WP Bucks The Broncos In Snowy Battle

PASCO -- One heartbeat, one machine, one WP Cardinal Football team corralled the Lind/Ritzville Broncos, 42-7, last Saturday afternoon in Pasco.

The Broncos clock-eating offense began the game deep in its own territory. After several short gains with the run and a couple of incomplete passes, the Broncos faced a 4th and 1 situation on the Cardinals 34-yard line.

Once again, the Broncos plugged it up the middle and made the first down by inches. Cardinal Chance Leroue sparked the defense by breaking through the line on 2nd and 11 and took Bronco quarterback Tyler Greenwalt for an 8-yard loss.

The Cardinal defense held strong on 4th and 14 and the big red birds took over on downs on its own 25-yard line .

After the Broncos ate nearly eight minutes off the clock, the Cardinals offensive line finally stepped on the field. It didn't take long to show the ponies how it's done. Zach Bartlow connected with Dustin Wooderchak for 13 yards and a first down. Then it was big bad Billy Brown who took it to the house from 62 yards out. Jose Barajas extra-point attempt was good and the Cardinals were first to light the board 7-0 with 4:19 left n the first.

The Broncos were forced to punt after just three snaps and the Cardinals looked to score on them on its first snap, but Brown was stripped of the ball on the 2-yard line and the Broncos jumped on it as it rolled into the end zone.

The Broncos went to the air with a first down completion to Ryan Whitmore, but found itself sending out the defense after Cardinal Zach Bartlow intercepted a Greenwalt pass and ran it back to the Ritzville 40-yard line.

The Broncos defense saddled up and held the Cardinals for no gains and took over on downs after flushing Bartlow from his nest and taking him down at the line of scrimmage.

With 8:05 left in the half, the Broncos were near a first down on 3rd and 4, but Cardinal Justin Zuger met Bronco running back Connor O'Neill and took him for a short flight for a loss of 3 yards and the Broncos punted once again.

The Cardinals last drive of the half began on their 29- yard line. Two carries from Brown for 18 yards, a 7-yard reception from Dalton Estes, two QB keepers from Bartlow for 8 yards, and a 3-yard reception from Zuger who stiff armed his opponent for the first down yardage set the Cardinals at 1st and 10 on the Bronco 19-yard line.

With the Broncos tightly covering Wooderchak and Estes, Bartlow went with Devin Acevedo over the middle from 19 yards out. Barajas split the uprights and the Cardinals went into the locker room up 14-0 at the half.

Huge snowflakes continued to thicken as the Cardinals took the field on its own 35-yard line. A Bartlow bomb to Wooderchak for 50 yards started the second half and the beginning of the end for the Broncos. From 22 yards out, Bartlow connects with a leaping Estes in the end zone and the Cardinals extended its lead,21-0, with 9:04 left in the third.

The Broncos' next drive took it into negative yardage and another punting situation. The hard-hitting Broncos took their turn plucking some feathers and the big red Birds punted the ball for the first time.

The Broncos began its next drive on their 26-yard line. A 20-yard rush from O'Neill and an 11-yard quarterback keeper from Greenwalt put them in Cardinal territory. A 30-yard reception from Jake Dewald put them in scoring position on the Cardinal 3-yard line.

Greenwalt took the snap but couldn't get it away soon enough. Leroue charged the line and got his hands on Greenwalt and the pig skin. Bartlow snatched the ball up and had no contest running it back for another, Cardinal, touchdown. Barajas went three-for-three, and the boys of fall had a 28-0 lead with 40.5 seconds left in the third.

The Broncos began its next drive on its 30-yard line. Two complete passes to O'Neill for 53 yards put the team in Cardinal territory and a punch from 4 yards out put the Broncos on the board with 9:14 left in the game.

The Cardinals quickly answered with a quarterback keeper for 5 yards, and Acevedo reception for 7 yards, and big bad Billy Brown once again followed his blockers and skipped into the end zone untouched with 7:45 left the game. Barajas continued his perfect day and the Cardinals puffed their chests with a 35-7 lead over the Broncos.

The Broncos looked to light up the board once again, but Cardinal Sterling Eastman intercepted the ball on the Cardinal 1-yard line and saved the drive for the Cards.

The offense took the field and went right to work. Bartlow found Acevedo for a whopping 53-yard reception putting the birds in Bronco territory. Brown followed with a 17-yard carry that landed the birds on the Bronco 15-yard line. Cardinal freshman Owen Lanning took the next snap and pitched it off to James Thompkins who danced his way untouched into the end zone and the younger boys of fall lit up the varsity board in state playoff action. With 2:54 left in the game the Cardinals had the Broncos saddled, 42-7.

The win puts the Cardinals up against the Colfax Bulldogs once again in the state semi-finals bracket next Saturday at Edgar Brown stadium in Pasco. Kick-off is at 3 p.m.