Small school prevails in Soldotna’s win over Colony

SOLDOTNA — Don’t call it an upset.

Small-schools power Soldotna rolled to its 21st consecutive victory with an impressive 40-16 win over the Colony Knights Friday night at Justin Maile Field in Soldotna.

“We knew exactly what they were capable of doing,” Colony coach Jamie Mayo said following the game.

Soldotna, the two-time defending small-schools champions, used its trademark wing-t offense to rack up 348 rushing yards on the Knights, who earned a spot in the large-schools playoffs last season.

“They didn’t run anything we didn’t expect,” Mayo said.

But knowing what to expect is easier than defending the tricky offense, which relies on deception to wreak havoc on opposing defenses.

The game was tight at the half, with the Stars preserving a tight 13-8 lead when Zayan Abercane intercepted Colony quarterback Collin Murphy on the goal line just before halftime. That play proved to be a big momentum changer for the Stars, which scored 20 unanswered points to put the game away in the second half.

“In my mind, that was the play of the game,” Soldotna coach Galen Brantley said.

Soldotna scored on its first possession of the game, marching 55 yards on seven plays, capping the drive with a 14-yard run by quarterback Kyle Wood.

Colony’s opening drive stalled when Murphy fumbled, but the Knights were able to force Soldotna’s only punt of the game on the ensuing possession.

Colony then mounted its best drive of the evening, going 68 yards on eight plays, finishing things off with a 3-yard Murphy touchdown plunge. The Knights then took an 8-6 lead when Murphy found Matt Jaronik for the conversion.

After that, the Knights saw nothing but Stars.

SoHi got two touchdowns each from Wood, Abercane and Anthony Griglione, whose 67-yard interception return in the fourth quarter effectively ended any hopes of a Colony comeback.

Chris Krieg’s 2-yard touchdown run with 8:36 left in the game proved to be far too little and much too late for the Knights, which fell to 0-2 on the season.

“I think we just made a lot of mental mistakes,” Colony running back Gino Paoletti said following the game.

Mayo said he wasn’t unhappy with his team’s play, but said Soldotna made the Knights pay for even the smallest mistakes.

“A team that’s as well-conditioned and well-coached as Soldotna, if you make a little mistake, they turn it into a big mistake,” he said.

Colony had little trouble moving the ball against the Stars, but three interceptions and a lost fumble by Colony’s senior quarterback didn’t help matters. The Knights racked up 327 yards of total offense, including 102 yards on 10 carries by Paoletti.

Chris Nolden led a balanced Soldotna attack with 131 rushing yards, while Griglione added 109 on 16 carries for the Stars, which rushed for 348 total yards behind a big offensive line that didn’t return a single starter from last year’s team.

Mayo said he knew his team was in for a tough challenge on the Peninsula, and said he believes the loss will help the team as it prepares for its Railbelt Conference foes.

“We knew when we set the schedule up in February that we’ve got one of the toughest schedules in the state,” he said.

The Knights will look to get on the winning track next week, when they take on the Lathrop Malemutes in a key Railbelt Conference match-up.

“That’s one we’ve gotta have,” Mayo said.

Moments after the game, Paoletti said he and his Colony teammates are already looking ahead to getting back on the field.

“We’ve just got to try and put it behind us,” he said.

STARS 40, KNIGHTS 16

Friday, Soldotna

First quarter

Sol — Wood 14 run (Elson kick), 9:45.

Second quarter

Col — Murphy 3 run (Murphy pass to M. Jaronik), 9:19.

Sol — Griglione 11 run (try failed), 5:45.

Third quarter

Sol – Wood 3 run (Elson kick), 7:42.

Sol – Zayan Abercane 7 pass to Griglione (kick failed), :55.

Fourth quarter

Sol – Griglione 68 interception return (Elson kick), 10:57.

Col – Krieg 2 run (Murphy run), 8:36.

Sol – Zayan Abercane 1 run (Elson kick), 4:31.

INDIVIDUAL STATS

Rushing – Soldotna: Nolden 17-131, Griglione 16-109, Wood 11-47, Bennett 1-44, Syverson 2-9, Zay. Abercane 4-5, Daly 1-5, Johnson 1-(-1), Minogue 1-(-1). Colony: Paoletti 10-102, M. Jaronik 10-53, Murphy 10-46, Krieg 12-41, Jimenez 1-10.

Passing – Soldonta: Zay. Abercane 5-9-0-65. Colony: Murphy 5-10-3-75, Slater 0-1-0-0.

Receiving – Soldotna: Griglione 3-57, Wood 2-8. Colony: M. Jaronik 4-72, Summers 1-3.