Davenport offense, Reardan's Nelson stand out at jamboree

REARDAN—Football was back in jamboree form Monday, Feb. 22, as the Reardan Indians hosted the Davenport Gorillas and Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos for varsity and junior varsity jamboree-style scrimmages.

Each varsity offense played each school’s varsity defense once, with the same scenario for junior varsity. Each series ran between 8-14 plays, as officials let teams finish drives, nearly all of which intentionally started at the opponent’s 40-yard-line.

Davenport cruises on offense, looks solid on defense

Both the varsity and junior varsity Gorilla offenses managed touchdowns on each of their respective 8-to-14-play series. Back Matthew Orvis scored on a three-yard rush during a series that was highlighted by a 19-yard catch-and-run from quarterback Evan Gunning to tight end Jarrett Jacobsen that was nearly intercepted by a Reardan defender before Jacobsen ripped it away.

Gunning later kept the ball himself for a four-yard score against the LRS defense.

Back Brenick Soliday scored a 20-yard rushing touchdown and tight end Jason Schillinger caught a 15-yard score from Jacobsen for the junior varsity squad.

“I thought we did pretty well after being away for so long,” head coach Justin Young said. “I was happy with the offense.”

Davenport was solid defensively, too, with the only score allowed between varsity and J.V. being a Reardan touchdown.

Nelson stars for Reardan

Sophomore wide receiver Abe Nelson was the surprising star for Reardan, rushing for 76 yards and two touchdowns for the varsity offense. He had a 13-yard score against LRS and a 37-yard scoring scamper on fourth down against Davenport.

“He shocked me. He’s got a lot more speed than I thought he did,” head coach Eric Nikkola said. “I thought he ran the ball really well. He received good blocks on the outside from Kobe Martinez.”

Defensively, Reardan kept LRS out of the end zone in both the varsity and J.V. series, but gave up touchdowns to Davenport in both situations against the Gorillas.

“Defensively, we have a lot to work on,” Nikkola said. “We’re not taking care of our responsibilities. We’re looking into the backfield to see what the running backs are doing, rather than reading our keys.”

Jaquin Stroble scored the J.V. squad’s lone touchdown against LRs on a four-yard rush.

Young LRS squad struggles

The youthful Broncos had difficulty moving the ball and stopping their opponents. Both varsity and J.V. offenses failed to score a touchdown against either Davenport or Reardan, while both defenses allowed touchdowns in both their respective chances against the Gorillas and Indians.

“We’re really young and not used to the speed of the game,” head coach Greg Whitmore, who is coaching a team of largely sophomores, said. “We’re really tentative, and things are slow off the ball…we have to get better at the things you can’t really practice in games.”

LRS’s highlight came on a 12-yard first down run from Hayden Melcher, with a late hit penalty tacked on against Reardan. However, the Broncos were unable to capitalize on the 1st-and-goal opportunity.