Lincoln pulls away from Colfax to claim PVL title

Lincoln locked up a share of the Pioneer Valley League football championship Friday night, pulling away from Colfax in the second half for a 49-14 triumph. It's the Fighting Zebras' first league title since 2021 and the second under head coach Allen Berg. The Zebras came out firing, scoring three times in the opening quarter to build a 21-0 lead. Senior running back Brock Galer shredded the Falcon defense for 209 yards and two touchdowns. Lincoln's ground game totaled 329 yards on just 20 carries, averaging 16.5 yards per attempt. Colfax battled back before halftime. After turning over the ball on downs on the Lincoln 10-yard line early in the second quarter, the Falcons forced a punt and went on a 70-yard drive, capped with a two-yard touchdown run by senior Graeson Howard. The Falcons started with the ball in the third quarter and quickly cut the deficit to one score when quarterback Adam Amatangelo found Brady Stowers for a 31-yard touchdown pass. From there, it was all Lincoln as the Zebras scored 28 unanswered points to close out the game. Senior quarterback Eli Duff led a balanced and explosive Lincoln offense, passing for 236 yards and three touchdowns while adding 34 yards rushing. Sophomore Mason Volzer emerged as Duff's favorite target with three catches for 159 yards and three touchdowns. Julian DeFoe and Dylan Knell had touchdown runs as well. Howard led Colfax with 116 yards rushing, while Amatangelo led the aerial attack by completing 23 of 37 passes for 277 yards and a touchdown. Stowers totaled 94 yards on eight catches. Lincoln's defense was relentless. Senior Devin Davis led the unit with 12 tackles, while Diego Cuevas, Galer and Rameez Usman each recorded sacks. Marcus Stacy and Jeremiah Anderson each had interceptions. Berg was happy with his team's performance and said there were some mental errors but he felt it was the best Lincoln looked all year. "We had some dumb penalties that kept it somewhat close early, but that was the best overall game we have played on both sides other than the penalties," said Berg. "We stayed on them all week about playing a full four quarters. We really physically dominated the game. The offense was explosive and the defense tackled well and forced turnovers." The loss ended Colfax's regular season at 3-6 overall. The Falcons will wait to see if they qualify for a Sac-Joaquin Section bowl game as they sit on the bubble as the No. 16-ranked team in Division VI on MaxPreps. The Zebras (8-1 overall, 5-0 PVL) can secure an outright league title Thursday night at Marysville (4-5, 2-3).