March 28, 2024

Colfax-Mingo wins district opener over Lynnville-Sully

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COLFAX — Opposing coaches have to pick their poison against the Colfax-Mingo football team.

Jared Myers is a returning all-state quarterback, Blake Summy earned all-state honors as a wide receiver and Jacob Lietz is a do-everything all-stater.

And that list doesn’t even include a few other Tigerhawks who can make plays.

Friday night, Lynnville-Sully chose to take away Lietz with bracket coverage, and Myers took advantage of a thinner box during the Tigerhawks’ 40-15 win.

Myers threw for 321 yards, ran for 128 and accounted for four touchdowns in the Class A District 7 opener for both teams.

Lynnville-Sully’s choice to pay extra attention to Lietz left the middle of the field open for Myers and other Tigerhawks to make plays.

Colfax-Mingo led 27-8 at halftime and cruised to a win on Homecoming.

“I think it’s a game we announced we’re in the district race, and we are not here to get fourth,” Colfax-Mingo coach Jeff Lietz said. “We are here to win it.”

Lynnville-Sully struggled to move the ball all night against the Tigerhawk defense.

The Hawks had an early lead following a C-M fumble but reached the end zone only one other time. Sage Ehresman sprinted 67 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage in the third.

“We got up 8-7, and we just have to answer the call,” Lynnville-Sully coach Mike Parkinson said. “If you want to be a good football team, you have to learn how to make plays when you need them.”

The Tigerhawks made a statement right from the opening kickoff, marching 88 yards in nine plays to score.

Myers hit Summy and Colin Lourens on first-down completions. He connected again with Lourens on a 35-yard touchdown pass.

Colfax-Mingo turned it over twice, and the first mistake allowed Lynnville-Sully to take the lead.

The Hawks recovered a fumble and needed only three plays to go 15 yards for the score. Kobe Fisk found Noah Engle for the touchdown on third down. Ehresman’s two-point conversion gave the visitors a short-lived lead.

From that point on, Colfax-Mingo (2-1, 1-0) was in control.

The Tigerhawks went 54 yards in eight plays on their next possession and Myers capped the scoring drive with a short touchdown plunge.

Lynnville-Sully went three and out on its next possession. Colfax-Mingo went up 21-8 after marching 56 yards in seven plays.

That drive started with a 21-yard completion to Jarod Nichols and ended with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Myers to Nichols.

Myers converted a third-and-nine with a 16-yard completion to Jacob Lietz and the touchdown pass came on third and seven.

“We got some momentum early and our boys played the way they are capable of,” Coach Lietz said. “Jared made some big plays on third and fourth down all night. I have to give a lot of credit to our offensive line. They have played to their capabilities the last two weeks. They gave Jared an opportunity back there, but he’s a special kid. He makes a lot of plays.”

Some of those plays came on defense. He recovered a fumble on the Hawks’ next possession and also snagged an interception in the second half.

His final touchdown in the first half came on a 1-yard run and it capped a short 35-yard drive that took five plays.

Lynnville-Sully got a bit of momentum in the second half when Ehresman got loose for a 67-yard touchdown run.

Unfortunately for the Hawks, Colfax-Mingo got great field position on its next possession after a personal-foul penalty. The Tigerhawks took back momentum on just one play when Myers got loose in the middle of the field, fumbled the ball at the 20-yard line and Summy scooped it up and went the rest of the way for what turned out to a 45-yard play.

“We made a big play to get back into the game, and then we mentally checked out,” Parkinson said. “We have to be next play and can’t be caught up in our big play.

“I realize it was a freaky play but had we been playing assignment football none of that would have happened anyway.”

Colfax-Mingo’s defense made sure the Hawks (1-2, 0-1) stayed in neutral the rest of the night.

Jacob Lietz and Myers snagged interceptions on two of the Hawks’ next three possessions and the third drive ended with a turnover on downs.

The scoreboard changed one last time when Colfax-Mingo made it 40-15 with just than two minutes to play following a 1-yard touchdown run by Jacob Buehrer.

Myers ended the game 28-of-43 through the air and he gained the 128 rushing yards on 31 carries. Jacob Lietz finished with 11 catches for 88 yards, while Lourens hauled in five passes for 86 yards. Summy and Nichols weren’t bad either as they combined for 10 catches and 135 yards.

As big of a night as the offense had, it was the defense that Coach Lietz thought was the key in the win.

“We played very well on defense,” he said. “To hold those guys to two touchdowns was big. And really, one of those touchdowns was on a short field after a turnover and the other one was the one play.”

Alan Wheeler led the defense with 10 tackles, while Jacob Lietz had eight and the pick. Myers and Buehrer both recovered fumbles.

Parkinson felt great about the momentum his Hawks gained after Ehresman’s big run, but the turnovers are unacceptable.

“We can’t turn the ball over period. It’s about ownership on that side of the ball and we just can’t give the ball to the other team,” Parkinson said. “We had a fumble in the first half when we really needed that drive. Things like that can’t happen if you want to beat a good team.”

The Tigerhawks had an answer for every big play Lynnville-Sully made. And most of those plays came on the right arm or legs of Myers.

“If they are going to double Jake, that will give us numbers in the box and allows us to have an advantage,” Myers said. “We had great play calling by Coach (Matt) Barkalow, the line gave me plenty of time and the receivers won the one-on-one battles all night. We had better athletes in space tonight.”

Lynnville-Sully starting quarterback Kobe Fisk was injured in the fourth quarter and did not return but Parkinson thinks his senior signal caller will be fine.

“He took a good shot in the arm, but this wasn’t about one guy,” Parkinson said. “We have a lot of work in front of us, and it’s time to see what our guys can do.”

The Hawks look to get back on track at 7 p.m. Friday when they host Montezuma in Sully.

Colfax-Mingo tries to keep the momentum when it goes on the road to face Belle Plaine at 7 p.m. Friday.