Sleeping on the Hawks - By Dina Sloboda
 |
| The Lady Bombers celebrate with the student section after their 1-0 win over Chiawana. Photo courtesy of Brandon Bunnage. |
The Lady Bombers worked hard for this game, especially the defensive team. Using their smart thinking and their quick passes, they had led the Riverhawks in a back-and-forth cycle.
To start the game, Junior, Kelsey Fulton, who is a Division-1 commit to the University of Northern Colorado, shows the Riverhawks that she is here to win. Kelsey pushed through the defense to get her first opportunity at a goal for the Bombers. She was knocked down and given a penalty kick in the first phases of the game. Kelsey would drive home the kick to put the Bombers up.
Throughout the game, senior Savannah Crithfied shuffles through the midfield while giving great passes to her team. Equally, teammate Maja Scholdberg quickly steals the ball from the Riverhawks as she zooms through the midfield to try and score a point. Richland senior Kendl Smith quickly goes in for the rescue as she steps in for Alyssa Marsh and blocks a goal from happening, one of many in this game. Junior Bella Bunnage uses her quick touch hitting the ball to help block the Riverhawks from scoring a point. The Lady Bombers had a great catch on the ball during the first half of the game that made them unstoppable, leading them through the second half of the game.
After halftime, the Richland Bombers defense steps in to show who’s boss. These girls played a huge role in the game, working hard to get the ball away from the other team. Melissa Roberts, a spectator of the game, pointed out the incredible defense the Bombers showed tonight saying " the defense is on point tonight."
The Bombers had additional chances at extending the lead. Junior Tiffany Turner broke through and passes to her teammate and senior captain Sorrel Stratford. Sorrel would pass the ball back where Tiffany would make a move and would be set up for a second goal chance. But the Chiawana players would prove to be quick and steal the ball, moving up the field for another scoring attempt. But then the Bomber student section would go wild as Junior Alyssa Marsh blocks the ball again while throwing herself in harm's way.
The Chiawana Riverhawks played hard to get on the board in the second half of the game. But the Bomber's defense would prove to be fast and strong.
Defense player Kendl Smith describes the game as one that needed high intensity and focuses. Smith would say "I think that it was a rocky start because we haven't played this intense of a team except for Kamiakin. But once we got it and we were relaxed. We got through and played it simple.”
This game also would be a physical one. There would be many instances where girls would be pushing and shoving throughout the second half of the game, causing a lot of rumbling with the crowd. The student section gets heated and shouts "you can't do that" to try to distract the Hawks from stealing the ball. Through a tough second half of the game, the Richland Bombers keep pushing through and doing what they are known best for playing till they win.
Overall it was one glorious game. The Bomber Ladies not only showed great sportsmanship but the heart to keep on going, grinding, and getting that winning streak. The RHS student section, yet again, shows who runs this town as they cheer and hype up their peers. Richland Bomber students are known best for supporting and showing their Bomber pride. They would cheer "Go Bombers!" while dressed up in pajamas, as they "sleep on the Hawks". Which truly they did.
Richland’s final score of 1-0 would be one of the toughest game nights of the season. Coach Justin Almquist reflects on the game saying "It’s easy to break down the game and go over all the details but we won. We got one goal and they got zero. So you have to applaud them for that". Coach Justin is happy to be working with an outstanding group of ladies this year's season.
The Bomber Ladies will continue to work on playing together with their strong defense team and a very skilled offense. Go Bombers!
