Watt averages 40-plus yard punts this football season

Bonners Ferry High School senior kicker Colton Watt could be in line for Intermountain League and statewide honors for his efforts on the football field this fall.

In 33 punting attempts, Watt averaged more than 40 yards and had only seven kicks returned for the season.

“For a high school kid, that’s pretty good,” said Badger Coach Ed DePriest.

Watt also kicked 16 extra points. As a receiver, he had 20 catches for more than 300 yards and three touchdowns.

Other team leaders were junior quarterback Taylor Tompke with 15 touchdowns and junior running back Alek Lopez, who averaged 7.8 yards per carry. Junior Spencer Henslee averaged  4.8 yards per carry.

The Badgers closed their season on Friday with a 34-6 loss to Timberlake in a league playoff game.

About a dozen of the team’s 22 starters were out with illness for most of the week and didn’t make it to practice until Thursday.

“That makes it pretty tough and we weren’t in the best of physical condition,” DePriest said. “For a lot of seniors, they wanted to play their last game. We weren’t exactly at full strength and Timberlake (8-1) is a good football team.”

The Badgers finished the season 4-4-1 overall and 2-3 in the league, but DePriest looks forward to a promising 2010-11 season.

In addition to Tompke, Lopez and Henslee, returning juniors with substantial playing time will include David Willems, Kyle Murphy and Brandon Ratcliff. The Badger junior varsity squad was 6-2 for the season.

Bonners Ferry could be a league leader next year, DePriest said. Getting in the weight room is the key.

“If they don’t work and get stronger during the off season, it will be pretty much the same story,” he said. “If you don’t work hard and prepare, you will be mediocre at best.”