Thunder rolls for Colony Football

Frontiersman

PALMER - Colony High School football players have racked up countless yards and scored 274 points during the regular season, on their way to winning the Railbelt Conference Championship.

Friday night, they scored 54 points in a state playoff quarterfinal win over West Valley, and had 407 yards total offense.

During the game, the team had key contributions from many different people. Chebon Jimenez rushed for 127 yards, Teddy Babcock threw five touchdown passes, and the members of the offensive and defensive lines have made things easy for the team's skill position players.

Despite all the impressive stats racked up in the quarterfinal, none equal the numbers turned in by one of the biggest athletes to represent the Knights' Friday.

Running for more than 1,600 yards Friday, this athlete played a role in each of the Knights' eight touchdowns, and literally put the team on its back.

He accomplished it all without once setting foot on the field, strapping on a helmet or touching the football.

Who is this remarkable athlete, you ask?

Thunder, a 14-year-old appaloosa mare, serves as the team's mascot at every home game.

Ridden by senior Crystal Dillow and freshman Kacey Knueppel, Thunder provides the Knights with something no other Valley High School has, a living, breathing mascot.

Running on the track in front of the Colony bleachers after each touchdown, costumed to look like a Knight and his noble steed, Dillow and Knueppel revved up the crowd at each home game.

This is Thunder's first year as the team's mascot, the previous horse retired when it's rider Rhiannon Truax graduated.

&#8220Crystal and Kacey came to me and asked about taking over, continuing the tradition,” Colony Activities Director Mike Boyd said. &#8220I was happy to be able to continue the tradition.”

That started Thunder's duties as the team's mascot.

To prepare for the first home game, both girls worked out with Thunder at the track all summer.

&#8220They had to get her used to running on the hard track,” Patty Knueppel said. &#8220We didn't want the first time she ran on the track to be at the first game.”

But Thunder hasn't always had such a good gig.

The Knueppel's adopted her from Alaska Equine Rescue four years ago, after their horse died.

&#8220She was in pretty bad shape when we first saw her,” Patty Knueppel said. &#8220We could count her ribs on her side and it was difficult to even get her to eat, she was so malnourished.

&#8220When we said we'd take her home, the people with the rescue group kind of looked at me like we were nuts. But we believed that as long as her insides were good, that we could nurse her back to health.”

It took a year of love and care before anyone could touch her, and a couple of months beyond that before she would let anyone ride her. Kacey Knueppel and Dillow worked with Thunder throughout the recovery process, nursing Thunder back to health.

&#8220The girls did so much work to bring her back to health,” Patty Knueppel said. &#8220Then they worked all summer training to be able to ride Thunder at the games.”

Having survived near starvation, Thunder also has overcome some difficulties getting to home games this season.

&#8220We had her in the horse trailer just before the first game when someone rear-ended the trailer,” Patty Dillow said. &#8220Then tonight, the trailer came unhitched as we came into the field.”

Thunder was spooked by both incidents, Friday she refused to get into the trailer after the game, forcing Dillow to ride her back to the Knueppel's home, approximately a mile from the school.

Despite the difficulties, Kacey Knueppel hopes to be back with Thunder for the next three years as the team's mascot.

Contact Darrell L. Breese at 352-2267 or at darrell.breese@

frontiersman.com.