Paul Laurence Dunbar’s backfield tweak yields a punishing combination
When a sophomore quarterback throws for nearly 1,300 yards and rushes for 847 more with 28 total touchdowns and a district championship to his credit, he’s usually a sure bet to start the season opener the next year.
And Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Cole Colony did start — just not at quarterback.
A season-ending injury to running back Justin Bayubahe during a seven-on-seven camp in July accelerated the plan to put 6-foot-5 junior Ethan Teall behind center where it was thought he and Colony would interchange as a potential dual-threat/traditional pass-threat combo this season.
But given each player’s statistics in a 47-20 season-opening win over East Jessamine last Friday, new QB1 Teall and new RB1 Colony might be just fine where they’re at.
“They both did a great job Friday night,” Dunbar Coach Wes Johnson said. “They’re both selfless players that just want to help the team and get on the field and do the best they can. Both have complemented each other well.”
In Colony’s debut at running back, he rushed for a stunning 175 yards and three TDs.
“It was fun,” Colony said. “I ran a lot last year, so it was nothing new to me. The only difference was just getting the ball from a quarterback, and I found the gaps and hit ‘em. The o-line did great giving me those gaps and I just took what they gave me.”
Meanwhile, Teall completed 23 of 41 passes for 240 yards and three scores, hitting six different receivers. The 41 pass attempts far surpassed the number of throws Colony attempted in a game last season. And no receiver last year came within 20 yards of the 110 reeled in by Jakobe Biggerstaff against the Jaguars.
“It was an experience,” Teall said. “The o-line played great. The wide receivers caught the ball. It was a good all-around team performance.”
New offensive coordinator Zach Tibbs implored the Bulldogs to push the pace against East Jessamine, and the team responded.
“We get it going,” Teall said. “You can tell in the second quarter, third quarter, we started moving the ball a lot.”
The 543 total yards of offense surpassed last year’s average by more than 200 yards. While it’s just one game and there are tougher tests ahead, it’s a heck of a start.
“I didn’t really see that coming, but it was a nice surprise,” Johnson said. “I knew Cole was going to run hard.”
Colony praised his defense, as well.
“I really liked how aggressive we played on the defensive side of the ball,” Colony said. “The offense was rolling, but our defensive side really impressed me, especially the first play of the game, Ryan Browning going out there and just lighting up the running back and setting the tone of the game.”
Dunbar will need to keep up that aggression Friday as it hits the road to take on Herald-Leader Class 6A preseason No. 4 Madison Central, which won a walk-off thriller over Lexington Christian last week and features a punishing running game led by Brady Hensley.
The schedule won’t get easier from there as the Bulldogs host Woodford County, take on Frederick Douglass at The Farm and welcome Scott County over the ensuing three weeks.
“We have a murderer’s row which will make us battle-tested,” Johnson said. “If we make it through healthy, it could set us up for a late-season run.”
This story was originally published August 24, 2022 at 7:48 AM.
