Stage set for week four prep football showdown

It is only week four of the 2003 prep football season and there is already a local showdown.

A freak curveball was thrown at local teams by the schedule makers this year and the result is a nontraditional schedule.

Rather than waiting until the end of the season to play each other, Colony and Wasilla are forced to face off tonight. The contest, which is normally scheduled in the final two weeks of the season, will now be the Northern Railbelt Conference opener for each team.

"This is a big thing in some respects," Colony head coach Randy Magner said. "What bothers me is the idiots who put the schedule together. This is the type of game that should be at the end of the year, not before school starts."

Magner continued to say that the early date with Wasilla will greatly effect the money generated by what should be a very lucrative home game for the Knights. That could be a significant cut into the amount of money raised, which goes to support the program.

Colony and Wasilla, which both finished 1-2 in a trio of nonconference games, have no time to ease into the difficult five-game list of conference dates.

Colony will attempt to rebound from a tough 27-6 loss to the defending 3A state champion Kenai Kardinals.

"Kenai is a good football team," Magner said. "But we hurt ourselves with fumbles and interceptions. We just lacked intensity."

The Knights were hurt by the opportune passing of Kenai's Cole Chappell and the hard running of Kardinal back Dakota Craig.

Chappell was 5-for-8 passing with three touchdown throws and Craig rumbled for a game-high 135 yards.

Colony's lone score was a Rhett Magner 70-yard run.

After a pair of devastating losses, Wasilla gained its first victory of the season. The Warriors used a well-balenced ground game to defeat the Skyview Panthers 48-6.

Four different Warriors rushed for more than 50 yards and scored a touchdown. Jake Wade (78 yards), Danny Ament (64 yards), Jed Wade (60 yards) and Ricky Cunningham (55 yards) each reached the end zone.

Ament scored twice.

When the Knights face the Warriors tonight at 7 at Colony High School, they will be looking to break a two-game skid against their Valley foe. Colony has not defeated Wasilla since 2000 when it earned a 27-12 win.

Wasilla beat Colony 16-0 last season and 13-7 to spoil the Knights' homecoming in 2001.

Palmer @ Bartlett

The Moose have another giant challenge on their incredibly difficult schedule.

After facing perennial power Service in its opener, 2001 Northern Railbelt champion West Valley week two and the second-ranked team in the state, Juneau, last week, the Moose now have the unenviable task of meeting the defending state champion Bartlett Golden Bears.

Palmer fell the last time the Moose faced Bartlett. The Golden Bears defeated Palmer 44-26 in 2001.

This week the Moose and the Bears try to rebound from losses. Palmer, 1-0 in the Northern Railbelt Conference and 1-2 overall, dropped a 17-0 decision at Juneau. Bartlett, 0-2 in the Cook Inlet Football Conference and 1-2 overall, was shocked by Dimond 21-6.

A potent Moose ground game could spell disaster for Bartlett. The Bears allowed 356 yards on the ground in the Dimond loss.

Palmer ran for 320 yards or more in its first two games.

The Juneau game was the first contest this season that Palmer did not eclipse the 300-yard rushing mark and also the first game that running backs Allen Franklin and Mike Weber did not rush for more than 100 yards.

Franklin has 309 rushing yards this season and Weber has 292.

ACS @ Houston

Houston returns to its conference schedule after a 64-0 loss to West Valley last week.

West Valley, a 4A squad, was able to run at will against the 3A Hawks.

ACS is still searching for its first win of the season.

Last week, the Tigers were defeated 41-6 by small school power Nikiski.

The Hawks are just 1-1 in conference play, but have given up just 12 points to Greatland opponents.

Senior Taylor Richey continues to lead Houston. The quarterback gained 91 yards on the ground in the West Valley loss.