Game Recap October 18, 2018
Sometimes a team needs a slap in the face to wake up, get their bearings, and decide to compete. The Bombers got that slap in the form of two Kamiakin touchdowns in the first quarter. A 51 yard touchdown drive and a defensive score on a bobbled screen pass had the Braves feeling like they could pull off a blowout to avenge last year's 33-0 whipping, and the Richland Bombers needed some serious inspiration to come back from a sudden two score deficit. They got it from somewhere, because the Bomber D put the clamps on, allowing Kamiakin only 49 yards the rest of the game, and no more points. Richland's seniors lead the way with big plays, including interceptions by Drew Daves and Ryan Kriskovich, touchdowns from Cody Sanderson, Dhaunye Guice, and Josh Fonner, and of course great blocking by the offensive line. The offense came to life just before the end of the first quarter, using strong runs by Sanderson and Guice to gain ground, eventually putting Guice into the endzone just after the quarter turned over. The defense did its part as well, at one point turning a Braves 1st and 15 into a 2nd and 30 as the QB was herded toward the sideline by Daniel VanGorkum, Geoff Robinson, and Garrett Gillespie and eventually brought down by Sam Stanfield and Camron Ball.
Starting to come alive after Guice broke the scoring ice, Richland also became it's own worst enemy. With the defense limiting Kamiakin's offense to frustration and punts, the Bomber offense was able to start with good field position, enabled also by Kriskovich's gutsy returns. (As an aside, Kriskovich played like it was his last game. Fearlessly snagging punts right in the face of Kamiakin's gunners, he baited tacklers and left them grabbing grass all night. It's an unsung detail of football that adds up for winning teams. He also caught a 40 yard bomb from Fonner to get his boys inside the 20.) As the green-clad Bombers tried to pass their way into the endzone, penalties started piling up until finally Sanderson dropped a sure thing on fourth down. The defense was having none of it though, and Kamiakin muddled their way through a few meaningless plays until the half ended.
The second play from scrimmage—Stanfield and Kade Powell teaming up for another sack—set the stage for Krisko's pick on the next play, but the offense was still insistent on making big plays in the air, which weren't materializing. Kamiakin's run game was mercilessly stuffed by Richland's D line, so they too took to the air, but Daves was there to haul in another interception. Catching it at the 40, he weaved his way left before being brought down at the 20. Of course there was a major penalty on the play, bringing Richland back to mid field. Guice quickly made up for it with a 32 yard run, one which left the first tackler on his knees in the backfield and a pile of confused white jerseys a few yards further down. He appeared to score from 15 out on the next play, but was marked down inches from the goal line, so one more play was needed to tie the game as Fonner faked a handoff to Guice but kept it himself. The rest of the quarter was more sacks for Aric Davison, Powell, and VanGorkum, and trading punts.
The first play of the fourth quarter was memorable. Sanderson caught the ball on a screen to the left, quickly spun out of one tackle, then spun out of another, and since it worked so well the first two times, he did it once again. Three spins, nine yards, a trail of white shirts, and high entertainment. A good mix of runs and passes moved the offense quickly to the 3 yard line, and Sanderson ran it in cleanly around the left end, with especially good blocks by Jack Schuster and Andrew Fairchild to help him along. Up 21-14 with half of the fourth quarter to go, Richland just needed to keep the defensive pressure on, which they did with more great line play and excellent coverage by the secondary. Sanderson had one more run to the endzone, but it was called back on a penalty on the far side of the play, and the score kept the appearance of a close game. Daves' second interception on a desperate heave sealed the deal.
The Bombers played superior defense, holding the Braves to under 100 yards of offense, and their offense showed improvement again, notably with aggressive running by Guice, Sanderson, and Stanfield, who all had defenders falling backwards on contact. Most impressive in that respect was Guice, if only because he's much smaller than the other two. Listed at 150, which seems about believable, he was plowing over linebackers and dragging tacklers behind him all game. That's generally not the forte of smaller backs, but he added that to his slice and dice repertoire for this contest. The biggest disappointment of the game was the points left on the field. This game could have easily been 35 or 42-14 if not for Richland's propensity for shooting themselves in the foot in the red zone.
For the last installment of the Kennewick trilogy, Richland travels to Lampson Stadium (basically a home game, it's been so long since they lost there) to take on the upstart 5-2 Lions, who have close losses against conference leaders Hanford and Chiawana, and close wins against Hermiston and Kamiakin. The Bomber faithful are confident in a win, but you never know what might happen. That's why they play the games, and that's why you should watch them.
Go Bombers!
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October 12, 20181234Final
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Kamiakin Braves1400014
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Richland Bombers077721
- 1st Quarter
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Touchdown: Jaxson Nichols 10 yard pass from Lucas Castilleja (Kaden Shymanski kick)
Kamiakin 7, Richland 0 -
Touchdown: Ray Chavez 37 yard fumble return (Shymanski kick)
Kamiakin 14, Richland 0 - 2nd Quarter
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Touchdown: Dhaunye Guice 4 yard run (Joseph Weissenfels kick)
Kamiakin 14, Richland 7 - 3rd Quarter
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Touchdown: Josh Fonner 1 yard run (Weissenfels kick)
Richland 14, Kamiakin 14 - 4th Quarter
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Touchdown: Cody Sanderson 4 yard run (Weissenfels kick)
Richland 21, Kamiakin 14