Rosalia pegs big S.E. Eights hello

County 1B football: Spartans beat

St. John-Endicott, Colton

outlasts Wilbur-Creston,

Soap Lake drops L/W

Rosalia’s revived football team came rapping on the door of the SE Eights football league in a big way Friday when they stacked up a 68-16 win at St., John.

The short trip to St. John was one the first of two consecutive games the independent Spartan squad will have against SE league foes this year.

Their second league test will be this Friday when they host Touchet, one of the perennial leaders in SE Eights campaigns of the past. After the Touchet clash, the Spartans will be back on their independent slate with a short trip to EWU next week to meet up with the team from Elgin, Ore.

Rosalia’s runaway win at St. John Friday was part of a second round of early season non-leaguers for the county’s contenders in the SE Eights.

Colton traveled to Wilbur for an all-offense battle with the Wilbur/Creston Wildcats. Colton won on a point tabulation of 64-58. That’s a total of 122 points. The win advanced Colton to 2-0 in the non-league season with a long trip to Riggins to play Salmon River Friday.

LaCrosse/Washtucna took a 48-16 loss at Soap Lake, and Garfield /Palouse had a bye. The Vikings will host Genesse at Palouse Friday.

Rosalia proved up to pre-season power predictions at St. John when they scored early and often. The Spartans rolled up 48 unanswered points in the first half against the Eagles who are now 1-1 on the season.

SJE’s best chance of scoring in the first half came when Wilson Lundberg escaped on a run up the middle and went all the way to the six yard line with 6:49 left in the half. The Eagles were unable to score in four plays, and the Spartans took the ball on the one yard line with 3:46 left in the half.

Clay Shelton took it out to the 38 on a pass to Craig Nelson. Another pitch play put the Spartans five yards short of a score, and they collected the last TD of the half with 16 seconds left on the clock. A pass to Nelson ended the first half shutout.

After Shelton scored on the first drive of the game, the Spartans shut down the Eagles offense, and Nelson scored on a 50-yard run off an option pitch.

The next touchdown was called back for an illegal shift, but the Sparts collected again on a pass from Ryan Maley to Shelton for a 20-0 score with 2:07 left in the first quarter. He scored three more times in the half including one on an interception after the Eagles attempted a fourth down pass with 8:50 left in the half. Nelson finished with 12 carries for 241 yards rushing for the night.

The Eagles scored twice in the fourth quarter. QB Weston Whinery hit Matt Gonzalez for 70 yards and the first score. Winery finished with 85 yards passing.

Wade West, who booked a 17 carry, 195-yard night, scored the last TD on a 15-yard run.

The Eagles Friday will travel all the way to Northport to for a third non-league round.

L/W loses to

Soap Lake 48-14

LaCrosse/Washtucna Friday popped a 8-0 lead early in their game with Soap Lake with Erickson scoring on a 10-yard run and QB Joey Guske converting the two points on a plunger.

Host Soap Lake then took over to score the next four TDs of the first half. They added three more after the break for the 48-14 win.

The Tigercats, now 0-2, will hit the road again this week to Milton-Freewater where they will rendezvous with Wallowa, Ore.

Colton outlasts

Wilbur-Creston 64-58

It took a basketball score to decide last Friday’s football game for Colton playing at Wilbur-Creston.

The game ended when Wildcats outside linebacker/receiver Dalton Patchen intercepted a pass with no time left on the clock. On the previous play, with Wilbur-Creston on Colton’s 20-yard line, Patchen batted down another pass.

The Wildcats (2-0) scored their final go-ahead touchdown with eight minutes remaining when quarterback Jake Straughan ran 48 yards to the endzone.

Straughan finished the game 16 for 28 passing for 306 yards while Jordan Druffel had 14 carries for 78 yards. Patchen had five catches for 139 yards.

The first half momentum turned in Colton’s favor on the final play of the second quarter when Wildcats’ safety Grant Kinzer intercepted a pass and took it 100 yards for a touchdown.

Colton plays next at Salmon River Friday night in a matchup of two unbeaten teams.

T.O. J.V. loses to St. John-Endicott 42-20

The Tekoa-Oakesdale Nighthawks, playing a J.V. football schedule this year after the Tekoa-Oakesdale-Rosalia arrangement dissolved last spring, had their second game Monday night.

"Well, we got beat," said coach Ken Lindgren of the 42-20 loss to St. John-Endicott.

Sophomore receiver/kick returner Tristan Smith led T.O. with two touchdowns in the game.

The Nighthawks will play next at Oakesdale vs. Pomeroy Sept. 23. They opened their season against Pomeroy two weeks ago with a 50-0 loss.

Their following game will be against Colton’s J.V. Sept. 30.

"I’m pleased with the kids’ efforts and attitudes so far. It’s been great," said Lindgren.

It’s not certain what level or with whom the Nighthawks may play next year.

"Our goal is to get them to be varsity-ready for 2014," Lindgren said.