Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Gar Pal football
Gar-Pal’s Cameron Springstead dodges past Colton’s Reece Chadwick as Travis Knauff blocks at Asotin.
Three weeks ago, Garfield-Palouse football had to win every remaining game to keep playing.
They did, beating Colton 44-6 in driving snow to force a three-way tiebreaker for the third spot in the Southeast 1B league playoffs.
On Nov. 11, lining up in Asotin for a two-12-minute halves format, the Vikings faced Colton again – after the Wildcats beat Pomeroy a half-hour earlier to advance.
This time, without weather as a factor, it was different.
In a battle, the Vikings outlasted Colton 38-26.
On Saturday, at Kettle Falls, Gar-Pal traveled to face Republic in the first round of the state 1B bracket.
They went down 50-42, to a favored team with seven of eight senior starters.
“They have a good, solid team,” said Vikings coach Will Woltering. “We had to struggle to move the ball down the field. But we played maybe, possibly our best game all year.”
Nearing halftime, Gar-Pal junior Cameron Springstead injured his shoulder and went out for the last five minutes of the second quarter.
Republic scored twice to go up 34-20.
In the fourth quarter, down two touchdowns again, Woltering hoped for the right situation at the end.
“If we could score with about a minute or so left, or less, that was our best chance,” he said. “We couldn’t stop their offense.”
As the clock came down, Gar-Pal senior Ian Niebergs caught a touchdown pass from Evan Weagraff. The score was now 50-42 Republic.
The Vikings tried the onside kick and did not get it. Republic took a knee and ran out the clock.
Weagraff led Gar-Pal with 218 yards on 30 carries and six of 11 passing for 102 yards.
Springstead ran for 110 yards on 22 carries and had an interception on defense.
“Our offense did a great job run blocking, but we struggled pass blocking,” Woltering said.
Republic quarterback Aaron Fritts threw for 241 yards and ran for 169 yards, for five touchdowns. Trevor Remien rushed for 134 yards and a touchdown.
The game concluded the careers of Gar-Pal seniors Niebergs, Wyatt Griner, Josh Blair and Michael Winslow.
Southeast 1B – District 9 Tiebreaker
Pomeroy led 14-8 when they got their second onside kick.
Colton later drove, with Carter Dahmen throwing to Grant Kinzer, who bounced off a tackler and into the endzone for 16-14 Colton with 3:51 left in the first half.
Luke Moore then delivered an onside kick recovered by Jon Bean for a first-and-10 on the Pomeroy 49.
Kinzer soon caught another Dahmen pass up the sideline to the Pomeroy 21.
Dahmen then threw to Kinzer for a five-yard touchdown. Kinzer caught the two-point conversion too, and Colton led 24-14 with 52 seconds left in the half.
Pomeroy pushed to answer in the second half.
Freshman Jace Gwinn – in at backup quarterback – ran left into open field. Luke Vining saved a touchdown with a shoestring tackle.
Soon Gwinn ran wide again, and this time, side-stepped Vining to score. Gwinn ran in the point-after and the score was 24-22 Colton.
Pomeroy’s onside kick attempt failed, recovered by Moore.
On the ensuing drive, Dahmen threw to Brady Chadwick, who took the ball 55 yards to the Pomeroy five.
Dahmen then threw to Kinzer in the corner of the endzone to push Colton’s lead to 30-22.
On the ensuing drive, the Wildcats stopped Pomeroy on a fourth-down play and got the ball back, driving until Dahmen scored on a six-yard run.
He threw to Kinzer in the corner of the endzone again for the point-after.
Colton led 40-22 with 3:45 left.
They got the ensuing onside kick to seal the game.
Garfield-Palouse vs. Colton
Gar-Pal opened with an onside kick and moved downfield. Weagraff threw to Niebergs in the corner for a 10-yard touchdown.
Colton drove to answer.
On a “reverse” pass to Chadwick, the sophomore had wide open Asotin grass, which he ran across for 52 yards to the Viking 10.
Gar-Pal pushed again, an over-the-middle catch by Wyatt Griner, who stepped out of the grasp of Vining, and to the endzone for a 63-yard touchdown.
Springstead ran in the two-point conversion, and the Vikings led 16-0.
Colton pushed to get on the board.
Dahmen took a snap and threw to eligible-receiver Luke Moore over the top for a 50-yard touchdown.
Dahmen was denied the points-after to keep the score 16-6. But a flag was down – face mask. Colton got another chance, and the Vikings denied Dahmen again.
Nearing the end of the half, on Colton’s next possession, Kinzer beat Gar-Pal’s Weagraff to the corner of the endzone for a Dahmen touchdown pass.
He threw to Chadwick for the point-after to cut the lead to 16-14.
With 1:37 left in the half, Gar-Pal started to move the ball before Colton’s Tom Wolf sacked Weagraff. On fourth-down and 11, Kinzer broke up a pass to Niebergs. Colton took the ball back with 27 seconds, and Kinzer caught a short pass and outran, out-hand checked Tanner Anderson as Springstead could not get to the corner in time to catch him.
Colton took the lead 20-16.
Anderson batted down the point-after pass attempt.
A pass and long run by Niebergs ended the half on the Colton 28-yard line.
On the first play of the second half, Weagraff took off on a quarterback keeper for a 46-yard touchdown. He ran in the PAT also for Gar-Pal to retake the lead at 24-20.
On their next drive, Springstead scored on two-yard run.
Colton then picked up to answer. Chadwick caught a pass and bounced and faked, pushed and ran for a 40-yard gain before Dahmen went twice for Kinzer in the corner of the endzone. Weaggraff guarded him both times, no sale.
On fourth-down and two on the Gar-Pal 19-yard line with 3:58 remaining, Mason Bates jumped offsides.
On first and 10 Colton and Dahmen went to the corner again. Kinzer versus Springstead and Kinzer caught it for a touchdown.
Gar-Pals’ lead was at four.
Dahmen threw incomplete on a screen pass to Chadwick on the two-point attempt.
Gar-Pal got the ball back and pushed to the Colton 25, from where Springstead scored.
With the PAT, the Vikings led 38-26 with 46 seconds left.
Dahmen rallied but Colton could not score.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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