Richland Handed First Loss Against Chiawana - By Karina Silva
Richland received a devastating first loss in the hands of Chiawana Thursday night in the first home game of the season, 27-14. Prior to this loss, Chiawana had beaten Richland last year 39-27. The all-time record between these competitive teams is 6-8 with the Riverhawks leading the series. The key story entering this game was that Riverhawk receivers Micheal Hansen and Justin Webber would be missing, so it was a huge question as to who would step up for Chiawana. Two returning people would try to answer the call: quarterback DJ Duran for the Riverhawks and runningback Hunter Taylor.
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| Photo: Josie Allen (RHS Yearbook) |
Bombers would have their chances in this game, but not in the first quarter. The game began with the Riverhawks kicking the ball and Richland receiving. From the jump, Chiawana’s defense was on point, tackling Senior quarterback Josh Woodard. The Riverhawks, for the majority of the game ran the ball, giving it to Hunter Taylor. DJ Duran found ways for Taylor to run through Richland’s defense. In the game's first drive, Richland could not stop Taylor, resulting in a touchdown and Chiawana taking an early lead. As soon as Richland got the ball, the plan was to run the ball for the Bombers because the Riverhawks defense was always finding a way to prevent Woodard by the amount of coverage and pressure they put on him and by being able to defend when Woodard threw the ball to the offense. Richland was not able to convert on the first possession of the game.
Richland did put pressure on Duran toward the end of the first quarter. But both quarterbacks felt the pressure. Woodard could not find a rhythm with his receivers. Near the end of the first quarter, Woodard gets picked off by Brook Zarrow, who takes it back for a touchdown and gives Chiawana a big lead early in the game. There were plenty of holding calls against the Bombers that gave them struggles on moving the sticks.
Entering the second quarter, Chiawana continues the attack with the defense not letting Richland get anything, but the star quarterback Woodard finds his receiver Brody Brocek for a touchdown. However, the referees called the Bombers for a holding penalty and took the points off the board. But Woodard would come back and find Colson Mackey, who dives for the touchdown and gives RHS some motivation. The rivalry between these two teams is very engaging to watch with the level of competition between both teams. The game looked to be a back-and-forth battle if the Bombers could keep down the turnovers.
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| Photo: Josie Allen (RHS Yearbook) |
When Taylor got the ball he always seemed to put up yards for his team. But two-way starter Rayce Reeves from the Richland stops a huge touchdown from happening at the 5:00 mark of the second. There was a questionable non-call later in the first half. Taylor hurdled over a group of defenders with the question being asked, 'Why wasn’t it called for a flag when it’s not allowed to do that in high school football?' The ball went back into the hands of Richland with less than a minute left. Woodard zoomed through the defense to the 35, but a penalty was called for a penalty. With time running out, Woodard would throw another interception to try and take a shot at the endzone.
To start the second half, the Riverhawks get the ball with a 14-7 lead. They would get to work early with a 20-yard return on the kickoff. Cannon Weikum would be looking over the Riverhawks offense as they set up using the same formation, two tight ends, and two receivers with Taylor in the backfield. This was a physical game and quarterback Duran could be seen limping around during the game with athletic trainers always attending him. The attention from the trainers was probably due to Gavin Wilcox, who recorded two sacks in the third quarter.
The second-half offense for the Bombers would begin to try and pick up the pace. Reeves gets enough space to catch a long pass to the middle from Woodard. Richland's John Simons, a wide receiver, gets the ball out to the 37-yard line, but another holding call pumped the breaks on the offense. And then disaster struck. A high snap would go over Woodard's head that he couldn’t get, the ball fumbling, and the Riverhawks scoop it up for another defensive touchdown. With the score now 21-7, it is clear that these two turnovers are the keys to Chiawana's victory. Richland understands that it is crucial to score and comes back, scoring a huge touchdown with the powerful assist and throw from Woodard to Mackey. This is a statement for the Bombers that they are always a threat with the ball in their hands. Kicker Jason Slack adds the extra point to make it a 21-14 game.
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| Photo: Josie Allen (RHS Yearbook) |
Following the touchdown, Duran throws a bad ball and is picked off by Reeves. The momentum is clearly in favor of the Bombers. However, Chiawana's defense would prove to give Richland trouble, and RHS would be unable to utilize the turnover. On the next possession, Chiawana would chip away at the field. Richland's defense would make Taylor earn every yard, but Taylor forced himself into the end zone, making it a 27-14 game with 9:20 left. This score was the exclamation mark and the hole seemed too daunting a task for the Bombers facing such a tough opponent. This would be the final score for these two electric teams and one cannot think if two easy score turnovers would give a different outcome.
I got to speak to one Bomber alumni in the stands who had “high hopes” for the team entering this game. Despite the loss, there were outstanding performances from Josh Woodard, Rayce Reeves, and John Simons. Hunter Taylor gave his all that game, and DJ Duran played well for his first game back. But giving credit to the home crowd, they were very supportive of the team, hoping for a comeback knowing what this Richland team is capable of, but sadly they came up short. After the game, I spoke to Richland quarterback Josh Woodard and reflected on the game and what lies ahead. “It was a great game, and I’m proud of the way we battled. We have tons to learn from this game." Following the loss, Richland looks to shake it off and overcome the next game against the Pasco Bulldogs on 9/29.
