Game Recap May 18, 2022
Jahmal Corner; Herald staff writer
Shayne Kelly owed 'em one. So he paid up - big time.
Kelly intercepted Richland quarterback Nick Leid inside Pasco's 20-yard line with just 31 seconds remaining, ending the Bombers' late rally and sealing a 28-24 CBL 4A victory for the Bulldogs on Friday at Fran Rish Stadium.
With the game-saving play, Kelly acquitted himself after breathing life back into the Bombers on an earlier possession.
Nursing a 28-17 lead with three minutes remaining, and threatening to score again, Kelly threw an ill-advised pass off his back foot that was intercepted at Richland's 1-yard line by Marcelino Morales and returned 40 yards.
Despite more than making up for the blunder, the game's closing sequence of events still left Kelly in a bad mood.
"We shouldn't have even been in that position," Kelly said. "It was stupid on my part. I'm the quarterback of this team and I almost gave it away."
Leid and the Bombers' offense needed two minutes to turn the interception into a touchdown, overcoming an illegal pass penalty and quarterback sack to march 59 yards for the score.
Leid lobbed a pass to the right corner of the end zone where Garrett Sutherland made a sensational one-handed grab, making it 28-24 after a Jacob Moreno extra point - the Bombers had no timeouts, and in a hectic scramble didn't get a chance to go for 2.
Richland continued the charge by recovering its onside kick, when Brian Flanagan came out of a scrum with the ball.
That gave the boys in green 52 seconds to go 45 yards. A roughing-the-passer penalty on Pasco (8-1, 6-0) made the distance just 30 yards before Kelly came up with the big play.
"The kids responded well, and I couldn't be prouder of them," said Richland coach Garrick Redden. "They played hard and that's what a rivalry is about."
It was definitely a rivalry. If fans couldn't see that, they could most certainly hear it. Both teams had their fair share of big hits.
Pasco's Lucas Urlacher, who ran for a hefty 239 yards on 26 carries, was popped so hard at the line of scrimmage during the first quarter, the ball popped out of his hands and into the arms of Richland cornerback Isaac Butts.
Richland back Morales, who transferred from Pasco last spring, had his helmet knocked off.
Morales did some damage as well though, running for 117 yards, but it seemed as though every time the Bombers plodded along for a score, the Bulldogs found an offensive shortcut.
Urlacher had touchdown runs of 50 and 43 yards while Kelly had TD passes of 30 and 29 yards.
"We were trying to keep momentum," said Urlacher, whose team will play host to Lewis & Clark in a regional playoff game Friday at Edgar Brown Stadium. "The line did a great job. We showed who we are and what we need to do."
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October 27, 20061234Final
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Pasco Bulldogs01414028
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Richland Bombers0143724
- 2nd Quarter
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Touchdown: Garett Sutherland 3 Yd Pass from Nick Leid (kick failed)
Richland 6, Pasco 0 -
Touchdown: Lucas Urlacher 50 Yd Run (Shayne Kelly Kick)
Pasco 7, Richland 6 -
Touchdown: Leid 9 Yd Run (Issac Butts Pass from Leid)
Richland 14, Pasco 7 -
Touchdown: Cameron Johnson 29 Yd Pass from Kelly (Shayne Kick)
Richland 14, Pasco 14 - 3rd Quarter
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Field Goal: Jacob Moreno 22 Yd Field Goal
Richland 17, Pasco 14 -
Touchdown: Urlacher 42 Yd Run (Kelly Kick)
Pasco 21, Richland 17 -
Touchdown: Justin Perez 30 Yd Pass from Kelly (Kelly Kick)
Pasco 28, Richland 17 - 4th Quarter
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Touchdown: Sutherland 15 Yd Pass from Leid (Moreno Kick)
Pasco 28, Richland 24
