Broncos tame Coyotes in non league dual, 35-14

e first half, the LRS Broncos sent the Kittitas Coyotes home with a 35-14 non-league thumping.

With 181 yards rushing and 136 yards passing, the Broncos used a variety of attacks on offense to secure the win while the team’s defense kept Kittitas out of the end zone until the third quarter.

Head coach Greg Whitmore was particularly pleased the team did a better job of hanging on to the football.

“It was a step forward. We played better than last week,” he said. “Our main goal was not to turn the ball over and we did that and executed better.”

The Broncos opened the scoring with 7:44 remaining in the first quarter when quarterback Dylan Hartz found and opening sprinted seven yards into the end zone. Dustin Norton’s kick was good for the extra point. Hartz completed 11 of 16 pass attempts for 136 yards and three touchdowns. He rushed for 16 yards on three carries and one score.

Dustin Kommes continued to provide yardage with the ground game and scored on a six-yard jaunt later in the first. Norton tacked on the point after. Kommes finished the game with 68 yards rushing on 15 carries, averaging 4.5 yards per trip.

Cort Ruzicka, returning to play following a wrist injury, scored his first touchdown of the year on a 40-yard pass play from Hartz in the second quarter. Norton was good again with the point after kick.

Ruzicka generated 58 yards rushing on 10 carries for an average of 5.8 yards per attempt. The sophmore starter also reeled in a pair of pass receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown.

“It’s nice to have Cort back. He’s just a new dimension. We have to work on his ball security but I like the things he’s done to make people miss,” Whitmore said.

After the intermission, Ryan Whitmore continued the scoring attack for the Broncos on a 5-yard pass reception, giving the Broncos a 28-0 lead after Norton delivered the extra point. Whitmore hauled in four passes for 43 yards and two scores.

Kittitas made its debut on the scoreboard with an 88-yard kickoff return by Ty Poole. A two-point conversion failed.

Whitmore scored the final touchdown of the night for the Broncos on a 33-yard pass play from Hartz. Norton delivered his fifth straight extra point of the game as the Broncos rolled to a 35-6 lead.

The Coyotes would score one more time in the final quarter against the Broncos reserves when Poole punched it in from three yards out. Joe Hignite carried in the two-point conversion to finish up the game’s scoring.

With 317 yards of total offense, the Broncos proved that they can move the ball several ways, following Whitmore’s theory last week that the running game would largely be by committee. Keanu Niezwaag contributed 29 yards rushing on two carries. Next week the roster will feature the this season’s debut of Connor O’Neill, who has sat thus far due to a nagging shoulder injury. Hugh Hennings was sidelined this week after being dinged up against Warden. Whitmore said both athletes will see playing time during the homecoming game against Tri-Cities Prep (TCP), but in a limited capacity.

“Connor will bring a whole new dimension playing wide receiver for us,” Whitmore said. “But it will not be a full dose of him this Friday night. We’ve just been taking it real slow. The same with Hugh. We need them healthy when it really counts.”

The defense did a good job of preventing Kittitas from developing a passing game. The Coyotes felt pressured on each of their four attempts. Kittitas didn’t complete a pass.

They did log 196 yards rushing on 39 carries, more yardage than Whitmore wanted to allow.

“When a team averages five yards a carry, that’s a concern,” Whitmore said. “We wanted to stop the rushing game and make them pass. We did that for the most part. We were back on our heels a little bit. We like to do that to other teams. It’s about maintaining discipline and maintaining gap control.”

Niezwaag finished with one solo tackle, seven first hits, three assists and one tackle for a loss playing middle linebacker.

Tyler Frederick delivered two tackles for a loss, two solo tackles and one first hit. Jarradd Morley sacked the quarterback, had two solo tackles, two assists and one tackle for a loss. Whitmore had a sack, a solo tackle, two first hits and three assists in the game.

Tyler Greenwalt picked up a fumble recovery and Matt Fryberger snared an interception.

This week TCP looks to make the Broncos’ homecoming a little interesting. Traditionally a passing team, Whitmore said TCP has switched to a veer offense and is anchoring its offense with the running game.

The Jaguars come into the game with a 2-1 record, losing a close battle to Tekoa-Oakesdale, 32-27. Earlier in the season they knocked off Liberty, 42-6 and Irrigon, 31-14.

“This is going to be assignment football,” Whitmore said of his defense. “We can’t lose our discipline. They are very athletic. I saw them on film and they look good. They can pass and run with an athletic quarterback and two good running backs. Our goal is to stop their run.”

This is the final non-league game of the season. Whitmore would like to have the bugs worked out by the time the game concludes.

“It’s our last tune up before they really county,” he said. “We might make a few change ups. We did last week and it helped us a bit. It’s our last chance to experiment.”

This is the homecoming game, which will include a slightly longer halftime of 20 minutes to allow for the introductions of royalty.