Game Recap September 12, 2023
Jack Millikin; Herald staff writer
The Hanford Falcons stopped Columbia Basin 4A League rushing leader Marcelino Morales dead in his tracks on his first carry Friday night at Fran Rish Stadium.
But Morales adjusted on the fly, coming up with his own plan during the Bombers' 19-0 shutout of the Falcons.
Mainly, don't get tackled.
"That first play they completely stopped our zone blocking, so I resigned myself to bouncing things outside," said Morales, who totaled 189 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries, including second-half scoring runs of 22 and 38 yards.
The senior running back pushed his way into the 1,000-yard club for the second straight season, bringing his 2007 total to 1,024 with three games left in the regular season.
"Marcelino is the focal point of our offense right now. We're obviously very proud of him," said Richland coach Garrick Redden. "But give credit to the offensive line."
Hanford came in with the top-ranked offense in the CBL 3A, topping the league with 926 rushing yards and averaging 319 yards from scrimmage per game.
But Richland limited the Falcons running attack to just 79 yards and held Hanford to 130 total, much to the chagrin of Hanford coach Rob Oram.
"We were ready to win the second half," he said. "You could have knocked me over with a feather when we didn't."
The Falcons certainly didn't help themselves much on their opening drive, backing themselves up to their own 14-yard line with a 15-yard dead-ball foul with Richland leading 6-0.
"The opening drive was pivotal to the outcome," Oram said. "We didn't necessarily self-destruct, but we had some physical and mental mistakes that cost us."
Redden was also frustrated by his own team's mental mistakes, as the two teams combined for 15 penalties for 149 yards.
"I was personally frustrated," Redden said. "It's hard to call our offense when you're first-and-20. It throws the momentum of the game off."
Oram also credited a "bigger, faster and stronger" Richland team that kept building momentum after a 6-0 halftime lead. The Bombers offense added another dimension with quarterback Jake Haworth, who ran six times for 38 yards after replacing Hayden Hilty in the second half.
- YouTube 2007 Richland Bombers vs. Hanford Falcons
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October 5, 20071234Final
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Hanford Falcons00000
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Richland Bombers606719
- 1st Quarter
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Touchdown: Marcelino Morales 22 Yd Run (kick failed)
Richland 6, Hanford 0 - 3rd Quarter
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Touchdown: Morales 3 Yd Run (run failed)
Richland 12, Hanford 0 - 4th Quarter
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Touchdown: Morales 38 Yd Run (Jacob Moreno kick)
Richland 19, Hanford 0
