Bulldogs, Broncos will collide again in quarter-final

Colfax Bulldogs and the Lind-Ritzville-Sprague Broncos, the two top finishers in the NE, will collide again Saturday at 5 p.m. on the artificial turf at Gonzaga Prep in north Spokane. The all NE matchup evolved after the two contenders booked big wins in the first state playoff round last week.

Colfax advanced on a 54-7 win over Warden in the WSU’s Martin Stadium. The Broncos advanced on a 12-0 win over Kittitas. The Koyotes were one of two teams to defeat LRS this season.

The other team to top LRS was the Bulldogs with a 32-9 win in the fifth league round of the season.

Colfax Coach Mike Morgan noted the first Colfax-Bronco clash was not the best showing for the Bulldogs who ran into the toughest defense they had faced all season.

Unlike most other foes in the Colfax campaign to date, Ritzville players always seem to know what to do. The Broncos can always be counted on to adjust when an opponent throws a change in offense or defensive sets again them, Morgan said.

“They just always seem to know what to do, and they don’t get rattled,” Morgan noted.

Key to the Bronco offense is quarterback Jake Eichner. He and Micah Brown are both fast, quick backs who can get to the outside in a hurry.

Eichner runs the Bronco offense out a pistol set which allows him to take advantage of his running skills.

“If you make a mistake against him, he will take advantage of it,” Morgan said.

Eichner scored once last week against the Koyotes after the two opponents fought to a 0-0 standoff in the first half.

Friday at Martin Stadium Colfax dropped 34 unanswered points on a young Warden team in the first quarter. The Cougars, who have dropped down from A ball, relished the game date at Martin Stadium, a place where many of them have never seen.

Colfax Assistant Coach Craig Culbertson even arranged a pre-game tour of campus facilities for the Cougars who were venturing into new territory.

Coach Eric Skone’s Cougars came out in a shotgun set with Eric Bates running the offense, but they never really got into gear against Colfax.

“Our defense just shut them down,” Morgan noted.

The Cougars finished with 149 yards on offense. with 67 of those on a pass play for their lone TD in the last quarter against the Bulldog reserves.

Colfax senior Tyler McNannay booked 144 yards on 13 carries. He scored three TDs with a 23-yard interception return starting the 34- point blitz in the first quarter. QB Alex Teade booked a 6-10-92 night passing. He hit Kellen Morgan for 16-yard TD and had two more scores running.

Morgan bagged two of the five Cougar turnovers during the game One was a fumble return which set up a TD and the other was a pick on one of Bates passes.

Saturday’s Colfax-Bronco game is bracketed opposite the DeSales-Waitsburg/Prescott game. The two winners advance to the semi-final round next week.

Waitsburg/Prescott, the SE champions, eliminated Oroville Saturday, and DeSales, which bowed to the Bulldogs in the first game of the season, eliminated Brewster.