Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
The post-Straughan era began on the fields of Colton Friday and the names Kinzer and Dahmen led to an opening-game football win over Idaho’s Salmon River – the state’s back-to-back 1A Division II champions.
Sophomore Grant Kinzer ran for 156 yards and three touchdowns in the 34-22 win while junior quarterback Carter Dahmen completed five of six passes for 74 yards and a touchdown.
Last year, Salmon River beat Colton 54-8.
This season, the Wildcats came out and scored quickly on a 48-yard pass from Dahmen to Kinzer.
After then giving up a safety on a bad snap, Salmon River drove and scored before Colton took a Savages’ onside kick and soon crossed the goal line on a 48-yard run by Kinzer.
Just before halftime, Kinzer scored again – this time going 46 yards down the sideline.
In the second half, the Savages responded, cutting the Wildcat lead to 18-16, which held into the fourth quarter.
Then Colton’s defense forced Salmon River into a fourth-and-17 from their own one-yard line.
A mishap on the ensuing punt led to the Wildcats’ next touchdown and a 26-16 lead.
Kinzer later scored Colton’s final touchdown on a 20-yard run.
Gar-Pal 48,
Wallace 24
Senior running back Cole Sanderson rushed for 133 yards and three touchdowns as the Vikings beat Wallace, Idaho, last Friday on a balanced night for new head coach Will Woltering’s team.
Gar-Pal ran for 302 yards and passed for 220 yards.
“Our kids played real well. I was real happy with them,” said Woltering. “Wallace was big and physical but we kind of wore them down.”
Vikings senior quarterback Hunter Woltering passed for two touchdowns and ran for 130 yards and a touchown as well as threw for two more.
Senior Tyler Thurman had 151 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
Wallace scored on the first play from scrimmage in the game, breaking loose on a 65-yard touchdown run. But Gar-Pal responded and the scoring went back and forth until Woltering hit Thurman for a 52-yard touchdown, putting them up 28-16.
In the second half, Gar-Pal built on their lead.
“Our offensive and defensive line just did fabulous,” said Coach Woltering, whose team gave up no sacks. Junior inside linebacker Ian Neibergs led the defense with 12 tackles.
Gar-Pal will now play at LaCrosse-Washtucna Friday night.
Northwest
Christian 62,
Tekoa-Rosalia 0
In the Tekoa-Rosalia Timberwolves football debut, they traveled to Riverside High School’s field to play Northwest Christian.
“They blew us out,” said Coach Bob Bucsko. “It would’ve been nice if when they were beating us pretty good, they called the dogs off.”
Tekoa-Rosalia racked up 100 yards in penalties and lost five fumbles.
“The kids played hard, they tried their best but we made a lot of mistakes,” Bucsko said. “We’re essentially a J.V. team trying to play varsity.”
The young team, with fourteen freshman and sophomores, lost a key junior midway through the second quarter when running back Eli Richardson went out with a concussion. He will miss this week’s game against Colfax.
“I don’t expect him back next week either,” Bucsko said.
The team now prepares to face the vaunted Bulldogs of Colfax on the hill in Rosalia.
“The kids never gave up in our first game, they’re ready to play again,” said Bucsko. “We’re just gonna try to improve this week.”
After Colfax, Tekoa-Rosalia hosts two-time defending state champion Lind-Ritzville-Sprague, followed by a road game at Reardan.
“Then we play the Seahawks,” Bucsko said.
Odessa-Harrington 60, St. John-Endicott 6
The St. John-Endicott Eagles began their 2014 season with a trip to Odessa-Harrington for a learning experience. Trailing 46-6 at halftime, the team was unable to add to a second quarter drive and 8-yard touchdown pass from Jimmy Hollingshead to Adam Blakeley.
“First game, new quarterback. He’s still trying to build that chemistry in a game situation,” said S.J.E. Coach Steve Selk.
All the while, the Odessa-Harrington squad kept opening lanes.
“They’ve got a good line and some fast running backs,” Selk said. “We just had a hard time containing them. Once we plugged the middle they’d go around the outside.”
The Eagles committed five turnovers in the game.
This Friday night S.J.E. travels to Troy, Idaho to face the state power that lost in Idaho’s 8-man championship game last year.
“I wish we were playing someone a little less intimidating,” Selk said. “But you play somebody like that, and no matter what, you’re gonna be a better team afterward for the opportunity to play against their level.”
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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