Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Colfax quarterback Damian Demler attempts to scoop up a fumble as he is pursued by Liberty defensive tackle Logan Grumbly. Colfax offensive lineman Caden Noha is in the background. The loose ball was recovered by Liberty defensive end Danner Holling for a touchdown.
JD Peterson of Colfax makes a tackle.
SPANGLE - A Colfax fumble recovered in the end zone led to the only touchdown of the night Friday, Feb. 26, as the Liberty Lancers topped the Bulldogs, 10-0, in a 2B football conference matchup.
"Both teams fought hard," Colfax Coach Mike Morgan said after the game. "I predicted Liberty would be one of the top teams with all of the seniors and juniors coming back."
"I am really proud of our kids," Liberty Coach Mike Dewey said. "It wasn't pretty. Only 10 points scored in the whole game, but we hadn't played a football game in 16 months."
The touchdown came with 2:10 left in the second quarter when the Bulldogs had the ball on their own 6-yardline.
Colfax quarterback Damien Demler fumbled a snap and the ball bounced on the slick, ice-coated turf, where Lancer senior Danner Holling raced past Demler to recover the loose ball in the end zone.
Lancer kicker Carson Fisk add the point-after, to give Liberty a 7-0 lead.
That lead would hold until the fourth quarter.
With 9:01 left in the game, the Bulldogs halted a Lancer drive on the 6-yardline. On fourth-and-goal, Liberty Coach Dewey put Fisk in for a field goal attempt at a harsh angle from the hash.
Fisk put the ball down the center of the uprights to make the score 10-0.
"Our kicker and punter was fantastic tonight," Dewey said after the game. "He really did a great job tonight."
The Bulldogs mounted two drives late in the fourth quarter to try to put some points on the board, but fell short on both efforts.
After the game, Coach Morgan told his Colfax boys he was proud of how they played.
"There was nothing wrong with your effort today," he said. "They're a good team."
Morgan said Liberty "just played a better game that we did."
He credited Bulldogs fullback/linebacker senior Jacob Brown and Lancer senior running back Hayden Hardt for having outstanding games.
He also noted that Liberty sophomore running back turned quarterback Ashton Strobel did an amazing job leading the Lancer offense to victory.
"Whoever that backup quarterback was, he did a nice job," he said.
"He ran the ball really tough," Dewey added. "He's just a sophomore. But he really stepped up and did a good job."
This Friday Liberty (1-0) has a bye while Colfax (0-1) hosts the Asotin Panthers in the Bulldogs' home-opener.
The Panthers are coming off at 14-6 road win over the Davenport Gorillas.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Box score
Colfax 0 0 0 0 0
Liberty 0 7 0 3 10
Scoring: Liberty - Holling, TD; Fisk, PAT and FG
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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