Colfax Endures Year Of Adversity

Doug Curtis has never seen such a string of misfortune during his 18 years at Colfax.

That still translates into a 2-0 league record.

Whether Colfax improves to 3-0 in the Northeast A will be determined Friday night against visiting Lakeside, also 2-0 in league.

Curtis is spinning a tale of David vs. Goliath. Listening to him, one can see why.

With the smallest enrollment in the NEA, Colfax always plays a numbers game. This year, however, was more severe. Even before the season began, Curtis lost nine players he thought would be on his roster.

Three didn’t turn out. One transferred to Liberty. Two moved away when their parents divorced.

Those were the easy ones to take.

Fullback/linebacker Glenn Sampson stepped in a hole at work and tore up his knee. Curtis can swallow that injury because Sampson may return by Oct. 21.

Tight end/defensive back Ryan Van Dyke, who broke his leg playing baseball, won’t return to the huddle. But even his injury, which may heal in time for basketball, seems fair in the large picture.

What happened to linebacker Jesse Persons doesn’t. Seven days before the first football practice, Persons, student-body president and an outstanding student, was paralyzed below the waist in a farming accident.

“He’s still one of the captains,” Curtis said. “He goes to school every day and we still look at him as part of the team.”

Numbers-challenged Colfax has used its speed to win both league games. A win Friday would give the Bulldogs inside position to one of the NEA’s two postseason berths.

Lakeside enters with one major concern. Senior George Petticrew, the Eagles’ first-team quarterback, broke his throwing hand last Friday on the second play of the game against Newport.

Petticrew suffered the break by landing on his facemask while being brought down. He is expected to wear a cast for four weeks and will miss the key Oct. 25 NEA game against Chewelah, ranked fourth in one state poll.

Charging back

Springdale coach Kevin Jacka said the Chargers shouldn’t have to forfeit more football games.

Limited to 13 players, Springdale forfeited last Friday’s Northeast B-11 game against top-ranked Davenport. Five Chargers were sidelined because of injuries, but four could return for Friday’s nonleague game against Sprague-Harrington.

Two of the injuries occurred Sept. 27 during an emotional league game at Republic. Twins Danny and Denny Hargrave, both running backs and linebackers, transferred this year from Springdale to Republic, ranked as high as third in one state poll.

Chargers senior RB/LB Jasent Stricker appears to have the worst injury. His shoulder separation may be season-ending.

Davenport (4-0) could have used a good game against Springdale to prepare for the next three weeks.

The Gorillas travel to Ritzville on Friday, host Republic on Oct. 18, then drive 12 miles east on Highway 2 for an Oct. 25 meeting with Reardan.

Republic and Reardan are 4-0 heading into this weekend. Ritzville (3-1) had a unblemished record until it played Reardan last Friday.

“There were some kids who were helped by the rest … but most everybody would have rather had a game,” Davenport coach Skip Pauls said of the Springdale forfeit.

Gorillas running backs Josh FitzPatrick and Travis Telecky - both 1,000-yard runners last year - have compiled relatively small numbers this fall because they’ve carried the ball just 10-12 times per game.

That should change with the Big Three coming up. Pauls, in his 13th year at Davenport, has never won at Ritzville.

Notable

Top-ranked Curtis, the defending AAA champion, was down 11 at halftime before rallying to defeat Kent-Meridian 50-40. … Luke Huard, brother of recent UW quarterback Damon and current Husky phenom Brock, has thrown for 751 yards and seven touchdowns to help guide Puyallup to a 4-0 start. It’s not surprising the 6-foot-4, 212-pound junior already is being bombarded by recruiters. … Gig Harbor’s Sam Baurichter became the state’s third quarterback this season to throw for at least seven touchdowns in a game, burning North Mason in a 46-17 win last weekend. … Drew Miller, who threw for eight TDs in Lakes’ season opener, threw six more touchdown passes in a 65-42 loss to Enumclaw last week. Miller has passed Mark Rypien as the state’s AAA career passing leader in yards and completions. Rypien had 6,460 yards and 423 completions. … The Newberry’s Washington Prep Football Report player of the week is Carl Haberberger of Cascade Leavenworth. In a 61-6 win over Tonasket, Harberger scored seven touchdowns. Sounds like a run-it-up situation but the 5-8, 170-pound senior only carried the ball six times for 116 yards. He also had an 84-yard kickoff return and a 102-yard interception return. … Marques Tuiasosopo of Woodinville, considered one of the top recruits in the state, ran for 95 yards and five touchdowns and passed for 166 yards and a score in a 49-26 win over Eastlake. The 6-2, 198-pounder also recovered two fumbles. … A crowd of 2,700 watched Kamiakin win 21-17 at Walla Walla in a Big Nine showdown two weeks ago. The Braves won by scoring on the first play after the Blue Devils went up 17-14 with 6:19 to play.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: SEB-11 STARTS LEAGUE PLAY The Southeast B-11, traditionally the last in the area to begin league play, starts its five-game schedule with three games Friday. Defending champion Tekoa-Oakesdale (1-3) ended non-league play with the worst record among six SEB-11 teams. Half of the teams - DeSales (4-0), Asotin (3-0) and Waitsburg (3-0) - are undefeated, and Garfield-Palouse is 3-1. Friday night’s games, all at 7, are DeSales at Pomeroy, T-O at Asotin and Waitsburg vs. Gar-Pal at Palouse.