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HAWKS DEFEND NEST, MOVE TO 4-0 IN 42-22 WIN

Hawks Defend Nest, Move to 4-0 in 42-22 Win

COLVILLE SPORTS INFORMATION

Colville Football | 9/29/2022

PHOTO CREDIT: Jessica Heater

(Photo - Hunter Gleave (6) follows Kale Long (54) and Braedon Heater for a big gain in the Hawks' 42-22 victory Friday night.)

COLVILLE - A new scoreboard made its debut on the home field this past Friday night, and the Colville Crimson Hawks made sure to see that the equipment was put to the test, scoring six touchdowns en route to a 42-22 victory against Newport in week two of the Northeast A League schedule.

Colville scored on the ground, in the air and by way of interception return in improving to 4-0 on the season (2-0 NEA), continuing a redemption tour against early league opponents that humbled the program a year ago. The Grizzlies (1-1, 2-2) had their way with the Hawks in the 2021 season finale, doing anything they pleased in a 36-16 win that clinched a regional playoff berth.

Needless to say, the Colville fortunes turned with steady, hard-nosed play on the defensive end that solved the Newport offense and their flexbone triple-option attack.

“We were able to learn a lot of lessons from last year in defending the triple offense with our 3-man front. There were many that criticized us last year saying that our defense would never be able to stop this offense,” Head Coach Greg Mace said. “We had a great plan going into the game defensively for our down safeties to get hands on their wings to prevent them from blocking our playside linebackers. Our linebackers played a little closer to the line of scrimmage and we knew they would be a tough block for the offense all night.

“The speed of the offense caught us off guard a little bit in the first half, but in the second half our kids were able to execute the plan to perfection.”

Emmet Marshall continued his masterful season at middle linebacker, accounting for 14 tackles (5 solo) and was a key cog in the defense of Newport fullback Nolan Loosier. A centerpiece to the Grizzly offense, Loosier had a tougher go than he had been accustomed to in the weeks leading up to the game, a pair of contests that had seen Newport outscore their opponents (Priest River, ID and Medical Lake) 110-7.

With many of their traditional running lanes stifled, the Grizzlies took to the air and were intercepted twice, highlighted by Allan McKeraghan’s 35-yard interception return for a touchdown that staked Colville to a comfortable 28-14 lead just before halftime. Colbie McEvoy added his second interception of the season early in the second half that led to offensive points shortly thereafter.

The rout was on.

“Going into the game we knew that our linebackers must play well and tackle the belly dive all night. Emmet Marshall was able to put the clamps on that portion of the offense,” said Mace. “Allan’s pick-6 came at a very opportune time and really broke the game open. He did a great job of dropping into his zone and reading quarterback shoulders and eyes, and finishing the play.

“We have challenged our defense to score points and he did just that. We need to continue to generate turnovers on that side of the ball.”

After dealing with a back-and-forth defensive stalemate a week earlier at Riverside, the offense got on track early and stayed efficient throughout the entirety of the game. Quarterback Cale Roy continued a string of solid performances, completing 11-of-12 passes for 188 yards and three touchdown passes while running for a fourth. Complimenting Roy and the pass game was running back Hunter Gleave, who scored for a second consecutive game since his return from a pre-season biceps injury and ran for a career-high 123 yards on 18 carries.

All told, the offense churned out 354 yards on just 40 plays (8.9 average per play). Stellar numbers for a group that continues to make headway collectively each and every week.

“Coming into the game I felt that there were many opportunities in the secondary to take advantage of. We were able to do that with some timely play calls, but the thing that really set that up was our run game,” Mace explained. “Our offensive line did a great job up front of getting a push and allowing Hunter to move the ball on the ground. When you are moving the ball efficiently on the ground it sets up a lot of play action opportunities with our big-play receivers.”

McEvoy and McKeraghan continued to excel in their fourth game back together after missing their 2021 fall season with injuries. McEvoy started the scoring with a three-yard pass reception for the only touchdown of the first quarter. He added a nine-yard score in the back corner of the end zone to cap the scoring for the Hawks in the third stanza. McKeraghan reached the end zone for a second time on a 43-yard touchdown reception on a strike from Roy that came on the heels of the McEvoy interception early in the second half. All told, the duo hauled in 10 of Roy’s 11 completions for 169 yards.

“Cale played a really solid game. His decision making and accuracy has been spot on this year,” Mace said. “The thing that impresses me the most with him and his receivers is their knowledge of the game.

“When I call a play they make sight adjustments immediately based on the coverage that they see in front of them, and change their routes. A lot of times this makes me look like a good play caller, but I can tell you that they are responsible for a lot of our success in the pass game by their adjustments. The chemistry is really unique because each athlete has to see, know, and trust the same adjustment in a split second, and they do this without missing a beat.”

Gleave’s return in week three to a backfield that already included Isaiah Porter-Mills and Mason Beardsley has added power, explosiveness and most importantly depth to a stable of backs who all double as crucial pieces in the Blackshirt defense. Mace couldn’t be more happy for Gleave, who had to be patient as we waited for medical clearance to begin his 2022 season.

“Hunter was at practice every day biding his time to return. When he did he jolted life into our team,” said Mace. “He is playing like an athlete that nearly had his season taken away from him, but has been given a second chance.”

With its first 4-0 start since the 2014 season, Colville’s attention is squarely on a home game with Medical Lake (0-2, 0-4) Friday night. A showdown with Freeman looms on October 7 in Rockford, but you will not see the Hawks overlooking any opponent on the schedule.

Goal for the week? 1-0.

“This is a good football team, and we are happy, but not satisfied to be in the position we are in,” said Mace. “We are looking to focus on ourselves this week as a team and get better. We want to be as efficient as possible against Medical Lake both offensively and defensively.

“We are well aware that our schedule is a gauntlet the remainder of the way. Our kids and I are really excited to see where we stack up against not only the best in our league, but some of the best in the state moving forward.”

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Colville 42, Newport 22

Scoring Plays
First Quarter
COL - Colbie McEvoy 3 pass from Cale Roy (Johnathan Reeves kick)

Second Quarter
NEW - Carson Loosier 23 run (Ronan Sherman kick)
COL - Hunter Gleave 6 run (Reeves kick)
NEW - Sherman 37 pass from Bear Smith (Sherman kick)
COL - Roy 1 run (Reeves kick)
COL - Allan McKeraghan 35 INT return (Reeves kick)

Third Quarter
COL - McKeraghan 43 pass from Roy (Reeves kick)
COL - McEvoy 9 pass from Roy (Reeves kick)

Fourth Quarter
NEW - Brody Driver 24 run (C. Loosier run)

Individual Statistics
Rushing
Newport: Nolan Loosier 17-87, C. Loosier 11-62, Jess Johnson 6-39, Driver 3-31, Smith 4-12, Brenden Ogden 3-4
Colville: Gleave 18-123, Isaiah Porter-Mills 7-42, McKeraghan 1-3, Cale Roy 2-(minus) 2

Passing
Newport: Smith 5-9-2-81
Colville: Roy 11-12-0-188

Receiving
Newport: Sherman 3-60, C. Loosier 1-11, Ogden 1-10
Colville: McKeraghan 5-86, McEvoy 5-83, Porter-Mills 1-19
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