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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Columbia displays complete package


Hunters defender Nick Kegel, left, looks up to make sure Sprague-Harrington's Josh Adams falls.
 (Christopher Anderson/ / The Spokesman-Review)
J.D. Larson Correspondent

In recent state tournament runs, a grounded passing game derailed Columbia-Hunters’ hopes.

With more than 200 yards and four touchdowns through the air in a 42-8 stomping of Sprague-Harrington as an indicator, this Lions team should be ready to play long into November.

Nick Kegel completed 10 of 14 passes for 208 yards, as No. 4 Columbia (3-1, 1-0) pulled a moderate upset on No. 3 Sprague-Harrington’s field. The Lions scored 36 unanswered points from late in the first quarter on to establish themselves as the Northeast B-8’s elite squad.

“We’ve been waiting for this for a month,” Columbia coach Chuck Wyborney said. “We knew this is the one we had to win to get the best possible playoff bracket.”

Lions running back Miles St. John pounded the Falcons (3-1, 1-1) off tackle, rushing 25 times for 100 yards, and setting up shots downfield to Columbia receivers.

“We’ve been one-dimensional so many years,” Wyborney said. “Now, we’ve got two good receivers, both backs can catch the ball and Kegel had a great game.”

It didn’t hurt that Kegel had 6-4 junior Tyrel Sampson as a target.

Sampson consistently beat the Falcons defenders, catching four passes for 117 yards. Tyson Dashiell caught three balls for 52 yards before leaving in the fourth quarter with a leg injury.

“They whipped us in every phase of the game,” Sprague-Harrington coach Darin Reppe said. “Kegel’s a terrific athlete, he throws a nice ball, and they’ve got terrific receivers with great hands.”

The Falcons couldn’t get their standout back, Josh Adams, out of first gear thanks to a swarming Lions defense.

Adams, with 12 touchdowns in three Falcons wins, carried 15 times for 41 yards. Columbia dominated the point of attack, forcing the 175-pound senior to run sideline-to-sideline instead of north and south.

“We prepared all week knowing Adams was their go-to-guy,” said St. John, also a middle linebacker. “We practiced to contain him. He usually goes in 70-yard bursts.”

Adams’ longest carry was his first, a 10-yarder.

The Falcons capped their first drive with a 12-yard run by Lee Talkington on a pitch, and converted the two-pointer for an 8-6 lead. Talkington finished with seven carries for 82 yards, and the Falcons’ only pass reception.

The Lions wasted no time responding, starting a trend through the air when every Falcons defender bit on a Kegel play fake, and the 6-2 senior found Sampson behind the defense for a 52-yard strike to end the first quarter.

Columbia’s next possession yielded similar results when Kegel bootlegged left and hit fullback Mitchel Hammond for an 18-yard touchdown.

Kegel had 147 first-half passing yards, and also finished the game with 73 yards on five carries, including a late 32-yard touchdown run on a naked bootleg where he could have tap-danced into the end zone.

Sprague-Harrington never mounted much of a second-half challenge. The Falcons fumbled twice, turned the ball over on downs and had a pass intercepted by Kegel on their first four possessions.

Kegel put the nail in the coffin when, while rolling right, he threw back left to find Dashiell alone for a 12-yard touchdown and a 28-8 lead.

The Lions piled up 423 yards of offense, compared to only 127 for Sprague-Harrington, 30 in the second half.

With the win, Columbia holds the advantage in the Northeast B-8, setting itself up with a more favorable first-round playoff matchup.

In 2003, Columbia fell 44-0 to eventual state champion LaCrosse-Washtucna in the state quarterfinals. In 2002, L-W foiled the Lions in the semis with a 42-24 win.

The Lions’ only loss this season was a last-second 40-36 defeat to No. 2 Clallam Bay.

“We’ve had a couple great weeks since that game,” Wyborney said. “This team has become really united. They’re becoming a team like we haven’t had.”

“We were hoping to come in and play like this,” Lions lineman Jacob Turner said.