Broncos win showdown at Schmuck

Colfax Bulldogs and the LRS Broncos lived up to advance billing in the homecoming battle Friday at Schmuck Park with four lead changes before the fourth quarter. However, the undefeated Broncos hit their steady up mode in the last 16 minutes of the game and rolled home with a 33-14 win to stay on top of the league race.

Colfax, now 2-2 slipped into a third-place tie with Davenport, a knot which will get undone Friday when the Bulldogs travel north to face the Gorillas.

Colfax sophomore Dylan Hall takes the high road with assistance from Bronco Matt Leffel Friday at Colfax. The ball flew loose on the hit, but Colfax recovered.

Davenport will host after topping Springdale 12-6 in the Friday night round.

Both coaches in the Friday collision at Colfax credited players on both teams with pulling out all the stops. Bulldog Coach Mike Morgan said two of the deciding factors were the overall size of the LRS squad and, again, the Colfax turnovers.

Two Bulldog fumbles and two Bronco interceptions, one of them for a score, took a big toll.

“We’re playing with the top teams in the division, but we just have to learn to keep a hold of the ball, Morgan said, noting loss of possession time becomes a larger factor when the competition gets tougher at playoff time.

Overall, the Broncos stacked up about 70 more total yards (260-190) than the Bulldogs Friday night, a difference which reflects their earnings from the possession time bonus.

Running back Connor O’Neill scored four of the five Bronco TDs with a big breakout in the second half. O’Neill totaled 130 yards with lightning strike gains in the third quarter when LRS took command.

Coach Morgan noted O’Neill is among a talented LRS junior class who have developed since the Bulldogs took a one-point win at Ritzville last year.

O’Neill snagged a Colfax pass and rambled 42 yards late in the first quarter to score the first Bronco TD. The Bulldogs answered with a drive that ended when Levi Hardy score with 5:57 left in half. Brady Ellis hit Cole Klaveano for a two-point conversion and the Bulldogs took their first lead at 8-7.

The Broncos took it back when QB Dylan Hartz hit O’Neill on a 30-yard pass play after the Bulldogs defense had LRS in the fourth and 10 hole.

That put the lead back on the Bronco side with 1:31 left in the half.

Colfax started the second half in pursuit with a drive that started on their 38 yard line. Kellen McNannay hit an option pass across the field to Klaveano, and the Bulldogs advanced to the one yard line but fumbled the ball on an all-or-nothing fourth down play. at the one yard line.

LRS couldn’t drive the ball back up the field, and Colfax picked up their second TD with 4:07 left in the third when QB Brady Ellis lobbed a downwind shot to Austin Getz along the Colfax sideline. Getz took it into the end zone to switch the lead back to the Bulldogs 14-13.

The Broncos then scored two quick TDs to take control. O’Neill and the LRS blockers switched into high gear with the junior back burning Colfax for 66 yards in two running plays. He landed on the one yard line and scored on a lunger for the last lead swap of the game.

Austin Getz gets a jump on Bronco Matt Fryberger for a catch and the second Colfax TD in the league battle.

Colfax started their next drive on the 29, but it quickly ended when 6-2 Tyler Frederick stretched up for a scrimmage line interception. The Broncs drove it in from the 24 with Cort Ruzicka scoring the TD at the top of the first quarter. Another point kick by Dustin North stretched the point lead to 24-14. O’Neill closed out his night with a 35 -yard TD run with 6:35 left.

Coach Morgan noted the playoff bonus on the line in Friday’s battle at Davenport will be a home game in the crossover round Nov. 2. The number-three team in the NE gets to host this year in the round which matches the top finishers from the NE and SE districts in inverse order.

The SE 2B slot finishes are entangled going into the last round with neighboring TOR as possible foe for Colfax. Morgan noted Waitsburg/Prescott, depending on its success Friday against the TCP Jaguars, could again top the SE or finish fourth.