How low can you go?

There were several games played this past weekend that provided defining moments for area teams. The Broncos rallied in Colfax Friday night to garner another League Championship. This was accomplished with several starters participating at the FFA national competition.

So it took a few backups to fill those spots and it was no easy task against a determined Bulldog eleven. But getting important playing time during several varsity games as well as JV competition helped the Broncos earn their third consecutive league championship.

Congratulations Broncos!

I was at the EWU Eagle game on Saturday and for the third consecutive game the boys from Cheney were playing without All-American QB Vernon Adams. Backup Jordan West had a bounce back game to lead Eastern to a relatively easy 51-3 shellacking of the University of North Dakota. UND was using a third string QB which made things a bit difficult for the team formerly known as the Fighting Sioux.

The Eagle fans around me got a lot of high fives in on this day. I’m glad I wore gloves!

A week before the Eagles dropped a close encounter to Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks rallied late to knock off Eastern. It wasn’t easy to watch from home and I may have used a couple of disparaging words. We can all coach from the comforts of home or even from the bleachers but what matters is what is called on the field.

Late in the fourth quarter, Coach Beau Baldwin decided to go for it on 4th down and three deep in Lumberjack territory. The options were to kick a field goal; run for it or pass. After a timeout the Eagles called for a pass and QB West unloaded it a bit early. The pass fell incomplete and NAU drove about 75 yards in less than a minute without any timeouts to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

It was a real kick in the stomach for us Eagle fans. I was interested in what Coach Baldwin would say about the loss and just as I thought he would do he took the blame for the loss. The loss still hurts, but imagine him telling those kids in that locker room that the loss was on him not them. Baldwin is a stand-up guy and this past weekend’s dismantling of NoDak showed the resiliency of this team. Any win in league is huge especially the ones played on home turf.

Part way through the second quarter the announcer gave a football score update. This is unusual at an Eastern game unless one of the Montana schools is getting upset. But this was a score from the WSU-USC game. Along with it the announcer stated that WSU QB Connor Halliday had suffered a season ending injury.

You could hear a collective groan from the Eastern fans. There are a few former high school teammates on the Eagle squad along with a WSU transfer. There are also many Spokane area fans who are also WSU fans and I think we all felt for Halliday.

The former Ferris High School star is a tough kid who took a lot of hits during his four years as a Cougar QB. Hopefully Halliday will have a successful recovery and a career as an NFL QB. It will be a tough go but the kid seems to be very determined and focused which will be necessary to compete at the next level.

Finally the Seattle Seahawks nearly squandered a three touchdown halftime lead to defeat the Oakland Raiders 30-24.

Because of injuries the Hawks are playing with some new people in some difficult positions. Passing was at times difficult and defending the pass was at times a problem. But in the NFL a win is all you really care about. Last year Seattle beat Tampa Bay and Houston in come from behind fashion.

This year Seattle has a big target on its back and as fans we can’t understand why these games aren’t blowouts. But that isn’t how the NFL works?

Teams want to knock off number one and as defending Super Bowl champs Seattle is going to take the best from every team on the schedule. This week several starters will return which will definitely help.

For all of our area teams we have seen many backups and role players getting significant playing time. Having to go fairly low on the depth chart can be a reality check. When a victory can be secured it often means that there is enough depth to overcome injury or player absences.

If not, it is pretty tough for the regular fan to get over.