Colfax players named to All-League team

COLFAX - What was an overall down year for the Colfax Bulldogs football team still saw several players receive recognition for great performances on the season.

There were four total 2B District 7 All-League selections for the Bulldogs – two on defense, two on offense, two First-Team and two Second-Team.

Senior running back/linebacker Mason Gilchrist has received First-Team All-League honors for both sides of the ball, and his third in a row for the running back

position.

Gilchrist had several notable performances of the season for Colfax. Against Asotin, Gilchrist rushed 17 times for 151 yards and three touchdowns, good for a 8.9-yard average per carry.

In the Sept. 23 home game against Reardan, Gilchrist rushed 23 times for 167 yards, including a 99-yard touchdown run. This performance was good for a 7.3 average per carry.

These two performances came in Colfax's two wins on the season.

For his role in helping to man the front-seven of Colfax, Gilchrist received the same honors at linebacker, as well.

Gilchrist was not the only offensive and defensive player of the Bulldogs to receive honors.

Senior offensive lineman Drew VanTine received second-team All-League honors for his performance on the offensive line – helping block for the potent Colfax rushing attack that included Gilchrist as well as Tanner Senter.

Solid performances for the Bulldogs weren't limited to the offensive side of the trenches, as senior defensive lineman Jude Hahn received Second-Team All-League honors, helping mitigate the solid rushing attacks from teams like Lind-Ritzville/Sprague and Liberty (Spangle).

With all of the aforementioned All-League selections being seniors, Colfax will have a lot of upperclassmen to replace in the 2023 season.

Senter looked ready to help shoulder the usually-potent rushing attack of the Bulldogs in his time splitting reps with Gilchrist, and receiver JD Peterson made the most of his touches out of the backfield in head coach Mike Morgan's Wing-T offense.

6'9 junior tight end/defensive end JP Wigen will look to have more responsibilities on the defensive line with Hahn graduating.

Next year's league might also be more open than usual – with several notable players graduating from teams all over the league: Lind-Ritzville/Sprague quarterback Chase Galbreath and receiver Hayden Melcher, Liberty quarterback Jake Jeske and running back Ashton Strobel, just to name a few.

The quarterback position will be one that a lot of teams in the league will have to figure out heading into the 2023 season, but the Bulldogs will not have to worry about that – with junior quarterback Seth Lustig set to return under center for Colfax in 2023 for his senior season.

This will give the Bulldogs an advantage as other teams in the region will look to find their new signal callers heading into next

season.

Despite the results of the season not being what Colfax had hoped for, the running game and the defense were two highlights that the Bulldogs can build off next season.