In more than one way, the clock wasn't kind to Colfax-Mingo in the Tigerhawks' Senior Night district match-up with Pella Christian.
The clock was stopped with 5:55 left in the second quarter for the first of two lightning delays that lasted more than 75 minutes. By the time the game was completed, it was well past 11 p.m. To add to Colfax-Mingo's woes, Pella Christian capitalized on nine Tigerhawk turnovers in a 58-20 rout; the last 7:45 of the game was played with a continuous clock.
Pella Christian needed very little time to get its night started, despite starting the game on defense, the visitors tallied their first seven points just 48 seconds into the game when a Jaden Van Dyke pass intended for Chad McLain was picked off by Blake Riggen at the Tigerhawk 25 and returned for a touchdown. They added a second first-quarter score seven and a half minutes later when Jeremy Visser scooped up a Van Dyke fumble, returning it 11 yards to pay dirt.
The Eagles scored again with 8:17 remaining in the first half when Coltin Collins completed a 4-yard pass to Riggen for their third score of the game. After having their second point-after kick blocked, Pella Christian opted to run the ball for a two-point conversion, but was stopped short of the goal. The Eagles led 19-0 at that point.
Jared Myers took over at quarterback for Colfax-Mingo after that, and efficiently drove the Tigerhawks 68 yards on six plays, capping the scoring drive with a 4-yard run of his own. McLain's kick was good to make the score 25-7.
The score stood that way until well after the lightning delay. With 11:17 left in the third quarter, Chad McLain stripped the ball from Collins and rumbled into the endzone from 14 yards out to pull Colfax-Mingo to within 11 at 25-14. Pella Christian responded with a five-play, 64-yard drive capped by a 17-yard run by Derek Van Kooten to make it 31-14.
With 6:59 left in the third quarter, Van Dyke scored on a reverse from 10 yards out, capping an eight-play, 56-yard drive. Pella Christian answered one minute 41 seconds later when Mason Howerzyl ran 89 yards for another Eagle touchdown to make the score 37-20.
Derek Van Kooten scored from 7 yards out, Collins and Riggen connected on a 28-yard scoring pass and Collins returned a Myers pass interception 35 yards for the final three scores of the night for Pella Christian. The Eagles finished with 439 yards of total offense to Colfax-Mingo's 150.
Myers finished the game passing 10-for-22 for 130 yards, but was intercepted five times. Van Dyke was 0-for-2 and was intercepted once. Byron Johnson caught five passes for 62 yards, while Dylan Albright caught three for 42 yards.
Colfax-Mingo ran the ball 23 times for a net of 20 yards. Sam Smith was the leading rusher with five carries for 24 yards. Van Dyke had eight carries for 10 yards. The rest of the team managed a net minus-14 yards rushing. The Tigerhawks fumbled the ball four times, losing three.
The Eagles, on the other hand, ran the ball 52 times for 307 yards. Collins was 9-for-15 for 132 yards and no interceptions. Pella Christian fumbled the ball twice, losing one.
Colton Russell and Dylan Albright each had 10 tackles for Colfax-Mingo. McLain and Alexander each had six, while Jacob Lietz and Smith each had five. Van Dyke and Johnson both had four apiece.