State football: Newport advances to State 1A semifinal by defeating Colville
Adam Moorhead put Newport ahead for good in the fourth quarter with a 44-yard touchdown reception as the Grizzlies defeated Colville 21-7 in the State 1A quarterfinals on Friday at Gonzaga Prep.
Newport (10-1) had only one loss on the year entering Friday’s game, that being a 28-14 loss to Colville (9-2) on Sept. 29.
“Our guys did a great job,” Newport head coach Dave Pomante said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve beat Colville. I’m really proud of our kids.”
Colville took an early 7-0 lead on their first drive with a 2-yard run from quarterback John Knight, who finished with 126 passing yards.
Newport answered on its next drive with a 1-yard run from quarterback Koa Pancho.
“He’s elusive,” Pomante said of Pancho. “We knew going into it that we have something special at quarterback.”
Through the first half, the teams were knotted at 7. Both put together deep drives but couldn’t finish for points after their opening possessions.
“My concern was I felt like we played panicked in the first half,” Pomante said. “We talked about a John Wooden quote: ‘Be quick but don’t hurry.’ We don’t need to panic, we’re OK. That was the adjustment at halftime.”
The second half showcased strong defense. Both teams alternated punts until the fourth quarter when Newport capitalized on Moorhead’s big run to go up 14-7 with just more than 9 minutes left.
With less than 2 minutes left, Pancho scored on a 21-yard run to extend the lead to 21-7. The senior finished with 151 passing yards and 77 yards with two touchdowns on the ground.
The victory was sealed after Newport’s junior defensive back Tug Smith came down with an interception as the final seconds ticked away.
Newport will play the winner between Royal and Okanogan in the state semifinals next weekend. Royal and Okanogan meet on Saturday afternoon in Wenatchee
Grizzlies junior running back Danny Bradbury only has one thing on his mind.
“Just win,” he said. “I want to win.”
State 2B
Asotin 27, Davenport 12: Colton Ball ran in two touchdowns and caught another one from Josh Wilkinson and the Panthers (10-3) beat the Gorillas (9-4) in a quarterfinal at Clarkston High School. The Panthers advance to the semifinals next Saturday against the winner between DeSales and Liberty, which play Saturday night at Gonzaga Prep.
State 1B
Odessa 60, Garfield-Palouse 14: Camden Weber threw for 158 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 172 with two touchdowns and the Tigers (12-0) beat the Vikings (7-4) at Royal City to advance to the semifinals. Odessa will play Sunnyside Christian next Saturday. With the loss, the Vikings are eliminated. Colton Hunt added 161 yards on the ground with two touchdowns and Gaven Elder ran for 98 yards with two touchdowns for the Tigers.
Sunnyside Christian 62, Cusick 20: Tanner Shanholtzer threw two touchdowns, but the Panthers (9-4) lost to the Knights (13-0) in the first round at Grandview High School. The Panthers were eliminated.