SWEEPERS: Knights soccer players spend practice time pushing snow off Colony turf

PALMER — The Colony Knights were slated to open the Valley prep sports spring schedule with the first soccer games of the season on Tuesday, the first official day of spring. But Mother Nature had other ideas.

After using consecutive afternoons last week to clear the snow from the turf at Colony High’s Pride Field, another six to eight inches of snow dumped on the Palmer area. Monday afternoon, the Knights were back at it, shovels in hand, pushing snow to the sidelines.

“We started at both 18s, and started working our way toward the middle,” Jeremy Johnson, head coach of both Colony varsity programs, said as his athletes shoveled.

Johnson pointed in each direction, describing the progress they made before the most recent snowfall. The Knights were scheduled to host the Dimond girls and boys Tuesday afternoon. Those games have been rescheduled for April 6. Now the goal, Johnson said, is to get as much snow off the field before scheduled matches on Friday and Saturday. The Knights are slated to host West Anchorage Friday and South Anchorage the following day. Johnson’s Knights spent the entire team practice shoveling on Monday. He said about 35 athletes have been working each day to clear the field. Johnson estimates the team has spent 11 or 12 total hours shoveling snow.

“If it all works out, we’re playing on Friday,” Johnson said. “And we haven’t touched a soccer ball since before spring break.”

Johnson said the Knights are sacrificing the practice time for the chance to play more nonconference matches.

“It’s unfortunate. If we put in this work, we get to play. But on the other hand, we get to play against a team that’s been practicing for two-and-a-half weeks while we’ve been shoveling snow for two weeks,” Johnson said.

But it’s now or never for the Knights.

“We’re trying to play Anchorage schools before their (conference) season gets underway,” Johnson said. “If we don’t play them in these early-season matches out here, then we don’t get to play them.”

The fields at Wasilla High School and Palmer High School are still covered with snow. Wasilla girls head coach Patrick O’Neill said sections of turf can be seen at Veterans Memorial Field, but the snow that remains is hard and packed. O’Neill said members of the boys team worked on field Monday night.

The Wasilla boys are slated to host South Anchorage March 27.

“We’re anxious to get going and get out on the field,” O’Neill said by text Monday evening.

Palmer girls head coach Harmony Chadwick was hoping to see more of Machetanz Field when she checked the snow on Sunday.

“I looked at it yesterday, and it was deeper than I was hoping it would be with all of the sun we’ve had,” Chadwick said by text.

Chadwick said there is a plan to start shoveling on Thursday, with the hope of clearing enough area to at least practice. Chadwick said it’s difficult to host a practice inside a gymnasium. Palmer’s first matches of the season, home games against Seward, are scheduled for April 12.

Houston High School’s field is also covered with snow. The Hawks don’t have a home game scheduled until May.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.