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DEER PARK – The Newport Grizzlies football game against Colfax didn’t start too well for Newport. Colfax returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. They scored again a few minutes later, on a 59yard TD run.
“We got off to an ugly start again, allowing Colfax to return the opening kickoff for a touchdown,” Newport coach Mark Duxbury said. He said the team was down two touchdowns before they woke up and started to play football. “The important part is that our team kept fighting and got better as the game went on.”
Newport was down 13-0 in the first quarter when Brody Driver had his own big kickoff return, an 89-yard TD run. Hank Kirkwood kicked the extra point. Before the quarter was over, Kirkwood had scored on a 10-yard run and kicked another extra point. Newport ended the quarter up 14-13.
With a playoff spot on the line, Colfax took the lead back with a 60-yard rushing touchdown. With the two-point conversion, Colfax was up 21-14.
Driver, who gained 102 yards rushing, added another touchdown with a two-yard run.
Kirkwood then completed his only touchdown pass of the day, a 50-yard touchdown throw to Austin Owen to give Newport the lead back. Driver rushed for the two-point conversion and Newport was up 28-21 at the half.
Newport didn’t give up the lead again.
That doesn’t mean Colfax didn’t put up scores. The Bulldogs scored the only touchdown in the third quarter, a 56-yard run. After a failed extra point attempt, Colfax trailed 28-27.
“Defense made some big stops when we needed them,” Duxbury says. The Grizzly defense didn’t allow any third down conversions.
Newport continued with its ground game in the fourth quarter. Brad Martin scored on a 16yard rush. With Damien Hamberg’s extra point kick, Newport extended its lead to 35-27.
Colfax’s running backs weren’t through for the day, though, as the Bulldogs made another big rushing TD, this one for 63 yards, to close the gap to two points.
Newport turned to the ground game again, eating up time and scoring on a four-yard Kirkwood run. Hamberg kicked the extra point and Newport sealed the deal with a 42-33 win.
Newport had 365 yards of offense to Colfax’s 304 yards. Newport had 158 yards passing and 209 yards rushing.
Kirkwood completed 10 of 17 passes. He threw one touchdown and had one interception.
Kirkwood also rushed for 35 yards and two touchdowns. Brody Driver had 102 yards rushing, scoring one TD from scrimmage. He also had 128 yards on kickoff returns, scoring the one TD.
Kutter Driver gained 40 yards on the ground for Newport in seven carries. Martin had 32 yards on seven carries.
Kirkwood hit four different receivers with passes. Owen caught three passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. Brody Driver caught three passes for 20 yards and Dylan Aubrey caught one for 59 yards.
Newport senior Chase Warren suffered a broken leg in the middle of the second quarter. He and a teammate were rushing Colfax’s punter when the teammate was blocked by a Colfax defender and crashed into Warren.
“Chase is in good spirits and he handled the injury well,” Duxbury says. “It was disappointing to see his season end like that. He’s been a committed team member for four years.”
Newport (4-3, 6-4) next goes cross state to play Onalaska, the No. 4 seed in the tournament. Newport came in at No. 13. Onalaska (6-0, 10-1) is coming off a 67-0 shellacking of Ilwaco.
Making it to state is an achievement, Duxbury says.
“I’m proud of the team for not quitting on the season after losing four in a row,” he says. “They’ve improved the last few weeks which is all we can ask of them. Hopefully we can continue to reduce our mental mistakes and peak at the right time of the year.”
Newport plays Friday, Nov. 15, at Onalaska at 7 p.m. Onalaska is located 14 miles from Chehalis in Lewis County.
