Toledo team stops Colfax in state opener

A big and experienced football team from Toledo put the clamps on Colfax Saturday at Schmuck park to come out with a 32-12 win in the first round of the state title eliminations. The win sent Toledo into this week's quarter-final round and ended the Colfax season at 7-3.

Colfax Coach Mike Morgan credited the Bulldogs with battling all the way. The Bulldogs lashed out with two passing attacks to get scores with the last drive of the season going up on the board when the outcome seemed to be decided.

The first Colfax score was on a two-minute drill at the end of the first half, and the second score came in the last quarter when Toledo had already tacked a 32-6 lead.

Toledo shut down the Colfax running game to a scant 29 yards on 20 attempts.

The late Colfax score in the first half tied the game at 6-6, and Morgan said during the halftime break the Bulldogs charted a switch to the passing game.

They finished with 157 yards passing with Layne Gingerich hitting 11 of 26 attempts. Gingerich made the hits with Toledo's front ranks, knowing Colfax had to throw, putting up a lot of pressure.

After the half, Toledo picked up two quick scores on turnovers to jump to a 20-6 lead.

"We needed a couple of breaks to get it going our way, and instead they got the breaks," Morgan commented.

Toledo booked the first score of the game early in the second quarter when QB Duke Schaplow dropped a pass to Miquel Soto along the grandstand sideline.

The play came when the playoff guests were in a 25-yard hole, and decided to launch their first pass of the game. Soto jogged 27 yards for the score.

Colfax tied it up with a frantic two-minute scramble at the end of the half when Gingerich hit Matt Hockett on an inside slant pattern. Hockett took a route up the middle, shook off a couple of tacklers and covered 17 yards for the score.

Toledo scored their second TD with 2:32 left in the third quarter on a plunge run by Schaplow.

Colfax looked like they would catch up when Gingerich hit a receiver in an inside pattern, but he dropped the ball and the Indians recovered on their 23-yard line.

The later score was added when Jesse Towns came out of the backside of midfield pileup and rambled for 77 yards to score.

One unique feature for the game was the massive pileups in the middle of the line when the two front ranks collided.

Toledo jumped the score to 26-6 on a plunger score by Davin Kingsman with 4:37 left in the game, and the Indians put the capper on the win when Soto intercepted a Colfax screen pass and went 20 yards for their last score.

That put Colfax in a 32-6 hole, but the Bulldogs didn't fold it up.

They started a passing attack with a hit to Nick Klaveano by the sideline and a shot to Gavin Hammer on a crossing pattern. The aerial charge ended with Blake Holman making a catch in the end zone for a 37-yard TD, the last on for the Colfax season.

The game ended with Toledo Coach Mike Christensen putting in a call for the Indians to intentionally take a knee and down the ball on their last possession and consume the last two minutes of game time.

Toledo's ground and pound offense netted 29:42 possession time compared to 15:55 for Colfax. That imbalance meant Colfax defense worked long shifts which eventually took a toll.

Coach Morgan said he was satisfied with what the team has accomplished this year. They topped the league for the first time since 2011, and they earned a state ticket for the first time since 2013. The team also won the state 2B academic award.

Colfax will graduate eight seniors off the team, but they will have plenty of experience when the cycle starts again next summer.

Toledo will face Napavine in a west side neighborhood quarter-final this week. Morgan noted the Bulldogs had a chance to see Napavine live at the very start of the season when they swamped Liberty in a non-league doublebill at Liberty.

Toledo 32-Colfax 12: 0/0 6/6 14/0 12/6. Colfax stats: 46 plays for 186 yards; 11-26 passing for 157 yards; 20 for 29 yards rushing: 4-45 penalties: one fumble, lost; 15:55 time of possession, 9 first downs with 6 rushing, 3 passing. Passing: Layne Gingerich 11-26 for 157 yards. Rushing: Jacob Brown 8 for 20; Gavin Hammer 7 for 3, Gingerich 3-4. Receiving: Holman 3-51, Hockett 3-35, Klaveano 2-20, Brown 1-10. Solo tackles: Hockett 11, Brown 4, Hammer 4, Anthony Becker 4, Gingerich 3. Toledo stats: 60 plays for 368 yards, 56-331 rushing; 2-4 passing for 37 yards; 7-55 penalties: 29:42 time of possession, 19 first downs with 16 rushing, 2 passing 1 one on penalty. Rushing: Davin Kingsman 22-106, Towns 3-97, Schaplow 19-58. Receiving: Soto 1-27, Carlo Arceo-Hanson 1-10; Solo tackles: Larry Demery 4, Kinssman 4, Kaden Sellards 2, Arceo-Hanson 2.