One year ago the Hanford Falcons were finally able to claim victory over their crosstown rivals. This year, the Falcons were looking for more of the same at Fran Rish Stadium but the Richland Bombers canceled those plans with a 28-7 victory.

These games are never easy. Both teams seem to find a little extra when playing each other and this year was no different. Richland received the opening kickoff but the Falcon defense held strong. The Bomber defense then returned the favor and Hanford was forced to punt. Derek Redden received the punt and raced 30 yards back to the Falcon 17 yard line. Three plays later, Anthony Galat scored on a 7-yard run and Richland was ahead 7-0.

Hanford marched right back. Starting on the 35 yard line after the kickoff sailed out of bounds, the Falcons embarked on a 9-play drive that took them deep into Bomber territory to the 9 yard line. The Bomber defense stiffened up and held Will Bishop to 1 yard on 4th and 2, and the Richland offense took over on downs.

On their next series, Hanford tried a fake punt inside their own 50 but were again stopped a yard short and relinquished the ball on their own 49 yard line. Six seconds later, Gibson McGeorge received a Zach Whitby pass outran several Falcon defenders to the far corner of the endzone for a 49 yard touchdown and a 14-0 Bomber lead.

The Falcons would not quit. Again receiving the ball on their own 35 yard line, Hanford ate up the rest of the first quarter and four minutes of the second on a 10 play, 65 yard drive. Will Bishop finished the job running straight through the Bomber line for a 15 yard touchdown. The Falcons were right back in it, down only 14-7.

The Hanford defense quickly forced a three and out and again chewed up four more minutes with an eleven play drive. Once again, though, the Bomber defense shut them down when they had to and Richland received the ball on their own 30 with only 2:16 left in the first half. They moved the ball rather quickly. Bennett Peterson ripped off runs of 12 and 10 yards, and Zach Whitby scrambled for another 10 to get the ball to the Falcon 18 yard line. Two sacks later, the Bombers were faced with fourth down and a ton of yards when Whitby again found McGeorge at the 5-yard line and Gibson plowed through his defender to score a touchdown and take the Bombers into halftime with a 21-7 lead.

After an extended halftime that included a band performance, princesses and BMWs, both teams took their time getting back into the game. Each of the first three series ended in punts until the Bomber received the ball on the Falcon 48 yard line with 4:40 left in the third quarter. Two plays later, Whitby connected with Garrett March and he streaked down the sideline for a 48 yard touchdown that gave the Bombers their final tally and ended the scoring at 28-7.

This could have been a trap game for the Bombers, what with homecoming, senior night, and fireworks scheduled for the postgame festivities. Fortunately for the Bombers they were able to shake off the distractions and deliver a very solid game against a tougher-than-their-record Hanford Falcons. The only real nitpik in their game at this time has been their recent ability to attract yellow handkerchiefs. This week's count was 14 penalties for 126 yards. Coach Neidhold knows they have to clean that up before the playoffs start but he is pretty pleased with how they have responded since their lone loss to Chiawana.

Next up for the Bombers will be the Pasco Bulldogs next Friday night, November 1, 2013 at Edgar Brown Memorial Stadium in Pasco. The game starts at 7:00 so pack some blankets, hats and mittens and join the Bombers as they close out the Mid-Columbia League season against their longtime rivals.

Go Bombers!