Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
It ended last November in the scrublands of Almira/Coulee/Hartline in the first round of the state 1B playoffs.
This year, senior quarterback Parker Druffel and receiver Luke Vining, another senior, lead Colton back to football with four other returning starters and nine lettermen.
The Wildcats, who finished 7-4 in 2017, return senior Reece Chadwick at wide receiver and linebacker; junior Jon Bean at guard/linebacker; Jackson Meyer at center/defensive end, another junior, and Chris Wolf, a junior and part-time starter last year at wide receiver/safety.
The team lost three starters to graduation: Cameron Bean at linebacker/running back, Tom Wolf on the offensive and defensive line and Matt Wolf, a wide receiver and defensive back.
Looking to step in will be sophomore lineman Connor White; Trent Druffel, wide receiver/defensive end, sophomore, and freshman Jaxon Moehrle, also a lineman.
The Wildcats open the season against Sunnyside Christian Aug. 30, at Granger High School, Granger, Wash. (6 p.m.)
Quarterback Druffel, Vining and the team will look to build on last year’s record, for which Vining was a Southeast 1B All-League receiver (53 receptions, 933 yards and 11 touchdowns) and Druffel an All-League honorable mention, throwing for 2,696 yards and 34 touchdowns. He also ran for more than 1,600 yards and 29 more touchdowns on the ground.
Chadwick, an All-League linebacker, will lead the Colton defense, along with Vining at safety, and Druffel back at outside linebacker – among eight players who started at least some of the 2017 season on defense.
Teams vying for the league title this fall are expected to again be Sunnyside Christian and Garfield/Palouse, along with Colton and the return of Pomeroy, which did not field a varsity football team last year for the first time in school history.
Colton’s home opener will be Sept. 21 against Touchet at 7 p.m.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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