O’Neill, Ruzicka lead LRS to 33-14 rout of Bulldogs

The Broncos are the undisputed champions of the league and remain undefeated going into their final regular season game of the year this week against Liberty. This will be senior night for the Broncos. A win would result in a perfect season for the Broncos (7-0) with an unblemished record.

The win over Colfax also cements the first round of playoffs for the Broncos. In the district crossover game, the Northeast District 7 Broncos will host Southeast District 9 Asotin, who comes in as the No. 5 seed from that district.

Additionally, the tournament bracket that paves the way to the WIAA 2B State Championship game has been firmed up for the most part, and could lead to an exciting match up two weeks from now. Assuming the Broncos defeat Asotin, they will find themselves facing the winner of Tekoa-Oakesdale/Rosalia versus Colfax.

For now, head coach Greg Whitmore is focused on doing well in the final game of the regular season. He wants the Broncos to stay on the throttle, come out strong and not make mistakes. Momentum will be important as they enter the playoffs.

The Broncos will be without Connor O’Neill, Bridger Smith and Scott Diefenbach this week. All three are attending the National FFA Convention.

“I’ve been in enough of these kinds of games to know it probably won’t come easy,” Whitmore said of the upcoming game against an outmanned Liberty squad. He expects them to pull out all the stops.

Colfax did the same thing. On a windy night in Colfax, the Broncos sputtered a bit in the first quarter before finally scoring on a 38-yard interception by O’Neill. Dustin Norton’s point after attempt was good.

In the second quarter, the Bulldogs answered with a four-yard run for the touchdown followed by a successful two-point conversion to take an 8-7 lead.

O’Neill returned the scoring edge to the Broncos before the end of the first half on a 37-yard pass from Dylan Hartz.

In the third quarter, Colfax answered again with six points on a 36-yard pass play.

After that, with the help of some Colfax mistakes, the Broncos went on a roll. Cort Ruzicka scored on a one yard run, followed by his second touchdown of the night on a two-yard effort.

O’Neill put the cap on the night with a 30-yard run for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.

“Physically and defensively they took it to us,” Whitmore said. “They had their backs against the wall and wind was definitely a factor.”

It was a big night for Whitmore and the team and he acknowledged that with the team, after the game.

“I told them thank you,” he said. “This is my first league championship. I thanked them for playing for each other.”

The offense generated 301 yards of offense on the ground and in the air. Hartz was five of 11 attempts for 80 yards passing.

O’Neill rushed for 163 yards on 20 carries. Ruzicka delivered 53 yards on 10 carries.

O’Neill also caught two passes for 52 yards. Tyler Greenwalt caught one pass for 23 yards.

The team defense was spread out during the battle. Matt Leffel and Hartz each recovered fumbles. Tyler Frederick and O’Neill each had interceptions.

Ruzicka led the team in tackle points with four solo tackles, two first hits, one assist and one tackle for a loss. Frederick had five first hits, four assists and one tackle for a loss. Hartz provided three solo tackles, one first hit and two assists. Jarradd Morley had one solo tackle, two first hits, two assists and a sack.