This year's seniors were just freshmen in 2013 when Richland and Kamiakin played the epic barn burner, featuring four overtime periods and over 100 points combined. The 2016 game was also an overtime thriller, but with fewer barns burned. Bombers vs Braves never disappoints.

The first half included zero points from either team, which normally indicates a defensive slugfest, but in this case it was more like two big-play offenses sputtering at the wrong times. The Kamiakin defense plays a 3-4, which is three down linemen and four linebackers—a perfect opportunity to run the ball behind the very large offensive line, especially since Kamiakin's linebacker are undersized. This seemed to be Richland's game plan in the first half, but being a pass first team they abandoned the run near the end zone for the comfort of familiarity, and unfortunately the better than average Brave defensive backs weren't interested in becoming victims of big plays. That's not to say there weren't any highlights. After a punt on Richland's first possession, William Harshaw-McDonald grabbed a diving interception off a pass tipped by Brigham Whitby on Kamiakin's third play. After marching the ball down the field using the running game, an incomplete pass and a penalty snuffed out the momentum and the Braves came up with a stop on fourth down on their own 12. The Bomber D continued to play tough, forcing punts and allowing only a few first downs, and the offense continued to run the ball well, only to be interrupted by incomplete passes. Running backs Parker McCary and Ben Stanfield ran well behind the line, which thoroughly dominated the Kamiakin front seven, but timing is everything, and Richland couldn't put points on the board despite running the ball easily from red zone to red zone. First half highlights also included an interception by Alex Chapman, who picked it at the 5 and returned it 40 yards to midfield.

The second half was more of the same until 5:46 left in the quarter, when, after runs of 16, 14, and 21 yards by McCary, quarterback Paxton Stevens used his run option and beat the defense 17 yards to the endzone. It felt like the game might stay at 7-0, but it only took two minutes for Kamiakin to answer. Running for his life from linemen Jax Lee and Braden Powell, the QB, as he was falling down, tossed a high ball to the front of the end zone. It was playground fly-up at this point, and the 6'6" receiver brought it down to even the score. Two plays later Gaven Brasker caught a Stevens pass and took it to midfield for a 36 yard gain, and two plays after that Stanfield caught a bubble pass behind the line and saw daylight from the 45. Racing down the sideline untouched, he sidestepped one defender at the 15 and carried another on his back into the endzone to regain the lead. A huge sack by Lee, Powell, and Victor Strasser, and an interception by Adam Weisenfells kept Kamiakin from evening the score, but the Braves returned the favor two plays later, intercepting a pass and returning it to the Richland 15.

This is a good time to take a break from yards and numbers and mention intangibles. This Bomber team, when struggling with an offensive set or faced with an inopportune turnover, doesn't panic or self-destruct. They keep playing their game, make adjustments where they're needed, make something happen.

With Kamiakin 15 yards from scoring and about seven minutes left in the game, Strasser chased the quarterback down and spun him around as he tried to run around the left end, Weisenfells popped the ball out with a hit, and the ball was recovered by Garrett Guffey at the 20. Of course, this is Bombers vs Braves, so the action wasn't even close to over. After taking a big loss on a sack, and not able to use the passing game to get out danger, the Bombers opted to punt. The snap was low, the punter recovered it but had to scramble and was tackled at the 8. It took four plays for the Braves to score and bring the game to a tie with 5:42 to go. This was nearly a game changing moment as Weisenfells barely missed blocking the PAT from the right edge. Sticking with what had worked so far, Richland kept it on the ground. Stanfield, listed at 175 pounds, ran like he was 50 pounds heavier, gashing his way through the defense and knocking the linebackers back as they tackled him. Running the ball, along with a 14 yard completion to Josh Mendoza got them to the 11, but the Kamiakin D stiffened, and with only 50 seconds left a field goal was the call. Weisenfells' kick went wide to force the game into overtime.

Overtime was a simple affair. Two rushes and a 23 yard lob to a wide open Alex Chapman, who burned his man, Darreon Moore, straight down the field and then made a hard cut to the right to make the catch and run in for the score. This particular play showed what a good running game can mean for a team. Lined up across from Chapman, Moore paused briefly to protect against the run, which gave Chapman the advantage and the space he needed to shake his defender loose and make the catch. It took Kamiakin another four plays to find Moore on a slant in the endzone to make it 21-20, with the extra needed to tie the game. Weisenfells, who was scored on for the tying touchdown earlier in the game, improved on his previous attempt at blocking the kick by getting a full hand on the ball, sending it slightly skyward, only to drop at weakly at the endzone line. Weisenfells didn't even need to look for the ball as rolled out of his dive with his hands raised triumphantly.

In a game like this there are several seemingly small plays that make a big difference in the final outcome. A few of them in this game were big hits in the secondary by Chapman, Mendoza, and Weisenfells that caused dropped passes, tough play at multiple D line spots from Brigham Whitby, and more good linebacking, by Strasser especially, and ferocious running by Stanfield and McCary(McCary had 118 yards, Stanfield had 102 plus 75 yards on bubble passes, the first time both have gone over 100 yards in a game) and, as always, tough line play throughout the game. Despite giving up 9 or 10 inches in height to the receiver he was covering, Weisenfells made a play that prevented a score in the third quarter. On a long pass, the receiver put his hands on the ball and would have come down with it in the endzone if not for Weisenfells diving up and back to punch the ball out. Close games are won with small details on big plays, and this game was a good example of that.

The undefeated Bombers face the 3-3 Walla Walla Blue Devils at Fran Rish Stadium this Friday at 7.

Go Bombers!