The rainy, gloomy conditions Friday night in the capital city forecasted a defensive battle between Colony and Juneau.
And that’s exactly how it went down in the hard-fought game as Colony held off the Huskies 19-6 for the Cook Inlet Conference win that wasn’t secured until midway through the fourth quarter.
Backup quarterback and converted wide receiver Trevor Jamison scored on an 11-yard keeper with 6:03 left to provide some breathing room for Colony, the defending Division I state champion.
Jamison accounted for 80 total yards and two TDs, adding a 10-yard score in the second quarter to get his team on the board.
But this night belonged to the guys playing defense, especially the group from the Valley.
The Knights slayed a Juneau offense that put up 55 points last week by shutting down the run game and containing explosive playmaker Jayden Johnson.
Colony’s defense held Juneau scoreless for the final 43 minutes, thanks in part to four sacks, two recovered fumbles and one interception in addition to forcing seven punts.
Eli Whitworth and Quilan Meehl each had solo sacks, Cody Lindstrom grabbed a pick and CIC tackles leader Reese Rodriguez surpassed 70 stops on the year.
Colony (3-3) blocked an extra point and Johnny Figgins booted a 50-yard punt that was downed at the Juneau 1.
Colony’s Bryce Guzman rushed for 111 yards. Photo by Stephanie Burgoon/Goon Gallery
To be fair, Juneau’s defense was also effective and allowed fewer yards – 234 to 235; it’s only a yard but numbers don’t lie.
The Huskies hounded backs and clogged up running lanes. They combined for three tackles for loss and held Colony to 0 or 1 yard on 10 carries.
Defensive back Anthony Garcia made an interception and broke up a fourth-down pass in the red zone.
Juneau (1-5) also blocked an extra point and Carson Menz blasted a 59-yard punt that rolled to the Colony 1.
It was a day dominated by defense and special teams.
The biggest offensive play came midway through the first quarter when Juneau QB Noah Ault connected with Johnson on an 80-yard TD pass.
Juneau’s Noah Ault passed for 114 yards. Photo by Bryan Boyett/Alaska Sports Report
Johnson caught the 26-yard pass and did the rest, turning on the jets to score his eighth TD of 50 yards or more this season.
Other than that, however, Colony held Johnson to just 23 yards on six touches.
It was par for the course as Juneau managed only 150 yards on its final 10 possessions.
Meanwhile, Colony went to the ground-and-pound and used six backs to rack up 217 yards on 49 carries. Leading the way was Bryce Guzman, who totaled 111 yards on 21 totes. He broke off a 33-yard run in the third quarter.
Jamison and Hayden Shafer alternated shotgun snaps under center, and they combined for all three TDs on the ground. Jamison had 58 yards and Shafer added 25 and scored on a 1-yard sneak.
In the fourth quarter, Jamison – who ranks eighth in the CIC with 246 receiving yards – rolled out and completed his only pass of the night to Shafer for a 22-yard gain.
Two plays later, Jamison put the nail in the coffin after scoring on an 11-yard run in the Wildcat. He bounced to the left before cutting back to the inside to score with ease to give Colony a win going into next week’s non-conference home game against Wasilla.
Colony 0 13 0 6 – 19
Juneau 6 0 0 0 – 6
FIRST QUARTER
Juneau – Johnson 80 pass from Ault (kick blocked)
SECOND QUARTER
Colony – Jamison 5 run (Figgins kick)
Colony – Shafer 1 run (kick blocked)
THIR QUARTER
No Scoring
FOURTH QUARTER
Colony – Jamison 11 run (PAT failed)