Reardan stops Bulldogs to lead NE Big B league

Reardan’s Indians came out of an NE battle with Colfax Friday with the right numbers in the right places to peg a 19-14 win over Colfax and advance to the top side of the still-new NE Big B football race.

The Indians are now tied with Lind/Ritzville/Sprague with 2-0 marks in the NE with Colfax and Springdale, Friday’s guests at Schmuck Park, in the middle ranks at 1-1.

Reardan’s win Friday marked the end of a Colfax league win string which had extended into its fifth season this year.

“It think we played a great game, and they played a great game” Bulldog Coach Mike Morgan commented. “We had the edge in most of the numbers, but we also had the most problems with turnovers.”

The turnover tally for the Bulldogs totaled six with four fumbles and two interceptions.

“Reardan also had turnovers, but we seemed to have them at the wrong times,” Morgan said.

Colfax had three chances late in the game to score and take the lead. All three were stopped with a stripped ball fumble and recovery by Reardan halting the last Bulldog threat.

“All we needed was five points; we just had to get the ball into the end zone,” Morgan commented.

In addition to the turnovers, the Bulldogs charted seven dropped passes, another deflating offset in the statistics.

“You always know Reardan is going to give you a tough ball game,” Morgan noted. “It this case they did everything they needed to do to win the ball game.”

The stats charts credited Colfax with stacking up more yards, 310 to 295. One telltale stat for the turnover factors was the Colfax possession edge: the Bulldogs had the ball for 66 plays, 19 more than the Indians.

Senior QB Brady Ellis finished with a 14-30 night for 150 yards with the two interceptions. Morgan noted two or three less pass drops by receivers could had made a big swing the pass ratio.

Colfax offense actually hit a team balance goal of 150-plus yards passing and 150-plus rushing.

Kellen McNannay, who booked a 12-88 night, scored the first TD, but Reardan came back with the first of two TD runs by Charlie Eldred and scored the conversion point to take the lead. They led 13-6 at the half and Eldred added one more on a 54-yard escape to set the frustration scene for the Bulldogs in the last quarter.

Colfax will host two tough games in the next segment of the league race with Mary Walker of Springdale booked for this Friday.

The Chargers will arrive in town with a 2-2 record after defeating the Lancers at Springdale in last week’s round. Springdale is now 1-1 tied with Colfax.

Shane O’Malley was credited with four TD runs against the Lancers last week.

“He’s was a very good football player last year, and it looks like he’s having another great year,” Morgan noted.

The Chargers under Coach Mike Edwards are known as a very hard hitting team.

Lind/Ritzville/ Sprague, hammered Davenport 34-8 in the other league game Friday. The Broncos, who are 5-0 after last week’s round, will be in Colfax next week for the homecoming battle.