Game Recap September 26, 2023
Ben Reynolds; Herald staff writer
The Richland Bombers were a good football team before Jake Haworth arrived.
But the transfer from Columbia (Burbank) has turned the Bombers into a championship-caliber team.
Haworth helped Richland pull away from Pasco late on its way to a 27-0 win and a share of the CBL 4A league title Friday night at Edgar Brown Stadium.
It's Richland's first league title since 1999, the same year the Bombers won their last state title. Richland (7-2, 5-1 CBL 4A), which shares the league title with Wenatchee, earns the No. 2 seed at regionals and will play host to Lewis & Clark on Saturday at Fran Rish Stadium.
The Panthers (8-1, 5-1) earned the league's No. 1 seed by virtue of their 35-28 win over Richland on Sept. 28. Pasco finished its season 3-6, 2-4.
"This is a great feeling," said Haworth, who completed 7 of 8 passes for season-high 190 yards and a touchdown.
Haworth, who served a five-game suspension to begin the season, improved to 3-0 as a starter and helped the Bombers to their fourth straight win and first playoff spot since 2003.
"He's made a difference and everybody has really stepped up," said Richland coach Garrick Redden.
But while Haworth has given the Bombers an added dimension on offense, Marcelino Morales continues to be the guy to shoulder the bulk of the production on the ground. Last year's league most valuable player had another solid game, finishing with 166 yards on 27 carries.
Most of those yards came in the second half against a worn out Pasco defense that allowed 20 fourth-quarter points. Morales had just six yards on 11 carries in the first half.
"We were really, really frustrated at halftime," Redden said. "They were doing a lot of good things on defense."
But that all turned around as the shifty, elusive Morales hid behind his big offensive line and broke free for some big runs in the second half. His biggest was a 46-yard cutback that ended in a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to give Richland a 21-0 lead.
Pasco's offense could never punch it through against the little-talked about Richland defense that posted its fourth shutout of the season.
"I can't believe we ended the season like this," said Pasco sophomore running back Austin Wilborn, who finished with 76 yards on 18 carries.
The Bulldogs, who were eliminated from the playoffs last week, only got inside Richland territory once in the second half and had that drive stalled at the Bombers' 41-yard line.
Pasco's best offensive drives came in the first half, but each time were halted by a Carlin Andrew interception.
- YouTube 2007 Richland Bombers @ Pasco Bulldogs
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October 26, 20071234Final
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Richland Bombers27
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Pasco Bulldogs0
