Bulldogs stop Lancers, 33-6

After finding themselves in a 0-6 hole at the start of Friday’s football opener on the home field against Liberty, Colfax football players took off for a string of TDs on the way to a 33-6 win over the Lancers. The Bulldogs hit on five passing plays in the offensive attack.

Second year QB Mark Webber hit sophomore Jared Kneale for three of the scores.

“They had a slow start, but once they got going they played a great game,” Coach Mike Morgan noted. In addition to finding the launch button on their air game, the Bulldogs defense put the clamps on most of the Lancers’ running game.

A new Colfax stats program faltered for the opener, but rough figures had Webber finishing with about 160 yards on 13 or 14 passes with five TDs.

Webber is the first second-year QB starter for the Bulldogs since Alex Teade keyed the Bulldogs in 2008 -10.

Kneale actually went in to the game as a sub after the team learned at mid week that senior Brian Stueckle, who had a solid start at last week’s jamboree, would have to miss the opener because of a wrist injury.

Liberty, keyed by sophomore QB Garrett Rogers, launched with a fast running game. The Lancers scored the first TD of the season with sophomore speedster Tyler Haas rolling up 45 yards to score at 6:55.

Colfax came back and took the lead in the last 30 seconds of the quarter when Webber hit Keith Gfeller in a 25-yard pass play, and Gfeller kicked the conversion point for the go-ahead score. Colfax scored one more time in the half with Webber finding Kneale on a corner shot with 3:55 left in the half.

Colfax defense, which seemed to get stingier as the game developed, stopped the next Liberty drive at the 17 yard line.

After the half-time break, the Bulldogs and Lancers waged a game of exchanges with Bo Claassen and Tyler Kincaid booking interceptions for Colfax. Webber hit Kneale for another TD shot to advance the lead to 20-6 going into the last quarter.

The longest range TD came at the start of the fourth quarter when Webber hit Bo Claassen all alone along the Lancers’ sideline. Claassen turned on his track jets and took it all the way for the score. Coach Morgan noted Claassen’s solo route was scripted two plays earlier when Assistant Coach Todd Kindly spotted Liberty’s defensive backs over-playing Colfax receivers in screen pass situations.

Last score was another Webber-Kneale shot with 1:41 left on the clock. Kenton Lyman, who took over the kicking job when Gfeller went out on injuries, hit the last point.

Coach Morgan noted the big Colfax win over Liberty was booked with possibly five of the Lancer starters out of action for a disciplinary suspension. A full bore Liberty team could have cranked it up to another level, especially after the Lancers came out burning the yards early in the first quarter.

Colfax now will travel to Rosalia for the first league match with the Timberwolves, the NE league’s newcomers. The Tekoa/Rosalia team was rocked 62-0 by the Northwest Christian Crusaders at Riverside in the league opener.

Morgan noted Rosalia state sprinter Eli Richardson was hurt in the opener and might not be able to play at running back against the Bulldogs Friday night on the Rosalia hill.

Other league action on the all-NE card saw the defending champion LRS Broncos stop Davenport 28-18, Reardan hammer newcomer Kettle Falls 33-6 and Wilbur/Creston stack up their first NE-2B win 47-12 over Springdale.