Reardan blows out Liberty

All summer long, the Reardan Indians had Sept. 9 circled on the calendar.

The first Northeast B-11 game. The Liberty Lancers coming to town. Quite possibly, the league title on the line.

“We thought it was the most important game of the year,” Reardan quarterback Eric Everett said. “Ever since we saw the schedule last spring, we’ve been looking toward this game. We saw them at camp this summer and they filmed us and we filmed them.

“We knew we had to be ready.”

They were, and it showed in a showery Friday night in Reardan as the Indians corralled the Lancers offense en route to a season-opening 34-0 rout.

“Our defense played exceptionally well,” said Reardan coach Erik Nikkola. “We had a lot of time to focus on them and what they do. We knew they had exceptional athletes and we had to keep our focus on them and not let them get loose.”

They didn’t. After a scoreless first quarter, the Lancers had 11 total yards. At the half, the total was 48 yards and Reardan led 15-0. As the third quarter ended, with the Indians in the midst of a game-clinching, 61-yard drive that would make it 28-0, the Lancers had 47 totals yards.

In six plays from scrimmage and a kickoff return in the third quarter, Liberty had minus-1 yard in offense and two turnovers.

The Reardan defense even scored when Jake Ferderer grabbed an errant Liberty pass and returned it 10 yards for a 22-0 lead.

“We put in a lot of work in the off-season, because how we finished last year (a 34-7 state quarterfinal loss to Wahkiakum) left a sour taste in our mouth,” said senior lineman Joel Zwainz.

That work paid off, at least for Zwainz and fellow senior lineman Austin Garner, who cleared the way all night when the Indians needed yardage.

“We ran behind our two seniors a lot,” Nikkola said. “And we would put our big back (Bob Christerson) behind them to open the holes. Bob will get a lot of yardage this year, but tonight we asked him to block and he did it exceptionally well.”

The recipient was usually Everett, who carried 12 times for 102 yards, including a 55-yard run in which he tried to hand the ball to Christerson, saw he was getting tackled, kept it and ran the other way untouched to the end zone.

“He makes us go,” Nikkola said of the former running back turned quarterback. “Without him, and a few others, we would be just a mediocre team.”

Everett also passed for 93 yards (hitting 8 of 15) and a 5-yard score to Brad Alberts, along with running for another score on an option. Everett’s younger brother, Nick, added the final tally on a 17-yard run late when both teams were playing the backups.

“All summer long, when we would lift and run, we would look to this game,” the elder Everett said. “We wanted to start the year right.”

In other Northeast B-11 openers, defending State B-11 champion Lind-Ritzville began its title defense with a 39-19 victory at Republic. Nick Ashley led the Broncos with 223 rushing yards on 22 carries and four touchdowns. Todd Orestad led the Tigers (0-1) with 115 yards and two touchdowns on just five carries. … Drake Costlow was 10 of 13 for 176 yards and three touchdowns as Odessa defeated Springdale 32-6. Logan Luiten had 101 receiving yards and a score and added a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown, and Travis Todd had 81 receiving yards and two touchdowns to go with 11 tackles on defense. … Derek MacArthur ran for 159 yards, Clint March added 83 and each scored twice to lead Selkirk (1-0) over Wilbur-Creston 36-18. Joel Sherwood scored twice for the Wildcats (1-1).

Non-league

LaCrosse-Washtucna tied the State B record with its 37th consecutive victory in a 60-12 rout of Mohawk (Ore.) at Burbank.

Jared Ayers-Stamper was sharp in his second game at quarterback for the Tigercats (2-0), throwing for 240 yards and three touchdowns on 10-of-13 passing. Ayers-Stamper’s favorite target was Matt Martin, who caught five passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns. He also added a 32-yard touchdown run.

Tyler Martin led L-W on the ground, running the ball 21 times for 210 yards and four touchdowns, the last of which ended the game by 45-point mercy rule in the third quarter.

The Tigercats tied the State B record set by St. John from 1965-69. Their last loss was to Inchelium in the 2001 State B-8 semifinals.

