WARDEN – On Friday, the Warden Cougars (5-1) held off a late comeback attempt by the Lind-Ritzville Broncos (2-4) with a late touchdown to secure a 12-7 win. Cougars quarterback Kam Jensen was happy for his team after the win.   

“It feels great. It's a great team win; the defense really pulled it in for us. They played great all game, and I just love my boys,” Jensen said.   

The Cougars had their backs against the wall early in the game. On the first two offensive drives for the Broncos, they marched the ball downfield right up to the goal line. However, the Cougars' defense stood tall and forced back-to-back turnovers on downs.   

The Cougars found their first score of the day on a short pass to the right side to Daniel Martinez, who broke a few tackles and stiff-armed his way into the endzone. After a failed two-point play, the Cougars led 6-0.  

“Martinez is just great with the ball. He always wants the ball and that's the kind of guy you want in that backfield, the guy that's going to want the ball. He wants to fight, and that's exactly what he showed us tonight,” Cougars Head Coach Brent Cox said.   

For the remainder of the first half, both defenses held strong and prevented further scores. The Cougars went into halftime with the lead. Defense continued to dominate the game in the third quarter. Both teams had flashes of promise on offense, but ultimately were forced to punt.    

As the Broncos were driving downfield, a pass by Ryan Erdman was intercepted by the Cougars’ Hunter Golladay. Heading into the fourth quarter, the score remained 6-0.   

After the Broncos got the ball back early in the fourth quarter, LRS quarterback Shan Kubik began making plays with his feet. Whether on a designed run or escaping the pass rush, Kubik was moving the Broncos downfield.   

“He's a dual-threat kind of kid. He's really got that ability, he's getting that toughness going, I think (that) kind of woke him up a little bit to throw a little better and really bodes well for the future, for what he can do, and I'm really proud of him,” Broncos Head Coach Brendan Bermea said.   

After a big gain through the air put them in scoring position once again, Kubik punched the ball in the endzone to help the Broncos take a 7-6 lead. From there, both teams would trade three-and-outs.   

With just under two minutes left, the Cougars' offense took the field.   

Jensen remained poised under pressure as the Broncos continued to send blitzes at him. Behind his arm, the Cougars nickeled and dimed their way downfield, strategically moving the chains and eating up the clock.   

“Just got to stay calm. You got to lead the huddle. You got to lead the group down the field,” Jensen said.   

At about the 25-yard line, Jensen found JJ Madsen along the left sideline for a huge pass gain that put them at the one-yard line. From there, running back Jaxsen Erickson punched it in for a touchdown. The Cougars were once again unable to convert a two-point play and took a 12-7 lead.   

With just over a minute to go in the game, the Broncos got as far as the Cougars' 30-yard line but ran out of time and fell to the Cougars on the road.   

Cox praised his quarterback for remaining poised in the fourth quarter and leading the offense to a game-winning touchdown.   

“That's what we've been working with him for a long time. He's doing a great job. I mean, he is just patient. He's been doing this for a while, so he's just learning how to have that ability to stay poised and get the passes he needs at the time,” Cox said.   

Jensen displayed an ability to be vocal with his teammates and coaches throughout the game. Cox said he enjoys what he brings as a leader, and said Jensen does anything that is asked of him.   

In the post-game huddle, Cox told his team to enjoy this win for a long time. Cox and the other coaches kept calling them the ‘Cardiac Cougs.’ Cox said he has worked hard coaching his players to fight to the end of the game and not hang their heads when it’s far from over.   

“I don't know what it is. We kind of start off slow at the start of the game, but towards the end of the game, we pick it up. I just like to lead my guys and get them hyped up,” Jensen said.   

Looking ahead, the Broncos have three more games left on their schedule. As they head into a road game against Northwest Christian on Oct. 17, Bermea wants to see his players continue to improve.   

“(We got to) keep fighting, we got some good teams that are coming, and we got to go out there and compete. We got to do what we're supposed to do, and we got to continue to improve. I'm really proud of our guys, because I believe they're doing that. We just got to get them for that next step,” he said.   

The Cougars have a shorter week as they host Tri-Cities Prep on Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. Cox said he feels confident that his team is ready to finish the season strong.   

“We just keep fighting the way we're fighting. It's going to be a battle. We got some pretty good games coming up, and these guys are fighters, and I love watching it,” Cox said.   

BOX SCORE:   

LRSB: 0-0-0-7: 7  

WRDN: 6-0-0-6: 12   

    The Cougars’ Nikko Ruiz (4) returns a kick to start the game against the Broncos on Friday. Head Coach Brent Cox said his team played with a lot of heart.
  

    The Broncos’ Turner Slack (40) breaks through a gap for a big gain on the ground against the Cougars defense on Friday.
  

    The Broncos’ Jerod Harder (56) tackles the Cougars ball carrier in the backfield. Head Coach Brendan Bermea said his defense played great against the Cougars.
  

    The Cougars’ Kam Jensen (14) drops back to pass against the Broncos defense on Friday. Jensen said enjoys being able to lead his team on the gridiron.
  

    Hunter Golladay (16) slips a tackle from two Broncos defenders after catching a pass from Kam Jensen.