WP’s Ready For Broncos

WAITSBURG -- When the Cardinals meet the Broncos in the quarterfinals this weekend, one observer may have a bit of a deja vu.

Dean Bickelhaupt, head coach for the Dayton Bulldogs whose season just ended, will be there, burning with curiosity to see if WP can do what his team couldn't: beat the tough scrappy team from Lind-Ritzville-Sprague that suffered only a single onepoint loss (14-13) against the dreaded Bulldogs from Colfax who denied WP a state championship last year.

"It will be a good game," said Bickelhaupt, whose team was knocked out of the playoffs by the Broncos, 12-0, on Nov. 4. "They played us pretty tough. They got us at every angle."

In some ways, it's also a deja vu for undefeated Cardinals head coach Jeff Bartlow and his son Zach Bartlow, the team's quarterback, who were in the quarterfinals before, a year ago, albeit against a different team.

"We're back in it," the elder Bartlow said. "The kids are excited. The chemistry (of the team) is really good and they're confident."

Just ask the younger Bartlow.

"They're beatable," the senior said about the Broncos. "I think we have a pretty good shot at it."

Coach Bartlow traveled to Central Ferry this weekend to meet Broncos head coach Greg Whitmore and exchange game tapes to study for the upcoming clash of the titans, who are among the last eight teams left standing in the division. So far, the Cardinals coach is impressed.

"They're physical, they have a good coach, they have a great tradition and they have a good scheme," he said.

The Broncos have an asset in sophomore quarterback Dylan Hartz, who, at 6 feet and 162 pounds, is an effective passer and scrambler like Zach Bartlow. With eight seniors, the Broncos have as many veterans on its team as the Cardinals.

With an offensive line that's "as good as we've seen this year," the Broncos can bring a ground and air assault to bear on the Cardinals that can pose a serious threat, coach Bartlow said.

"They're going to give us everything," he said of the Broncos. "This a whole other level of competition."

And that exactly the kind of test the Cardinals need and want if they're going to go deeper into the playoffs, possibly against the likes of Colfax again.

The red birds are ready.

Among the Cardinals' assets are the Zach Bartlow- Billy Brown wrecking crew, the quarterback-running back duo that packs a punch as productive as last year's Zach Bartlow-Kris Cady combo.

Brown has about the same running yardage (over 1,000) as Cady did by this time in the season last year.

Bartlow, known as a deft running quarterback, has even more. Add to that the wide receivers Justin Zuger, Dustin Wooderchak and Devon Acevedo for the air campaign and the team can reach for any play in the book to reach the end zone.

Plus there have been virtually no injuries this year.

If the Cardinals can rattle the young Hartz a few times, it's possible for WP to gain the upper hand, particularly since Bartlow's players are more explosive on offense.

Though reluctant to bet on the outcome, Bulldogs coach Dean Bickelhaupt agrees the Cardinals can get past the Broncos.

"If the Cardinals can pass the ball on them, it could open it up," he said. "I think it will be a good game."