Broncos roll past the Kettle Falls Bulldogs

RITZVILLE – Broncos sophomore running back Hayden Melcher was just too much for the Kettle Falls Bulldogs last Friday night, March 19, on Jimmie Snider Field.

Melcher put three touchdowns on the board for the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague/Washtucna/Kahlotus football team en route to a 32-6 victory over a Class 2B conference rival.

"He ran all over us," Kettle Falls Coach Justin Carstens said after the game.

Melcher carried the ball 15 times for 162 yards and three TDs, the most decisive score coming on a 50-yard dive up the center with 2:19 left in the third quarter.

The Broncos got on the board early with two touchdowns in the opening quarter, the first a 26-yard pass from Chase Galbreath to Cooper Miller and the second a 2-yard dive by Melcher.

That was Miller's only catch of the game.

In the second quarter, Broncos quarterback Drew Kelly threw a 20-yard TD strike to Galbreath to put the score at 20-0 going into the half.

Kelly went 5-of-10 for 107 yards and two touchdowns passing for the game. He also caught one pass for 25 yards during the game.

Galbreath completed 6-of-12 passes for 85 yards. He was also the leading receiver for the Broncos, reeling in two catches for a total of 45 yards.

It looked as though the Broncos would quickly add to the lead on their first drive of the third quarter.

But a bad snap on second and goal from the 1-yardline shifted momentum briefly as that turnover led to a 99-yard Bulldog drive, capped by a 17-yard touchdown run by Boomer Prouty, to close the margin to 20-6.

A few plays later, Melcher would answer for the Broncos.

Melcher got the call with 2:19 left in the third-quarter. On a second and 3 from the 50, he broke right off the guard, got held up at the line and almost went to the ground. But the sophomore running back used one hand to tripod back to his feet and sprint the distance for another Lind-Ritzville touchdown, setting the margin at 26-6.

Melcher would put the exclamation mark on his night with 7:09 left in the game when he scored again, this time on a 15-yard dash off the left tackle and a dive over the goal line.

In addition to his ground game, Melcher caught 2 passes for 10 yards.

Kettle Falls was unable to put more points on the board and Lind-Ritzville began rotating in younger players for experience, leaving the 32-6 tally as the final score.

"It was a tough game, a tough game for sure," Kettle Falls Coach Carstens said. "We got down early, built some momentum and then a couple plays later gave it right back on defense."

Prouty stood out for the Bulldogs, he said.

Prouty carried the ball 21 times for 128 yards and one touchdown.

"This is his second year playing football for us," the coach said. "He's a self-proclaimed baseball player. And though he still plays baseball, you can see he's a football player."

Broncos Coach Greg Whitmore called the 32-6 win a "step in the right direction for our young kids."

"We have freshmen and sophomores out there," he said.

Whitmore said the team was stronger with the return of quarterback Kelly and a "little adjustment" on defense.

"All in all, it's good to get a 32-6 win," he said.

Whitmore also credited other players on the team for a strong performance.

Some of those players included Brock Kinch, Carson Ayers and Hayden Stone.

Kinch rushed 6 times for 27 times and caught 2 passes for 21 yards. Ayers caught one pass for 35 yards and Stone, who caught 2 passes for 30 yards.

Overall, the Broncos averaged 17.5 yards per reception.

Neither Kettle Falls nor Lind-Ritzville will slow down this week.

Kettle Falls will travel to Davenport on Friday to take on the Gorillas and Lind-Ritzville heads to Asotin to play the Pirates.

Whitmore said his Broncos will be watching game films of Asotin and that he'll be coaching a little differently against the Pirates.

"We'll adjust our defense accordingly," he said.

Davenport is coming off a 13-7 loss to Columbia (Burbank) and Asotin is coming off a 20-7 loss to Liberty (Spangle).

Kickoff time Friday is 7 p.m.

Author Bio

Roger Harnack, Publisher

Roger Harnack is owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. An award-winning journalist, photographer, editor and publisher who grew up in Eastern Washington, he's one of only two Washington state journalists ever to receive the international Golden Quill for editorial/commentary writing. Roger is committed to preserving local media, and along with it, a local voice for Eastern Washington.

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