COLFAX — Colfax-Mingo’s football team is 2-0 for the first time since 2014 after its 41-23 triumph over Martensdale-St. Marys on Military Appreciation Night.
Junior quarterback Brady Berkey threw five touchdown passes, senior Zarek Hill tallied four total TDs and the Tigerhawks rolled to a second straight win on Aug. 31.
Berkey has eight TD passes and zero interceptions in the first two games of the season. He finished 17-for-30 for 337 passing. His 55 rushing yards and eight carries also were a team-high.
The Tigerhawks, who arrived at Colfax-Mingo High School at 5:30 a.m. for Channel 5’s Friday Night Blitz Gameday coverage, led 19-7 at halftime.
Colfax-Mingo got on the board with a 5-yard TD pass from Berkey to Trinity Schroeder. A second touchdown pass, this time a 57-yarder to Schroeder, made it 13-0. Schroeder had a career night, finishing with 126 receiving yards on six catches.
The Blue Devils made it 13-7 with their first TD late in the second quarter.
Colfax-Mingo tacked on one more score with 38 seconds to go until halftime. This time, Berkey hit senior Zarek Hill on an 11-yard TD pass.
The closest the Blue Devils got was 19-14 after an early TD in the third quarter.
Hill then returned the ensuing kickoff 47 yards. A 10-play drive followed, and Berkey capped it with a 7-yard sprint out TD pass to Hill. Junior Trystin Ross caught the 2-point conversion to put the Tigerhawks up 27-14.
The fourth quarter started with back-to-back big plays for Colfax-Mingo, but only one of them counted due to a penalty.
The first one was an 81-yard TD off a screen pass from Berkey to senior Holister Koenig. A holding penalty wiped away the score and moved the ball the other way. On the very next play, and with the same play call, Berkey connected with Hill on a school-record 90-yard screen pass that Hill took to paydirt.
The final touchdown of the game came on a 45-yard reverse by Hill. The TD was set up on a Berkey interception that he returned 32 yards. It was Berkey’s third pick of the season.
Hill finished with four catches for 118 yards and three touchdowns. He rushed for 59 yards on two carries and another touchdown. Hill’s four TDs are the most at Colfax-Mingo since Jake Lietz and Jared Myers did it in 2015.
Koenig finished with 69 yards on four catches and rushed for 28 yards.
The Tigerhawk defense had two interceptions and five sacks. Schroeder led the way with seven tackles and one pick. Hill finished with 6 1/2 tackles, one fumble recovery and one sack, Berkey added five tackles and one interception and junior Andreas Villegas collected four tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack.
Koenig and juniors Jacob Chapman and Jesse Allen had the other three sacks.
Colfax-Mingo returns to action against Wayne at 7 p.m. on Sept. 7 in Corydon.
