Rivals to meet at Machetanz

WASILLA — A conference game between cross-Valley rivals, tonight’s Colony-Palmer clash, figures to kick-off a busy weekend of prep football in style.

All four Mat-Su schools are in action this weekend, including tonight’s 7 p.m. game at Machetanz Field, as well as Wasilla and Houston playing host to two of the state’s top-ranked teams Saturday.

Tonight’s big game features two teams with plenty left to prove midway through the season. Colony will be looking to show last week’s disastrous home loss to South was a fluke, while the Moose desperately need a win to get some momentum going.

Last week at Colony, the Knights were run over by a bruising South running game that racked up 294 yards on the ground and left the previously-undefeated Knights reeling.

Colony coach Jamie Mayo said he felt his team’s lack of intensity last week was a factor against the Wolverines.

“That concerns me,” Mayo said.

A win against Palmer would move Colony to 3-0 in the Railbelt and have the Knights in great position for a high playoff seed. Coupled with the fact that it’s Palmer, Mayo said he’s hopeful his squad will come out tonight “like a pack of crazed dogs.”

“The simple fact it’s Palmer, at Palmer, if that can’t get ‘em motivated, nothing will,” he said.

Palmer head coach Rod Christiansen said the Moose know how important the game is if they’re to get back on track after losses to Dimond, Soldotna and Juneau in the first four weeks of the season.

“Obviously, Colony is one of the better teams in the conference,” he said.

Palmer fell last week to Juneau despite dominating the Crimson Bears defensively at times. But after taking another bruising loss that has some players limping in practice this week, Christiansen said his team is still as confident as ever and looking forward to tonight’s game.

“They’d play every day if they could,” he said.

With Palmer sitting on an 1-1 record in the Railbelt, Christiansen said a win tonight over Colony could shake up the playoff picture.

“It’s a real important game in the conference standings,” he said.

Despite 1-3 start by the Moose, Colony’s Mayo pointed out that Palmer has played some of the toughest competition in the state thus far, and are not a team to be taken lightly.

“They’ve probably got the most deceiving record in the state,” Mayo said.

Both Palmer and Colony make their living running the football, and both coaches said they don’t plan on throwing any surprises at the opposition.

Colony’s Jaron Murphy and Palmer’s Devin Konkler are the top individual rushers in the Valley this season, with Murphy at 473 yards and Konkler on 440 though the first four games of the season.

The teams boast similar passing numbers, and primarily use the passing game as a way to set up the run.

A Colony win would put the Knights at 3-0 and tied with Juneau at the top of the Railbelt, while a Palmer win would move the Moose to 2-1 in the Railbelt and give the team a much-needed boost of confidence.

Mayo said that, like most big games between rival schools, tonight’s game could very well come down to which team wants it more.

“I just hope our kids realize how important this game is,” he said.

Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears (4-0, 3-0) at Wasilla Warriors (3-1, 1-1), Saturday, 4 p.m.

After rolling over its first three opponents of the season by a combined score of 115-32, Wasilla suffered its first setback of the season last weekend, dropping a 28-14 decision to North Pole in Fairbanks.

And though the Warriors are at home Saturday, the task of bouncing back from a tough road loss won’t be easy.

That’s because the Warriors must host the Railbelt Conference-leading Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears, which boast the state’s lone undefeated large-schools record and a No. 2 ranking in the latest statewide media poll.

Last week in Juneau, the Crimson Bears broke open a close game with 14 fourth quarter points, running away with a 28-7 win over Palmer. Juneau boasts one of the top running backs in the state in Silver Maake, who is averaging 9.5 yards per carry this season. Maake has rushed for 597 yards in four games so far, and ranks second only to Kenai’s Bill Chimphalee in total rushing.

The Warriors will likely need to contain Juneau’s running game better than last week to pick up a win. After playing solid against the run over the first three games, the Warriors gave up 280 rushing yards in the loss to the Patriots.

On offense, Wasilla boasts a more balanced attack than Juneau, though just how the Warriors will go about their business remains to be seen. Wasilla lined up mainly in a wishbone formation during its first three games, but mixed up formations against North Pole.

However the Warriors line up, it’s a good bet the offense will continue to rely on several different players to carry the load.

Running back Chris Crane leads the Warriors ground attack with 248 yards this season, although Joe Barkley, Mike Chafin and Beebo Russel have each amassed more than 140 yards this year as well.

Quarterback Adrese LaVern has thrown for 513 yards and eight touchdowns this year, but was picked off five times against North Pole.

LaVern’s favorite target this season has been Tim Orr, who has nine catches for 206 yards and three touchdowns this season. Also look for LaVern to find Crane or Patrick Campbell, both of whom have scored on every pass caught this year. Crane has two catches for two scores, while all three of Campbell’s receptions this year have resulted in Wasilla touch-downs.

Kodiak Bears (3-1, 2-0 Northern Lights Conference) at Houston Hawks (2-2, 2-1 Greatland Conference), 2 p.m.

High-flying Houston will have its hands full with the second-ranked team in the small-schools class, Kodiak, whose only loss this season came at the hands of Juneau-Douglas in the opening week of the season.

The Bears are at the top of the Northern Lights Conference after rattling off a pair of big wins over Kenai Central and Skyview the past two weeks, and are in good shape to make a trip to the small-schools championship game for the second consecutive year.

Houston, on the other hand, is coming off an impressive 48-13 win over Barrow last week that saw quarterback Jordan Webb throw five first-half touchdown passes to receiver Bryan Mason. With one fewer game played than most teams — Delta forfeited in week three — Mason ranks second in the state in receiving yards, while Webb is second in passing.

Following the Barrow game, Houston offensive coordinator Rob Hammonds said Kodiak likely will present Houston’s toughest test of the season, and said he expects the Bears will do everything possible to slow Mason down.

“I know they’re going to try to take him away,” Hammonds said.

Houston showed against Barrow it can use the pass to set up the run, and got a big game out of bruising running back Israel Morales, who rolled over the Barrow defense for 129 yards on only four carries last Saturday.

Defensively, the Hawks will be tasked with stopping a Kodiak offense that features Michael O’Dell, a big, powerful runner, and scrambling quarterback Jimmy Eggemeyer, whose elusiveness has given teams fits this season. Last week against Skyview, Eggemeyer ran for two touchdowns in Kodiak’s 17-12 win.

Saturday’s non conference game begins at 2 p.m. at Houston High School.

Contact Frontiersman sports reporter Matt Tunseth at matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com.