Game Recap October 22, 2018
The annual triumph over Kennewick schools is complete. Richland took down The Kennewick Lions for the ninth straight year, 35-14, but not without a fight. The game was physical and punishing, as per tradition, and was not without its share of controversial calls. Head coach Mike Neidhold improved his record against Kennewick to 8-0.
Richland's first half running game as impressive. Dhaunye Guice put on a razzle-dazzle clinic with so many highlight reel runs that it might count as bullying the Lions if he makes them public. The Bombers also aired it out plenty with three of their five touchdowns coming from Josh Fonner's arm. Despite a barrage of penalties, the offense looked good against a tough Kennewick defense, completing passes, and running at will. The red zone offense was also much improved from last week. The lone first quarter score, on the sixth play from scrimmage, was the result of a good mix of run and pass. No runs for loss and no incomplete passes looked like a good start to the game, and Cody Sanderson caught a pass on a slant from his wideout position on the left and easily made it to the endzone. Sanderson's second touchdown will be remembered for years. Kennewick tying the game only raised his ire on the following kickoff. Grabbing the ball inside the five and using exquisite balance to prevent a touchback, he steamed upfield, needing to cut only once to make his way through the swath cut by his blockers and house it. He's been close all year, and this time it all came together. The Lions went for the throat on their first play after receiving the kickoff, tossing a bomb down the right sideline, but Ryan Kriskovich was there for it and racked up his third INT of the season. Despite holding calls on consecutive plays near the endzone, Krisko was the beneficiary of another touchdown pass from Fonner that put Richland up 21-7. Starting from the 50 after a dubious late hit penalty on the kickoff, Kennewick used one big run on a broken play and long pass on a coverage snafu to get within one touchdown. The half ended at 21-14.
The Bombers plugged the leaks in the second half, which was mostly Kennewick's speedy freshman ball carrier. After one half of looking at the problem, the solution for the second half came in the form of mob violence. The Bombers were quick to fill gaps and flew to the ball with fury, pounding the line and runners into submission. Where they would fight for extra yards in the first half, the Lions were now collapsing on first contact to avoid the inevitable onslaught of green helmets. Linebacker Garrett Gillespie was a good example of this, coming in like a torpedo to fill gaps and collapse blockers. Fonner finally took it in from one yard when he saw nothing to his right but green. The drive was thirteen plays, five of them penalties on the Bombers. Guice finally got his in the fourth quarter, after runs of 10 and 27 yards, when he ran untouched from 15 yards out (and got a celebration penalty for holding the ball out over the goal line. That's literally how you score, ref. The ball crosses the line) to bring the game to its final score of 35-14.
The Bombers showed poise and grit against the Lions, fighting through blocks, persisting through a multitude of unrequited holding penalties (Kennewick had no holding penalties, which is notable in the MCC since that is our local officials' specialty call), and made big plays when they needed to. The Richland O line gets better with every game, providing space for their running backs and giving Fonner time to check down his receivers. This game marked a special occasion, Josh Fonner's first interception of the year, although it wasn't a bad throw but tipped by the intended receiver, and the Kennewick safety happened to be in the right place at the right time. Fonner has one INT on 157 attempts with one game left in the regular season. Not bad.
Speaking of one game left, that game is against the former conference leading Hanford Falcons, who have lost to Kamiakin and Hermiston. This is a big year for Hanford. They truly believe they are one of the top teams in the state and intend to prove it with an easy win against the Bombers next Friday at Fran Rish, aka The Bomber Bowl. The Falcons have been outscored by the Bombers 144-14 in the last three years, so an easy win shouldn't be on their list, but they are having a good year, scoring points and getting a big win over Chiawana. It will be a game to remember and the Bomber Bowl is sure to be packed. Show up and cheer for Richland's favorite team.
Go Bombers!
- Atomic TV Richland @ Kennewick - October 19th, 2018
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October 19, 20181234Final
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Richland Bombers7147735
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Kennewick Lions0140014
- 1st Quarter
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Touchdown: Cody Sanderson 16 yard pass from Josh Fonner (Weissenfels kick) (9:57)
Richland 7, Kennewick 0 - 2nd Quarter
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Touchdown: 9 Yd Run (Kick) (9:14)
Richland 7, Kennewick 7 -
Touchdown: Cody Sanderson 98 Yd Kickoff Return (Weissenfels kick) (8:53)
Richland 14, Kennewick 7 -
Touchdown: Ryan Kriskovich 9 Yd Pass From Josh Fonner (Kick) (1:16)
Richland 21, Kennewick 7 -
Touchdown: 15 Yd Pass (Kick) (0:42)
Richland 21, Kennewick 14 - 3rd Quarter
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Touchdown: Josh Fonner 1 Yd Run (Kick) (6:53)
Richland 28, Kennewick 14 - 4th Quarter
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Touchdown: Dhaunye Guice 15 Yd Run (Kick) (11:15)
Richland 35, Kennewick 14
