Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
Jeske paces Lancer offense
Colfax junior linebacker Tanner Senter hits Liberty running back Ashton Strobel after the Lancer evaded other Bulldog defenders.
Colfax senior running back Mason Gilchrist runs over Liberty senior Clae Holling.
SPANGLE – The Liberty Lancers leaped into the football rankings this week with a resounding 47-6 win over the Colfax Bulldogs on Friday, Sept. 17.
The Lancers (3-0) moved up to No. 3 in the state Class 2B rankings after the win. And they are tied for first place in the NE2B with Jenkins (Chewelah) and Davenport.
"I think we played the best team in the league tonight," Bulldogs Coach Mike Morgan said after the loss. "They certainly proved that."
Morgan said the Lancers have "more tools than we know what to do with."
Among those standouts is Jake Jeske, the Lancer's 5-foot-10, 190-pound quarterback.
Wearing No. 33, Jeske was the Lancers' running back last season. He didn't necessary want to be quarterback, but he took the helm of the Liberty offense and has led the scoring.
In the game against Colfax, Jeske put 16 points on the board in the first quarter alone for the Lancers.
The Bulldogs received the kickoff to open the game.
But a fumble 38 seconds into the game turned the ball over the Liberty, which marched down the field and scored five plays later.
On the Lancers' next possession, Jeske would ramble on a 75-yard QB keeper for a touchdown. He capped off the drive by scoring the 2-point coversion.
Liberty held a 14-0 lead with 6:45 left in the first quarter.
The Colfax offense would turn the ball over on downs on the next series, giving the Lancers the ball back.
This time, Jeske would race through the line for a 55-yard TD. He also added another 2-point conversion.
With 2:40 left in the first quarter, Liberty led Colfax, 22-0.
The Colfax defense would keep the Lancer offense and Jeske at bay for half of the second quarter.
But Jeske broke loose off tackle for a 15-yard score, capped by a successful PAT to take a 29-0 lead with 6:48 left in the quarter.
Colfax responded with a touchdown of its own with 4:24 left in the half; the 2-point conversion failed.
That looked like the end of the scoring in the first half.
But with just 2 seconds to go, Jeske aired out a 46-yard bomb for another touchdown. The PAT failed and the Lancers took a 35-6 lead into the break.
Jeske shared the scoring wealth in the third quarter with senior running back Ashton Strobel putting 6 points on the board on a 16-yard run.
The conversion failed, and Liberty led 41-6 at the end of the third.
Jeske would add one more TD for the Lancers on a 31-yard pass in the final quarter.
A failed PAT left the score at 47-6, which would be the final score after a failed field goal attempt.
"Jeske is a game-changer," Moregan said, noting he "certainly has the tools around him."
Morgan complimented the Liberty team, noting they "put it all together."
Individual statistics were not available from the game.
Looking ahead, the coach said the Bulldogs have a lot to work on. He also added that he saw some "good things" from his team.
"Our offense did a nice job," he said. "And our defense was in the right areas; we just need to finish."
Morgan noted that the first three weeks of the season put the Bulldogs against the best teams in the league.
"Now, we get a chance to kid of heal up," he said.
Colfax (0-3) will host Reardan (1-3) in the Bulldogs' home-opener on Friday, Sept. 23.
"Reardan is no slouch," Morgan said. "They're a good ball club and we're going to have to play really well."
Reardan is coming off a 26-0 road loss to Jenkins (Chewelah).
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Colfax High School.
After this Friday's game, the Bulldogs take on two Class 1A teams – at Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) on Sept. 30 and at home against Chelan on Oct 7.
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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