WOODWARD — Winless Colfax-Mingo knew going into Friday’s Class 1A Pod 15 contest with Woodward-Granger that to have any chance at an upset, they must at all costs avoid mistakes.
Oops.
Three lost fumbles and two interceptions resulted in two W-G defensive touchdowns and set up two other scores as W-G (6-2) erupted for a 30-0 lead after one quarter en route to a 51-14 victory.
The win sends W-G into a second round battle at Underwood (7-1) Oct. 23, with the Eagles whipping West Central Valley, 49-7, Friday. W-G was a 53-7 winner over WCV in the regular season.
Dane Polich started the scoring by pulling in a high pass the tipped off the hands of a C-M receiver and darting 29 yards for a 6-0 lead.
Kris Kemmerer fell on a Tigerhawk fumble less than a minute later, with Trevor Simmons lofting a perfectly-placed deep ball into the hands of Worth Henry, who caught the bomb in stride and dashed 42 yards into the end zone.
A Carter Moran interception set up a 20-yard TD burst from Kade Polich, with Dylan Bird running in the two-point conversion to give the hosts a 24-0 advantage with 5:46 still on the first quarter clock.
Dylan McCaulley recovered a fumbled kickoff at the 27-yard line, but C-M turned the hosts away on downs at the six.
No matter. The W-G defense surged through the line and forced quarterback Cole Bracewell to retreat. He was hit in the end zone, the ball falling free and into the sights of defensive tackle Jack Muesberger, who flopped on the pigskin for a touchdown and 30-0 Hawk edge.
Christian Husmann sped 70 yards with a Simmons strike midway through the second quarter, with Polich adding a 31-yard run and John McKeever a six-yard dive as the score swelled to 51-0 at the half.
W-G head coach George Ashman pulled his seniors and most other starters after one offensive and one defensive play in the second half, allowing the home crowd to salute the team.
C-M scored twice in the fourth frame, the first time coming when Zach Steenhoek caught a short pass, made a man miss, and ran 41 yards for a TD. Colton Lind’s 68-yard pick-six of a Payton Nixon pass and a two-point conversion capped the scoring.
Bracewell was 11-of-24 for 111 yards and a TD for the guests but was intercepted three times.
Steenhoek (4-58, 1 TD) led the Tigerhawk receivers, with Jayden Horrach (16-55) leading the ground game, which gained 72 total yards on 26 carries.
Simmons hit 6-of-8 passes for 164 yards and two TDs, with Nixon 0-for-4 with one interception.
Henry (4-77, 1 TD), Husmann (1-70, 1 TD), and Kade Polich (1-17) caught passes, with Kade Polich (7-103, 2 TDs), Bird (17-101), McKeever (2-19, 1 TD), Nixon (2-1) and Kaden Seeman (1-1) running the ball. Simmons was sacked twice for a loss of six yards, leaving the team with 219 yards on 31 rushes.
A total of 18 Hawks had at least one tackle in the game, with Simmons making 5.5 stops while McKeever had 2.5 denials and a sack.
Friday’s game at Underwood will kick off at 7 p.m. Admission is $6. ThePerryNews.com will provide a complete preview next week.