Broncos trample Kittitas, for 36-13 road trip win

The Broncos scored four times before Kittitas was able to find its own end zone on Friday night. Producing a steady offensive attack, Lind-Ritzville/Sprague earned its second win of the season, 36-13, wrapping up non-league play and preparing for this week’s start of conference play against Mary Walker.

Head coach Greg Whitmore said Kittitas was outmatched Friday, despite having a reputation for having a potent offense and punishing defense. The Broncos didn’t allow a touchdown until the fourth quarter, after the coaches had pulled their varsity players.

“History has shown that Kittitas is a tough place to play,” Whitmore said. “And they were coming off a big win. It was really windy and it was noticeably different when you had the wind at your back. We should have put more points on the board in the first half.”

Chris Steinmetz continued to produce positive yards and offense for the Broncos and scored on a three-yard run in the first half. Ryan Whitmore made the two-point conversion on a pass from Dylan Hartz.

Steinmetz scored again in the second quarter on a seven-yard effort. Brent Stromberger delivered the point after kick.

In the third quarter Connor O’Neill proved effective as part of the ground game, scoring a touchdown on a six-yard jaunt. The extra point kick was no good.

Whitmore help the scoring cause with two points when he sacked the Kittitas quarterback in the end zone for a safety.

Steinmetz then put on a quick show at receiver, hauling in a 27-yard pass from Hartz for a touchdown.

Whitmore scored the last touchdown of the night for the Broncos on a 20-yard pass connection with Hartz in the fourth quarter. Stromberger’s extra point attempt was good.

Hartz finished the night completing 12 of 21 pass attempts for 125 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

On the ground, Steinmetz tallied 159 yards rushing on 21 carries with two scores.

O’Neill finished with 44 yards on seven carries with one score.

Cort Ruzicka rushed for 27 yards on four carries and Dustin Kommes had 21 yards on five carries.

The Broncos had no fumbles during the game which made Whitmore happy.

“And, our offensive line did a good job. We had a couple of long runs called back due to penalties,” Whitmore said.

Looking at the games ahead, Whitmore said the Broncos still have work to do.

“We have to be more physical,” he said. “we created some holes for Chris, but a lot of time we were staying low and not driving out.”

Mary Walker is a pesky opponent and the Broncos have always had difficult times against them in the first quarter when they travel to Springdale. Hosting the game, Whitmore hopes it will help the Broncos stay focused and ready to play from the start.

“They play hard and if you’re not ready, they can put you on the defensive,” Whitmore said. “If you let them stay in the game, they can be tough to beat. Kittitas was a good game for us. The kids were prepared well for it. But we have to get better during the next few weeks before we have Reardan and Colfax on the road.”