Massive Rivalry Blowout - By Stryker Luther

Richland Bombers vs Handford Falcons ended in a huge blowout of 41-0. The score ending the 1st quarter was 7-0 with #2 Jackson Woodard connecting with #10 Brody Bocek. David Lee found his groove late in the 1st quarter to put extreme pressure on the Handford offense. The Bomber offense had many good runs throughout the game. #44 Finn Bunage was a key running back as just a sophomore in high school. Finn stood out to the audience members early in the game. I interviewed #14 Sylen Kiesel-kauhane, the leading tackler in the conference. Before the game started, I asked Sylen what his mindset was going into the game against Handford. He stated, ¨We just have to play like Bombers, nothing supernatural. Bring the energy, come prepared, and get that win.¨ Having this mindset going into this big game, we can see that it clearly worked. 

Halfway through the 2nd Quarter, Brody had a Huge 25-yard first down to get the Bomber offense rolling again. The very next play, #19 Micah Mayer had an 18-yard Run to bring the team 30 yards from the Endzone. After that first down, #2 Jackson Woodard dropped back for a pass and decided to tuck the ball and run to get the Bombers' second touchdown of the game. The 1st half ended with #0 Hayden Galloway with an impressive interception, ending the 1 half of the game with the score being 14-0 in favor of the Bombers. During my interview before the game, I asked Sylen if he felt any nerves going into this game, he stated ¨No, not at all. We treat every team with respect, but we fear none of them. It fuels us as a team if anything.¨ The second play of the 3rd quarter, #14 Sylen made a huge tackle, causing Handford's running back to drop the ball, resulting in a turnover, giving the ball to Richland early on in the 3rd. The first play, Richland had the ball #2 connected with #1 Kiyen Williams, the leading conference touchdown holder, in the top corner with a toe tapper catch. Following this Crazy touchdown, Josh Jelinek decided he wanted the ball back and tried an onside kick. This was a great call because Handford was not prepared for an onside kick, and this gave Richland the ball and tons of momentum. After this onside kick, I asked a fellow Bomber parent, Travis Belisle, what his thoughts are so far in the game, and he stated ¨Richland Bombers have always been dominant against Hanford in anything we do, this game right now is proving to the people that Richland is a force not to be reckoned with.¨ With all this momentum, Richland got from the touchdown, they started marching down the field with many impressive runs and short passes with #10 and #0. 

With the amazing combination of these short runs and passes, this soon led to the Bombers in a 3rd down right on the 1-yard line. But they don't panic. Richland thrives in these intense situations. The head coach puts the touchdown on the line with #19, a sophomore leading touchdowns in the conference, and he powers through the front lines and makes the score 28-0. Bombers starting running back #5 Tucker Watkins found his groove in the late 3rd quarter, leading most of the yards for the Bomber offense. Tucker Watkins has lots of experience in the field, carrying on his starting position since his junior year. Tucker had many good runs throughout the game, but the run that stood out the most was a 21-yard run on 3rd and 17. This very impressive run gave the offense are very good chance to score a touchdown. With this momentum from this very dominant run drive, they decided to throw the defense off guard and pass. The pass worked perfectly with Jackson Woodard throwing a beautiful throw to Kiyen Williams to put the Bombers further in the lead, 35-0. The 4th Quarter was a very quiet quarter. Micah Mayer had a very impressive running TD in the mid-4th. Following this touchdown, the Bombers decided to give the 2nd string experience, and the JV team played the rest of the game. 

When the game ended, I immediately went down to the field to ask some questions. I asked Olivia Hale, a cheerleader on the Bombers, what the environment was like on the field. Olivia stated ¨It was awesome to see the school Spirit both teams have, but it is so cool to hear the chanting in the student section and everyone in the stands cheering when we score.¨