Tekoa/Rosalia faces tough test at Lyle

Tekoa/Rosalia, which ran their league mark to 6-0 with a 62-20 win over SJEL Friday on senior night, will take a long trip to Lyle Friday to play Lyle/Wishram in a league battle.

The game will be a collision with T/R rolling on a 7-1 record with their lone loss to ACH in the third game at Rosalia.

ACH has been rated among the top two or three in the state ratings.

Lyle/Wishram will host with a 6-1 record and lately ranked at number-four in the state.

Who will win the TR-Lyle/Wishram showdown?

“It seems the Lyle/Wishram defense is just a little bit better,” said St. John/Endicott/LaCrosse Coach Rich Hallenius.

The Timberwolves also face another long trip the following week to play Yakama Tribal in a league race.

Tekoa/Rosalia 62

St. John/Endicott/ LaCrosse 20

Tekoa/Rosalia eclipsed the Eagles at Rosalia Oct. 25 as SJEL dropped to 2-6 overall, 1-5 league.

December cold in October and strep throat and injuries now close in on St. John/Endicott/LaCrosse with two games remaining in the season.

Against Tekoa/Rosalia, the Eagles’ lineup dropped to 13 players from the starting 21 in August.

“Our defense came together, young kids stepping up,” said Coach Rich Hallenius. “To at least keep it competitive. Slightly competitive.”

On offense for SJEL, Doug Stach scored a 61-yard touchdown on a quarterback draw and sophomore running back Ryan Anderson scored his first high school touchdown.

The Eagles play their last two games at home. On Friday at St. John, they meet DeSales (5-3, 4-2) for a matchup in which Hallenius said SJEL will have 10 players available.