Reardan, Colfax put 3-0s on line for homecoming

Colfax and Reardan, two NE teams that have built up steam in the first weeks of the football season, will collide Friday night at Schmuck Park Field in a game which could be a pivot point for the rest of the league campaign.

Colfax will be the homecoming host after defeating a young Liberty team 45-0 in what turned out to be a jayvee battle at Schmuck Park last Friday.

Reardan, a team which bested Colfax in the NE sampler at Ritzville Sept. 2, will arrive in town after a 46-13 non-league win over Kittitas last week. The Chiefs also have a 21-14 win over Kettle Falls in their lone league game and a 48-6 non-league win over Bridgeport.

In addition to the Liberty win last Friday, Colfax has booked wins over DeSales and Davenport. They have a 2-0 league mark.

“I think both Reardan and Colfax players are looking forward to this one, “ Coach Mike Morgan said. Both teams are off to a solid start and have to lot to gain by nailing another early league win.

“There will be no mismatches in this one,” Morgan predicted.

Reardan Coach Eric Nikkola uses a wishbone offense and a basic 5-3 defense. That set foretells a big clash for two power lines for the duration of the Friday round.

Johnny Kieffer rates as Readan’s top running back. Kieffer has a lot of power and endurance.

“He’s a player that just doesn’t stop. Our guys know who Johnny Kieffer is,” Morgan noted.

Kieffer rolled up 169 yards against Kettle in the chiefs’ lone league game.

Niko Knezovich is the other power back operating out of the Chiefs’ wishbone attack.

Reardan QB Seth Hanson returns as a junior this year after getting the call to start against the Bulldogs as a sophomore last year. Hanson hit two TD passes against Colfax in that season-opening jamboree at Ritzville.

“The amazing thing about that is that he did it with just 10 plays,” Morgan said.

Colfax varsity will go into the league clashed rested after Lberty’s visit last week boiled down to a jayvee battle.

Liberty arrived at Colfax last Friday with just 20 players on the roster. Just four of those players are seniors.

“They are not a bad team; they’re just young,” Coach Morgan said. He noted some of the Lancer seniors are turning out for football for the first time.

The Lancers this year have a new lineup of coaches with Mike Dewey, a former assistant at Rogers, in charge.

Colfax varsity stacked up 19 quick points in the first quarter against the Lancers with Alvin Li getting the first two on runs of 35 and 26 yards. Jamie Bledsoe rambled for 22 yards and a score on the next Bulldog possession, and the Colfax coaches put the tap on the reserves. The starters exited the grid with 4:11 left in the first quarter, a likely record in Colfax football lore.

Colfax added three TDs with Kellen McNannay, Brandon Arneson and Austin Corean getting credit for the scores.

The half ended at 39-0, just one point short of shifting the game clock to straight time, but Liberty steadied up against the Colfax reserves and the Bulldogs didn’t get over the 40-point gap until the last 30 seconds of the game when Dylan Heiser, a 110 freshman, snagged a cross pattern pass from Dylan Hall, also a freshman, and broke out for a 37-yard score.

Other league action saw Kettle Falls nip Davenport 13-12, and Lind/Ritzville/Sprague drop Springdale 39-6.