Colfax boys mark season

Colfax basketball team capped off the season run with an awards banquet last Tuesday, March 1, in the high school cafeteria. Coach Reece Jenkin noted the team over the season learned how to deal with adversity and he looks forward to the future after building a foundation with some hard-fought games this year, particularly at the end of the season when the young Colfax squad was very close to a breakthrough against some veteran league foes.

After two season runs all the way to the championship game, the Bulldogs started the season with five senior graduates gone.

The Bulldogs went into an NE league campaign headed by the St. George’s Dragons who again made a run all the way to the state title game where they were stopped last week in the championship game against against Morton/White Pass.

The NE also had contenders this year in a senior packed teams from Lind/Ritzville/Sprague and Northwest Christian and an emerging hoop power from Liberty.

Colfax battled to fifth place in the NE district tournament, and spun out of the playoffs Feb. 13 in a play-in game with Asotin at Waitsburg. The Panthers, fourth place finishers in the SE league, pegged a 60-47 win over the Bulldogs in the elimination game and advanced to the long SE-NE rounds which offered slots in the state regional round.

Graduation this year is expected to take a big toll on the NE powers, especially St George’s and the LRS Broncos. That could mean more success for a now-experienced Colfax team.

Daniel Tate, a varsity reserve, and Riley Huntwork a C squad player, were at the lone seniors at the head table for last week’s banquet. Coach Jenkin credited both for their contributions to the overall campaign. Dylan Griffin, the third senior in the program, was unable to attend.

Tate was presented the Bulldogs award by the coaches. Winners of the other individual awards were selected by the team. Kasey Johnson, the lone Colfax player recognized for all-league honors, received the most valuable teammate award. Freshman Danny Robinson was named most-improved, and Mark Webber was named most inspirational. Johnson and Keith Gfeller were named co-captains for next season. Webber and Johnson are both juniors.

Also receiving varsity awards were Garret Burke, Hunter Weitze, and Brent Becker, also juniors; Gfeller Kenton Lyman and Tyler Kincaid, sophomores.

Assistant coaches Jeremy Bogle and Randy Daniels alternated award presentations. They noted players on the squads sometimes filled in for each other, depending the schedules and who was available.

Junior varsity coach Bogle presented awards to team members Caleb Brown, Jared Kneale, Tim Cornelius, Toby Warwick, and Dustin Hall.

C-squad Coach Randy Daniels presented certificates to Dylan Griffin, Logan Gingerich, Josh Geobel, Chris Aspenwall, Jon Klaveano and Riley Huntwork.

The C-squad this year topped the Colfax win-loss record with 9-3 overall.