Must win game on the horizon in Colfax this Friday

The 34-0 shutout win over rival Reardan Friday was sweet, but the celebration was short lived. The Broncos are focusing on another nemesis, defending league champion Colfax. The three teams are the class of the league this year and have created a particularly interesting scenario that makes this Friday’s battle in Colfax about as important as the state championship game.

If the Broncos win they will be the undisputed league champion. If they lose, there will be a three-way tie for first place. Reardan defeated Colfax earlier this year. According to head coach Greg Whitmore, based on the luck of the draw prior to the start of the season, that would bounce the Broncos to the No. 3 spot.

Whitmore doesn’t want to think about it. Instead he’s focused on preparing his team to defeat a perennial powerhouse and change the perception of those who think Colfax owns the league. When the Spokesman-Review dubbed Colfax the “king of the hill” among its league opponents, Whitmore cut out the sports page and hung it in the classroom where his players meet to review game film. At the very least, the Broncos intend to dethrone Colfax this Friday night, playing on the Bulldogs home turf.

“We won the first playoff game.” Whitmore said of the Reardan win. “Now we have playoff game number two. This will be the difference in sharing the league championship or winning it outright. We will have to execute well and have good special teams. It’s in our hands. We control our destiny.”

The Broncos worked hard to prepare for Reardan and to shut down their running attack. They accomplished the task, allowing Reardan just 96 yards of offense in the game.

On the other side, the Broncos produced 286 yards of offense and were very effective on special teams, enjoying good field position through much of the game.

Even so, the offense struggled to score and the team didn’t put points on the board until the second quarter when Cort Ruzicka snared a botched punt on third down from the Reardan end zone. Jarradd Morley delivered a brutal hit on a Reardan player as he tried to punt the ball on the run. The result was the kick sailed just a couple yards into Ruzicka’s hands. Dustin Norton provided the point after kick for a 7-0 lead.

Ruzicka also delivered the first score on offense for the Broncos a few minutes later when he rambled 31 yards for a touchdown. The extra point attempt was no good and the Bronocs hit the locker room with a 13-point lead.

In the third quarter Keanu Niezwaag sacked the Reardan quarterback in the end zone for a safety.

Ruzicka followed that by providing another touchdown, this time on a two-yard effort.

In the fourth quarter Connor O’Neill delivered six points on a three-yard jaunt and Norton kicked the extra point.

On defense, Tyler Frederick had a chance to celebrate when he sealed the deal with a 26-yard interception for a score.

Late in the fourth the Indians tried to score against the Broncos junior varsity players but were unable to put points on the scoreboard.

For the game quarterback Dylan Hartz completed 10 of 17 pass attempts for 93 yards with one interception.

Ruzicka rushed for 96 yards on 15 carries and O’Neill racked up 85 yards on 17 tries. O’Neill also caught three passes for 36 yards. Ruzicka snared a quartet of passes for 37 yards.

On defense, Niezwaag had 27 tackles points, recording two solo tackles, four first hits, seven assists and a sack. Morley was very aggressive during the game with two first hits, three assists, one tackle for a loss and three and a half sacks. Matt Leffel kicked in two first hits, seven assists and one sack.

“The shutout was good, we had great defense and special teams,” Whitmore said. “The kids had a great week of practice. But, we can’t look in the rearview mirror back at the Reardan game.”