Game Recap October 15, 2011
If there isn't such a thing as an uneasy-easy victory, then the Richland Bombers just invented it as they rolled over the Walla Walla Blue Devils 31-15 at Borleske Stadium.
From the opening kickoff, the Bombers were in control. Richland took that kick and marched down the field scoring when Zack Whitby ran in for a four yard touchdown. Defensively, Walla Walla just couldn't get the ball moving and if my stats are correct, the Blue Devils didn't get a first down until the very last play of the first half. Meanwhile, Richland scored two more times. The first coming on a 32-yard field goal by Q Taychack, and the second on another Whitby touchdown run, this time for 1 yard.
Going into halftime the Bombers were cruising with a 17-0 lead. But if you have ever encountered a game in Walla Walla, you know for a fact that nothing comes easy.
The Blue Devils took the opening kickoff of the second half determined to make the Bombers earn a victory. Behind the three-pronged attack of Moe Handcox, Jonah Hoe, and Dakota Turner, Walla Walla marched the ball down the field very effectively. The only thing that stopped them was Ellijah Gardaya who intercepted Handcox's pass to Hoe in the end zone. Then it got weird. At first, Ellijah saw enough daylight in front of him that he thought running the ball out of the end zone was a good idea, but what light he saw suddenly turned blue so he decided to take a step back and take a knee. Unfortuntely he had already cross the goal line so the referees awarded Walla Walla a safety. 17-2 Bombers.
The ensuing kickoff gave the Blue Devils excellent field position at their own 44 yard line and they were on the march again and a score could make the game more interesting than the Bombers wanted. Thanks to a massive penalty on an illegal reciever call and a stiffened defense, the Bombers were able to get the ball back before any damage could happen.
With the ball back, the Bombers struck quickly. Zack Whitby found Ellijah Gardaya running up the middle and for the next 83 yards it was just Ellijah and a sea of blue jerseys. It reminded me of a chase scene on an L.A. freeway, and it was the longest play from scrimmage all year. It couldn't have come at a better time.
Walla Walla got on the board late in the third quarter on a 15 yard pass to Moe Handcox from Jonah Hoe but the damage had been done. Despite owning the third quarter for all but four plays, the Blue Devils found themselves behind 24-8.
The Bombers had one more nice, sustained drive in the fourth quarter. For most of the game, the Blue Devil defense had done a good job of bottling up the run, but Richland was determined to show that they could run the ball and proceeded to rely on B.K. Robinson and Cameron Simpson to take them home. Simpson completed the march with a 5 yard touchdown and a 31-8 lead.
Walla Walla scored one more time to make it 31-15 but the biggest highlight of the fourth quarter was the massive amount of yellow handkerchiefs flying around the field. Both teams ended up with an embarassing number of penalties (Richland with 10 for 101 and Wa-Hi with 12 for 91), so it did get a little ugly.
Next week, the Bombers play their most important game of the year when the 6-1 Eisenhower Cadets visit Fran Rish Stadium. For the Bombers to have any chance of a playoff berth, they need to beat the Cadets so this game is rather huge. I really hope you consider coming out next Friday night to cheer on the Bombers.
To take a line from current events, let's OCCUPY FRAN RISH STADIUM!
Go Bombers!
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October 14, 20111234Final
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Richland Bombers31
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Walla Walla Blue Devils15
