For the first time in nearly three decades, the Colfax Bulldogs will have a new football coach leading them from the sidelines.

They didn’t have to look far to find their new man.

David Cofer takes the reins in Colfax after 18 years with the Pullman Greyhounds, including the last seven as head coach.

“I kind of look at the Colfax football program with a lot of tradition and that was definitely part of (the decision),” Cofer said. “It was hard to leave Pullman and some of those kids that I’d coached. … Ultimately what it came down to was family.”

From one “home” to another

Cofer is a Greyhounds graduate and had been with his alma mater for nearly two decades.

But the Cofer family resides in Colfax, where his wife Alli is from, and it’s where their kids go to school.

“My son is going to be a part of the program in the future and that was kind of the final straw,” Cofer said. “But just looking at the way Colfax supports athletics and, from a community standpoint, I thought it was a very attractive job. … Just what coach Morgan was able to do and how he was here for (26) years, it was a very desirable position for me.”

Morgan leaves a legacy

Morgan helped lead the Bulldogs to 13 playoff appearances and concluded his run as head coach with a 172-95 record.

His Bulldogs won a state championship in 2001.

Morgan told the Whitman County Gazette last November that it was “time for some new blood to run this program” after the Bulldogs finished their year 2-8.

In steps Cofer.

“(Morgan) had an amazing run as head coach here in Colfax’s community and just a lot of respect for coach Morgan and what he was able to do here in Colfax,” Cofer said.

It’s not all new faces on the Bulldogs’ sideline.

Cofer retained the team’s defensive coordinator of 10 years — Jason Cooper.

“The defensive terminology has stayed the same, so that’s allowed me to expand a little bit offensively,” Cofer said. “I think that consistency piece for our players having Jason Cooper with me as the DC has helped this transition tremendously.”

Zach Cooper, Darin Repp lead the charge

Cofer said the Bulldogs had 46 players come out for football this season — a big increase over recent years for the program.

The bump up in numbers allows for the team to have a full JV squad and has led to competitive practices and some increased excitement around the program, Cofer said.

Leading the team is a pair of four-year varsity players in Zach Cooper and Darin Repp.

Zach Cooper will play wide receiver and defensive back while Repp will play tight end and linebacker.

“I tell our seniors, ‘You’re either leading us to where we want to go or keeping us where we’re at,’” Cofer said. “They’ve really responded to that and they’ve done a nice job amidst some change.”

On Friday nights, expect to see the Bulldogs spreading the ball around to a host of athletes rather than relying on one or two star players. Cofer said the team’s biggest strength is “there’s no egos … nobody cares who gets the ball and who gets the credit.”

Playing everyone twice

New this year in the Northeast 2B League is the league being split into two “tiers,” meaning the Bulldogs will play three league opponents twice. Colfax is in Tier 2 and will play Kettle Falls, Davenport and Liberty twice each.

The Bulldogs open the season with a nonleague road game at Lake Roosevelt at 7 p.m. Friday.

“How we approach that (schedule) will change as we go throughout the year,” Cofer said. “Maybe we’ll save some things for the second time we play an opponent.”

3 things to watch

Between its new head coach and an influx of new players, there are lots of changes brewing in Colfax. How quickly can the new coach, old players and new players mesh into a cohesive unit?

Playing multiple opponents twice in the same season is a rarity in high school football. The team that adapts and grows the most between the first and second meetings could have a major edge.

QB Ryker Reed is just a sophomore, but he has experienced pass-catchers to help him along, like senior wideout Zach Cooper.

COLFAX

COACH — David Cofer (first year)

LAST YEAR’S RECORD — 2-8 overall, 1-6 in Northeast 2B.

KEY RETURNERS — Zach Cooper, sr., WR/DB; Dillon Gassenberg, sr., WR/DB; John Largent, sr., RB/LB; Darin Repp, sr., TE/LB; Issac Nelson, jr., RB/LB; Ryker Reed, so., QB/DB; Caleb Lustig, so., OL/DL.

SCHEDULE

9/6 — at Lake Roosevelt, 7 p.m.

9/13 — vs Kettle Falls, 7 p.m.

9/20 — vs Asotin, 7 p.m.

9/27 — at Davenport, 7 p.m.

10/4 — at Priest River, 7 p.m.

10/11 — vs Liberty, 7 p.m.

10/18 — at Kettle Falls, 7 p.m.

10/25 — vs Davenport, 7 p.m.

11/1 — at Liberty, 7 p.m.

Wiebe may be contacted at (208) 848-2277, swiebe@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @StephanSports.