A rare league finish: Colfax to Kettle Falls for last round

Christopher Jones had 12 carries for 110 yards in the Bulldogs’ win over Springdale. Behind Jones are Cal Gregory, left, and Caleb Brown. Springdale’s Daniel Devora, a foreign exchange student from Spain, chases down Jones.

Colfax football players will depart early Friday afternoon for the long trip to Kettle Falls to play the last round in the NE league. The final NE games will finish out a unique league run with three teams likely tied in first place.

Asotin, Liberty and Northwest Christian figure to finish the campaign in a three-way tie with 8-1 records. Asotin last week put the three-way knot at the top of the league with a 27-14 win over Northwest Christian. The Panthers' lone loss was to Liberty, and Liberty's lone loss was to Northwest Christian.

Colfax coach Mike Morgan Tuesday said he cannot recall any high school league wrapping up with that kind of finish at the top.

The league's big three have compiled their records while having a share of the state's top five ratings for the 2B division.

Colfax, which out-lasted Springdale 28-14 in a rain and mud battle Friday at Schmuck Park, will travel to Kettle Falls with the aim of wrapping up a fourth-place finish in the league at 6-3.

Under the league's draw system, which sorted out the big three with Northwest Christian, Liberty and Asotin in the top three playoff slots, Colfax would face Asotin in the league playoff round if they can keep the fourth-place finish.

If Kettle stops Colfax, the Bulldogs will land in fifth. That will put them against Liberty in the playoff round next week.

The three winners of the league's playoffs will advance to the first round of the state playoffs next week.

Morgan, who rates a trip to Kettle at the top of his travel log, expects the K-dogs to come up with another ground grinding offense. It will be the third straight game in which Colfax will go up against a team which likes to keep the ball on the ground and chug down the field out of a double tight offensive set.

"A lot will depend on our defense and if they can stop that ground game and force Kettle to open up the field," Morgan said.

In addition to its home field advantage, Kettle will be marking senior night with a class of 14 players marking their last home game.

Kettle will host after taking out Lind/Ritzville/Sprague 33-12 last week to advance its league record to 4-4. McKay Knolton packed the ball 13 times and rolled up 169 yards in the win.

Colfax Friday battled a spirited team from Springdale which played tough all night. The Chargers arrived without a league win, but they kept chugging all night in the rain and the mud.

"They came down here to play, like they always do," Morgan commented.

Colfax ran up a 22-6 lead over the Chargers in the first half, but the Chargers booked eight points in the second half and were still seeking ball possession at the end of the game.

Morgan noted the Chargers put up the battle with 18 players in uniform. He reported after the game that he went into the Springdale locker room and congratulated the Chargers on the way they played.

Despite the rain and the mud, Colfax junior QB Caleb Brown had an 8-9 passing night for 150 yards and two TD shots. Brown also had two interceptions, with one of them off a tip by Brett Kincaid.

Morgan said he started the game with a stress on passing, but he later went to the ground game to wind down the clock.

Chris Jones led the rushing game with 12 carries for 110 yards, and Dane Hall had 10 for 82.

Springdale started with a long run by Payden Cates, but he lost possession of the ball, and the Bulldogs rattled back with Brown hitting Cal Gregory for an 84-yard scoring play.

Springdale came back with a campaign topped by a four-yard cruncher by Cates to put the score at 8-6 early in the second quarter.

Colfax added two TDs in the second frame with Hall rambling for 18 yards with 8:46 left in the half and Brown hitting Jared Kneale for a score with 4:56 left in the half.

Last score for Colfax was a 40-yard TD run by Jones at the start of the second half.

Cates scored the last TD for Springdale with a 37-yard romp, but after that the Bulldogs put their first string back on defense.

Colfax team stats: Rushing 36-214 yards; passing 8-10 150 yards; penalties 4-40; turnovers, 2 fumbles; possession time 21:31, first downs 15.

Springdale team stats: rushing 40-208 yards; passing 4-115 yards; penalties 8-40; 5 turnovers, 2 fumbles, 3 interceptions; possession time 26:29, first downs 12.

Colfax individual stats: passing-Caleb Brown 8-9 for 150 yards; rushing-Christopher Jones 12-110; Hall 10-82; Kincaid 2-18; Blake Bodey 7-6; receiving-Cal Gregory 2-121; Kneale 2-22; Hall 1-11, Jones 1 minus 4. tackles; Bodey 6, Brown 6, Kincaid, Tucker Gleason, Kneale, Jones, each 3.