Valley 4A teams playoff bound

MAT-SU VALLEY -- For Colony, Palmer and Wasilla the season could be separated into three parts. The first part is their non-conference games and the early part of the Northern Railbelt Conference schedule. The second part consists of the games against their Valley foes. The third, and most important part, is the post-season.

In what is not unlike a horse race, the three squads have cruised through the first part, are headed into the second stretch and have earned the right to compete in the third portion of their season.

Colony, Palmer and Wasilla scored wins this weekend which more importantly notched a berth for each school in the postseason.

The early postseason berths can be attributed to the Valley team's domination of their Fairbanks opponents. The three schools are a combined 12-0 against North Pole, Lathrop, Eielson and West Valley.

They have not only swept the Fairbanks schools, but beat them handily. In the twelve games the Valley schools have posted two shutouts and scored more than 30 points four times.

Though the schools have their spot confirmed on the post-season bracket, the teams will all but relax as they prepare to play their Valley foes.

These are the games the players, coaches and fans most look forward to every year.

"It doesn't matter how many games we win. If we lose to Palmer or Colony this season is a disappointment," Wasilla head coach Nathan Ford said.

Plus as an added incentive, the teams will be playing for one of the top seeds in the playoffs. Sweeping a pair of Valley games and losing a pair of Valley games can be as big as a difference as hosting a playoff game and being forced to hit the road for the post-season.

Wasilla is the reigning champion of the Valley after going 3-0 last year. The Warriors defeated Colony in both the regular season and the post-season and scored a nail-biting 19-17 win over Palmer in the annual Potato Bowl.

"It is hard to pick a team in the Valley to win," Colony head coach Tom Lincoln said. "It doesn't matter how good the team is during the season. It comes down to whoever goes out there and plays the best that week. It is a battle."

Colony and Palmer will battle this weekend. The Warriors and the Knights will square off Sept. 20 and the Moose will host Wasilla

Sept. 27.