Colfax proves up in solid 27-0 Eagles shutout

Colfax Bulldog starters worked a full shift Friday and finished up a solid night’s work for a 27-0 win over the Lakeland Eagles in a non-league home game. The Eagles provided the undefeated Bulldogs with a solid challenge for four quarters, a good tuner for the balance of the NE 2B action and the start of the playoffs.

Colfax will travel to Ritzville Friday to play the number-two Broncos, now officially Lind/Ritzville/ Sprague after signing on their I-90 neighbors.

NE 2B STANDINGS

Colfax 3-0 5-0 228-67

L/R/Sprag 3-0 4-1 123-35

Reardan 1-2 3-2 114-117

Kettle Falls 1-2 1-5 63-138

Liberty 2-2 3-2 114-129

Springdale 2-2 2-4 112-168

Davenport 0-4 1-4 79-162

League scores: Lind/ Ritzville/Sprague 14-Kettle Falls 0, Springdale 46-Reardan 16, Liberty 27-Davenport 16.

Bulldog Coach Mike Morgan said the 27-0 win over the Eagles Friday did a lot to tune up the team for the final part of the NE run. Morgan and other Bulldog coaches had some concern that the string of heavy-handed Bulldog wins in the first half of the season had resulted in a possible loss of focus and conditioning for Bulldog starters who have often been sidelined for long stints on runaway game nights.

Colfax Friday faced off against a big Eagles line, rolled up a 17-0 lead at the half and added 10 points in the second period. Tyler McNannay scored two of the Colfax TDs and hit two field goals. His final boot was booked at 48 yards, a feat which had the Colfax coaches checking the record books.

Although they were shut out, Lakeside provided solid competition deep into the second half, and the Colfax starters spent a lot of time on the field.

“We had four full quarters, and it showed we hadn’t lost some of the conditioning from the start of the season,” Morgan said.

“Lakeside is a good ball club, and they provided us with four full quarters of action,” the coach said.

The Eagles took to the field without Chad Brinkman, their senior quarterback who was hurt in their Pullman game. Brinkman has recovered, but Eagle Coach Brian Dunn opted to keep him on the sidelines for another week of recovery before resuming NE-A league play.

Junior Zachary Warlick led the Eagles and did a solid job of running their offense against a charging Bulldog defense. Warlick, who found a gap in the Colfax defense with Lakeside’s midline option play, actually led the Eagle ground game with 87 yards.

“We actually just had a mix-up in assignments. Too many people trying to do the same thing.” Morgan said.

Warlick faked hand-offs to the Eagle running back and sort of went around a corner and gained yards up the middle.

The Bulldogs and Eagles battled in the first quarter before Colfax broke through with a TD with 5:42 left. McNannay scored it on a short run after Lakeside bobbled a punt, Colfax sustained penalty yards but then set it up with a pass from Alex Teade to Kellen Morgan.

McNannay hit his first field goal, a 38 yarder with 6:28 left in the first half and then scored on a 52-yard run with 1:33 left. Teade added two points on a keeper.

Teade scored after the break on a 34-yard option keeper after Lakeside started the half with a successful on-side kickoff. They were stopped, and Colfax was stopped on the next possession.

Top defensive stand for Colfax came at the start of the last quarter when the Eagles had a shot from their 12-yard line after Colfax muffed a fake punt attempt. Colfax defense kept the Eagles out of the end zone and started the last drive which ended with McNannay’s tidy 48-yard kick through the marker poles.

McNannay finished with 84 yards on seven carries, and Teade finished with 90 yards on 10 carries.

Colfax will travel to Ritzville Friday to go up against a solid Bronco team. Coach Morgan noted the Broncos this year have turned out to be a team which gets the job done one way or another.

Key for the Bronco offense is Jake Eichner who lines up in the new pistol formation which puts the QB closer to the line of scrimmage than the normal slot in a shotgun formation. The pistol set allows a faster read on how the defense reacts.

Eichner passed for one Bronco TD and scored the other one in the Broncos’ 14-0 shutout last week off Kettle Falls.

Coach Morgan noted Eichner has the speed to be “gone” if he can find a quick gap in an opponent’s defense.