finishing things off with a three-yard touchdown run with 10:33 left in the game.

Colony capped the scoring with a 15-yard D.J. Mouton touchdown run late in the fourth quarter.

The win ended a four-game losing streak for the Knights, which lost a heartbreaking overtime game last weekend to Wasilla.

Jaron Murphy said picking up the Lathrop win gives his team a huge boost of confidence heading into the playoffs.

“This feels a million times better than last week,” Murphy said.

Murphy said the Knights plan to use the win as a springboard into the playoffs and forget the painful run of losses.

“The playoffs are a new season,” he said.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com

KNIGHTS 40, MALEMUTES 6

Colony 12 0 14 14 — 40

Lathrop 0 0 0 0 — 6

1st Quarter

Col — Jaronik 29 pass from C. Murphy (kick failed), 9:00

Col — Paoletti 42 run (run failed), 4:29

Lat — Richard 2 run (Lewis pass to Warner), 3:02

3rd Quarter

Col — Paoletti 5 run (Jaronik kick), 8:31

Col — Rupe 15 pass from C. Murphy (Jaronik kick), 2:58

4th Quarter

Col — Murphy 3 run (Jaronik kick), 10:33

Col — Mouton 17 run (C. Murphy kick), 1:32

Col Lat

First downs 19 10

Rushes-yards 40-260 32-129

Passing yards 130 90

Return yards 53 18

Comp-att-int 12-29-1 9-18-2

Punts 2-27.5 3-35.3

Fumbles-lost 1-0 4-2

Penalties-yards 8-35 8-65

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING — Colony: J. Murphy 23-154, Paoletti 5-58, Krieg 5-29, Mouton 3-26, Ducasse 1-(-1), C. Murphy 3-(-6). Lathrop: Lewis 18-110, Watkins 3-15, Richard 3-4, No. 5 3-3, Warner 2-2, No. 90 1-0, Moran 1-(-2), Flores 1-(-3).

PASSING — Colony: C. Murphy 10-22-0-111, McCann 2-4-0-19, Peterson 0-3-1-0. Lathrop: Richard 9-18-2-90.

RECEIVING — Colony: Rupe 4-41, Jaronik 2-34, Bellotte 2-25, H. Summers 2-19, J. Murphy 1-6, Paoletti 1-5.