Broncos collect rainy win at Reardan, 27-13

The Broncos did what needed to be done to halt Reardan — they put a stop to the Indians’ running game. The result was a sweet victory, 27-13 in the Northest 2B League opener.

The win gave the Broncos a dominant placement on top of the early league standings and recognition from Spokane sports aficionados.

NWPrepsNow Power Rankings have the Broncos on top.

That’s the first time a 2B team has earned the top spot. In fact, it’s the first time any team outside of the Greater Spokane League has held the number one position.

The Broncos gave up just two big running plays to the Indians. They both resulted in touchdowns. Other than that, the Broncos were stingy on defense, allowing Reardan just 14 yards rushing in the first quarter and minus one yard in the third quarter.

“It was hard hitting,” head coach Greg Whitmore said. “We expected them to be much better than they were against a weaker team. We obviously should have put more points on the board and held them scoreless.”

Monday Whitmore said one thing that he would change: the team should have celebrated the big win more. The weather was bad, he was ill, hampering the celebration of a big league win.

“Any time you beat Reardan at Reardan, it doesn’t matter what the score is, it was a solid win and a step forward. In a lot of ways it is a really good learning tool,” Whitmore said of the game.

The Broncos put points on the board several times as quarterback Dylan Hartz threw for three touchdowns, and Connor O’Neill ran for another.

The scoring drives began with a 28-yard pass play. Hartz connected with Cort Ruzicka for the opening score. The point after kick was missed.

Jacob Saetre put more points on the board when he grabbed an 11-yard Hartz pass for a touchdown. O’Neill provided a two-point conversion giving the Broncos a 14-0 lead.

Ruzicka scored again in the first half on an 11-yard pass play from Hartz. Matt Leffel’s extra point kick was good.

Reardan put its first points on the board when Clinton Jeney scrambled 44 yards for a score after punching through the LRS defense.

The final Broncos’ score came on a 14-yard jaunt by O’Neill. The extra point attempt missed.

Reardan broke one more big play in the game when Jeney rambled 73 yards for a fourth quarter score.

“Our defense was solid, but we had some bad pursuit angles and they made a great call against us,” Whitmore said. “Reardan played us tougher than nails Friday night.”

For the game, Hartz completed 10 of 16 passes for 63 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

The ground game was led by O’Neill’s 105 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries. Hartz scrambled 10 times for 61 yards and Ruzicka delivered 46 yards on 12 carries.

Ruzicka also led the receiving corps with 63 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions.

This week the Broncos travel for a league contest with Northwest Christian.

Whitmore said he is using the week to focus on things the Broncos can do better. The Monday film session with the team centered on a variety of things that he saw in the Reardan team that LRS can improve with some adjustments.

“We’re not even watching the other team,” he said of the film session. “It’s all about us. It’s a lot about fixing the little things that we’re doing wrong. We’ve got to find a way to get better. We have to find a way to make sure the players stay hungry.”