In other 8-man action, Bill Clayton and Evan Martin each ran for two touchdowns, and Clayton added 210 yards on the ground as Clark Fork defeated Cusick 34-14 at Clark Fork. Miles Keogh and Brandt Ellingburg scored for the Panthers (0-2). … Kendrick scored 38 first-half points en route to a 50-12 victory over B-8 independent Garfield-Palouse at Palouse. … Jubilee Christian Academy defeated Inchelium 34-14 on JCA’s field near Prescott.

•Michael Wittwer made up for 100 yards in Freeman penalties with 200 rushing yards and the game’s lone touchdown as host Freeman opened its season by defeating Deer Park 10-0.

After Andrew Wilkerson hit a 44-yard field goal in the first quarter to open the scoring, Wittwer scored on a 4-yard run in the second.

The Scotties’ defense took over from there, holding the Stags (0-2) to just 67 total yards.

In other 11-man action, Chance Hargrove connected with Thomas Garcia for a 51-yard touchdown pass to lead Newport over Priest River 14-9. Garcia also scored on a 4-yard run for the Grizzlies (1-0). … Tony Smith ran for 96 yards and two touchdowns and later ran an 85-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown as Lakeside (Nine Mile Falls) scored 46 unanswered points in a 46-12 home victory over Kellogg. Travis Corigliano threw for 78 yards and three touchdowns for the Eagles (1-1), who held the Wildcats (1-2) to 6 yards of offense in the first quarter. … Clayton Becker ran for 181 yards and three of Chewelah’s four touchdowns in a 26-14 win at Timberlake. Nick Puckett scored on a 56-yard run and a 37-yard pass from Levi Powers for Timberlake (1-2). Cameron Stroyan sealed the victory with a 2-yard run for the Cougars (1-1). … Adam Anderson ran for 132 yards and added a 98-yard kick return for a second touchdown as Riverside defeated host Colfax 25-13. Tyler Bland returned an interception for a touchdown for the Rams (1-0), and the Bulldogs (0-1) threw two interceptions in the red zone. … Lakeland rebounded from a loss to Bonners Ferry by defeating host Colville 34-20. … J.T. Levenseller threw for touchdowns of 50, 78 and 69 yards as Pullman blew out La Grande (Ore.) 35-0 in Pullman. Aaron Pflugrad led the Greyhounds (2-0) with 152 receiving yards and two touchdowns, followed by Ashton Gant with 82 yards and a score. … Quincy pounded Medical Lake for 352 rushing yards on their way to a 21-18 victory in Quincy. Zac Bishop led the Jackrabbits with 118 yards and two touchdowns. Jared Wilke completed 13 of 16 passes for 126 yards and two touchdowns and added a third touchdown on a 33-yard run for the Cardinals (0-2), but Medical Lake had an extra point blocked and failed on a pair of two-point conversions. … Jeremy Nichols‘ 70-yard kick return touchdown was one of the few bright spots for Waitsburg as it lost 39-20 to Elgin (Ore.) at Waitsburg. … Dayton traveled to Grangeville and came away with a 20-6 victory. … Asotin became the second victim of Orofino’s juggernaut offense, as the Panthers fell to the Maniacs 61-0 at Orofino. The Maniacs have outscored their opponents 125-0 in the last two weeks.

Big Nine Conference

Southridge defeated Pasco 27-20 in a Big Nine Conference showdown that matched up Washington’s top two ranked 4A teams. Southridge, coached by Andy Troxel, brother of Lake City coach Van Troxel, was ranked second going into the game.

Inland Empire League

Kyle Ferebee ran for 183 yards and three touchdowns as Lake City defeated Post Falls 36-20 in an Inland Empire League opener in Coeur d’Alene. LC finished with 391 yards rushing. Brandon Hanna added 119 yards on 11 carries and Garren Hammons chipped in 78 yards on 11 carries.

In the other opener, Alex Reyes stepped in for injured running back Kevin Ah-Hi and ran for 92 yards and a touchdown to help lead Coeur d’Alene to a 35-27 win at Sandpoint.