Dayton Chronicle - Your Hometown News Source

WAITSBURG–Wolfpack freshmen stepped into the personnel gap but the Columbia Coyotes overwhelmed Dayton-Waitsburg with a strong, varied and consistent attack 55-8 here Friday, October 14.

DW is now 5-2 overall and is looking to travel to 2-5 Warden this Friday to keep their winning season on track.

"We've got to go down and beat Warden, which is a very beatable team," commented Head Coach Troy Larsen. After that, it'll be "for all the marbles" on the final home game against River View, Larsen said.

Dayton-Waitsburg travels to Warden for a 7 p.m. kick off this Friday, Oct. 21. They host River View on Oct. 28.

The Wolfpack were hurt by the absence of halfback Hudson Reser, who missed the game due to illness. Filling in for Reser was Preston Hansen, DW's 5-10, 170-lb. running back, Larsen said, but Hansen sustained a shoulder injury in the second series of the game. "He's our emotional leader," Larsen said. "So that hurt."

Hansen's brother Spencer, a 6-3, 170-lb. sophomore wide receiver/safety, took a shot to the head so was sidelined under precautionary measures, Larsen said. As was Isaias Reyes, 5-11, 170-lb. freshman wide receiver/linebacker.

"We were down five starters by halftime," Larsen said. "But the beauty of that was, our whole backfield was freshmen. They moved the ball. Our line did a great job. We had two freshmen on the line, so the kids were stepping up. That's huge for us."

The Wolfpack tallied 240 yards of total offense, 162 through the air on Pettichord's 15 of 29 pass attempts.

Wide receiver Spencer Hansen pulled in seven passes for 92 yards and Daylan Marlow caught nine for 62 yards and DW's only touchdown.

The team's 78 rushing yards came from Pettichord's three carries for 38 yards and Preston Hansen's four runs for 21 yards before his night was cut short.

Columbia won the toss and elected to kick off. The Coyote blitz sacked Pettichord and then a low punt snap gave Columbia first and ten on the Wolfpack 15. They scored in three plays and led 7-0.

DW's next drive was killed when Crew Pariera intercepted a pass intended for Spencer Hansen.

Kason Fortune sacked Lenke but he converted on a second and 19, putting together an eight-lay, 70-yard drive for a 13-0 lead.

The Coyote defense again squelched Pettichord's passes for Cyson Morris and S. Hansen and DW punted. Lenke engineered a four-play, 59-yard drive for a 21-0 lead early in the second period.

A holding penalty added to Columbia's stifling defense and another Wolfpack punt.

The Coyotes scored on a Lenke to Scott 20-yard pass, but a hold penalty negated it and C-B eventually gave up the ball on downs at the DW 20.

Pettichord hit S. Hansen for a first down at midfield and was shooting for another stricke to S. Hansen when Wilder intercepted. The Coyotes scored on a 62-yard Lenke to Frimodt pass for a 28-0 lead with 6:24 to play in the first half.

C-B's pass defense was ready and they picked Pettichord's first pass of the next drive, then grinded and chugged down to the Wolfpack eight yard line where they were stopped by the DW defense.

Pettichord then put together a nine-play, 92-yard drive, hitting Daylan Marlow in the end zone for six. S. Hansen's caught the extra point pass.

But the Coyotes came right back with a 66-yard drive, marred by personal foul and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on DW, which moved the ball 25 yards to the Wolfpack 11. There Lenke sauntered in with :03 remaining in the half and the score 34-8.

Columbia scored two touchdowns in the third, the second score triggering the running clock with a 49-8 score and 3:46 to go. The Coyote defense had answers for everything DW threw at them, each drive going three and out.

In the fourth, Columbia scored in a 30-yard Lenke run to seal the 55-8 win.

Columbia-Burbank55, Dayton-Waitsburg 8 (10-14)

DW 0 8 0 0-8

CB 13 21 15 6-55

-Chronicle photo

Rueben Yutzy (71) has Columbia Coyote quarterback Michael Lenke in his crosshairs as he rolls right, looking for a receiver. Yutzy, a 6-0, 180-lb junior linebacker, garnered five tackles in the game. Also pursuing the ballcarrier was Issac Conover (53) and Kason Fortune (6). Garrett Palmer (58) is also pictured.

CB-Leahy 1 yd pass from Lenke. Beck kick. 0-7

CB-Scott 9 yd pass from Lenke. Kick failed. 0-13

CB-Kinsey 2 yd run. Lenke run. 0-21

CB-Frimodt 62 yd pass from Lenke. Beck kick. 0-28

DW-Marlow 7 yd pass from Pettichord. S. Hansen pass from Pettichord.

CB-Lenke 11 yd run. Pass failed. 8-34 (halftime)

CB-Wilder 37 yd pass from Lenke. Kinsey run.

CB-Lenke 30 yd fumble return. Beck kick.

4th q

CB-Lenke 30 yd run. Kick failed.