Colville rallies for school’s first semifinal berth
MOSES LAKE – Colville used a masterful second half to beat perennial power Royal 28-10 in a State 1A quarterfinal Saturday at Lions Field.
The Indians will play 10th-ranked Cascade of Leavenworth in the semifinals Friday or Saturday at a time and place to be determined.
Saturday’s result – which sent the second-ranked Indians (11-0) to their first state semifinal in program history – was as vindicating as the adjustments it required and the character it revealed.
“They have all the tools to win it,” said Royal head coach Wiley Allred, who has won four state championships with the Knights.
In the locker room at halftime, down 10-6 and freshly removed from a pair of botched scoring opportunities deep in Royal territory, the Indians were nonplussed.
“We went in and kind of talked,” senior Colton Vining said. “We were getting it done. We just weren’t finishing.”
Vining had staked the Indians to a dream start, ripping through Royal’s front seven for a 66-yard run on the first play of the game, which set up Justin Dragovich’s 1-yard touchdown run. But the fifth-ranked Knights (10-2) answered with a 10-play scoring drive to seize a 7-6 lead.
On a drive that bridged the first and second quarters, Colville marched to the Royal 13 when Dragovich fumbled at the 2-yard line and sent the ball skipping into the end zone. Royal’s Justin Jenks recovered for a touchback.
Colville forced a punt and went back to work. But on fourth-and-goal from the 9, Royal’s Jose Ponce tackled Indians receiver Tyler Ward inches short of the goal line.
Royal drove into Colville territory to set up Cesar Bernal’s 35-yard field goal at the halftime horn.
“I knew that first half wasn’t an indication of who we are,” Cornwell said. “That was probably the worst half of football we’ve put together. So we took a deep breath. We said, ‘Let’s come out in the second half and be us.’
“I knew we’d respond.”
The response was comprehensive, from a defense that allowed just 30 yards and two first downs in the second half, to an offense that found ways to move the chains. Dragovich crashed in from the 3 for the go-ahead touchdown. Vining’s conversion run made it 14-10 with 8:13 left in the third.
Vining chased down Ponce and stopped him shy of the marker when Royal tried to run the ball out of punt formation on fourth-and-5, setting Colville up at the Knights’ 44. On fourth-and-goal from the 1, quarterback Ben Knight sneaked over the goal line behind a wall of blockers for a 20-10 lead.
Knight hit Vining alone behind the defense for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 7:22 to go for the dagger.
“I knew we were good, and I knew we had a great brotherhood. But the second half proved it,” said Vining, who had 136 of his 152 rushing yards in the first half.
“Royal made that really hard,” Cornwell added. “But I knew we’d respond. This team has outstanding character.”