Horsepower

MOSES LAKE - The 2B state championship will be a rematch of last year's.

Lind-Ritzville/Sprague (LRS) and Morton-White Pass will meet for the second time in as many years to decide a state champion. The Broncos blew out Adna, 56-13, Saturday at Lions Field and will defend their state title against the Timberwolves who took care of business in their semifinal game against Raymond, 27-14.

"We've got them on game film, we haven't even looked at them at all," head coach Greg Whitmore said. "We didn't just take it for granted that we were going to get there so I haven't even looked at them so I'll see what they're doing. We'll X and O it out and we'll put a game plan together and then we know our kids will play their rears off and we'll see where the chips fall."

LRS extended its winning streak to 25 games and have made easy work of its opponents in the state tournament, outscoring the opposition 140-27 in three games.

"We didn't expect this at all throughout the season," senior quarterback Dylan Hartz said. "We knew our league was kind of down, but once we hit playoffs we just expected each team to get better and better and we were nervous as could be for this game."

The Broncos opened up a 7-0 lead against the Pirates with 6:48 remaining in the first quarter after Hartz connected with senior running back Connor O'Neill for a nine-yard touchdown (PAT good).

O'Neill finished with the lone touchdown reception, 129 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.

It only took Adna 15 seconds to tie the game when a Pirates player found a seam up the sideline and returned the ensuing kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown (PAT good).

Junior wide receiver Cort Ruzicka regained the lead for LRS after scoring from three yards out. A missed extra point brought the score to 13-7 late in the first quarter.

Ruzicka pounded the ball up middle, racking up 124 rushing yards while averaging 7.8 yards per carry.

Defensively, LRS stifled Adna's triple option attack and senior defensive lineman Ryan Whitmore was able to scoop up a Pirate fumble and return it for a touchdown (two-point failed) with 7:30 left until halftime.

"We shut down their triple option pretty effectively," Greg said. "They didn't even run it very much after a while. Again, our defensive line dominated a little bit and that was kind of the difference there."

The LRS lead swelled to 41-7 after a touchdown run by O'Neill, a 27-yard touchdown pass from Hartz to Ryan and a two-yard touchdown run by senior running back Bridger Smith. Adna cut into the deficit with a 60-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter, but Hartz squashed any momentum the Pirates hoped to build by returning the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown.

"We went out there and I told my buddy Connor I said, 'Hey, if you get it make sure you get down or get out of bounds,'" he said. "And what do you know, the guy kicked it to me and I kind of started to go in and out and then I just saw a little lane and kind of took it. Came back on the sideline and coach told me to get on the bench, joking around of course."

Hartz didn't need to do much with his arm, throwing for only 58 yards and two touchdowns, because the Bronco rushing attack gashed the Pirate defense for 422 yards.

Freshman running back Damien Rouleau added a 13-yard touchdown run (two-point good) and the Broncos rolled to a 56-13 win.

The Broncos travel to the Tacoma Dome Saturday for an opportunity at back-to-back state championships. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.

"It's an unbelievable feeling," Hartz said. "Last year's win in the state game still hasn't sank in yet so it's going to be hard to let this one sink in."