Game Recap April 22, 2019
JEFF MORROW: TRI-CITY HERALD
Mike Neidhold has always looked forward to getting another Monday. It meant that his Richland football would get to practice another week –
that the team was still alive in the playoffs. There are no more Mondays this season for the Bombers, though. Richland dug itself a 14-0 hole in the first quarter and could never catch up, losing 35-21 to visiting Mead in a Class 4A regional playoff game at Lampson Stadium in Kennewick on Friday.
Mead (7-3) qualifies for the state playoffs, while Richland’s season ends at 7-3.
“There’s an old saying in football: if they’re playing two high safeties and you still can’t run the ball, you’re in for a long night,” said Neidhold. “And we couldn’t.”
Indeed. Richland had 32 carries for 62 yards.
Meanwhile, Mead rushed 39 times for 205 yards, including 102 yards on 19 carries by Cameron Crawford.
With a 20- to 30-mph wind blowing west to east, it hampered any offense trying to head into the gale.
In the first quarter, that was the Bombers. The team’s first four series were:
- A three-and-out with 4 yards of offense;
- A three-and-out with a failed fake punt that was smelled out from the getgo by the Panthers;
- A fumble by Cody Sanderson at the Richland 34 that Mead recovered;
- And two first downs before the drive bogged down and the Bombers were forced to punt.
Meanwhile, Mead scored on its second and third drives with relatively short fields: 20 yards on a 20-yard TD run by Isaiah Saldana; and 34 yards, with the 4-play drive culminating on a 2-yard Saldana score and a 14-0 Panther lead.
“That was a great start for us,” said Mead coach Benji Sonnichsen. “If you think about it, they beat us 62-7 the last time we played them (in last year’s regional playoffs). With a 14-0 lead, our guys got some confidence.”
Even when Richland came back in the second quarter, scoring on a 7- yard Sanderson run, Mead never lost control. “We gave them those two early scores and we were still just one score down in the game at halftime,” said Neidhold. “I just told them at halftime to keep playing.”
But Mead came out in the second half and regained momentum, taking the opening drive and moving 62 yards on eight plays, culminating in a 34-yard Ryan Blair to Michael Workman TD pass.
In fact, Blair would toss three TD passes in the second half, including two to Workman. The Bombers made a gallant effort in the final quarter, as QB Josh Fonner connected with Sanderson on a 66-yard TD pass, and hit Ben Fewel with an 18-yard scoring strike.
But it wasn’t enough, as Richland’s rally season – winning seven straight after dropping its first two games of the year – ended.
“I love them,” Neidhold said of his kids. “Some of these seniors made some history after winning the state title last year. We over-achieved a lot after we had some problems early in the season.”
NOTES: Fonner finished with 209 yards passing. Sanderson caught seven of Fonner’s passes for 119 yards. … Mead LB Syl Campbell had a big game defensively, with 10 tackles (1 for loss), two pass breakups, and a fumble recovery. LB Cayden Miller added 6 tackles (1 for loss), while CB Jonathan Baird had 5 tackles, a pass breakup and a cover. … LB Garret Gillespie led the Bombers with 9 tackles, while LB teammate Camron Ball had 8 tackles.
- Atomic TV Mead @ Richland
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November 2, 20181234Final
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Mead Panthers14014735
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Richland Bombers0701421
- 1st Quarter
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Touchdown: Isaiah Saldana 20 yard run (Eli Eldridge kick)
Mead 7, Richland 0 -
Touchdown: Saldana 2 yard run (Eldridge kick)
Mead 14, Richland 0 - 2nd Quarter
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Touchdown: Cody Sanderson 7 yard run (Joseph Weissenfels kick)
Mead 14, Richland 7 - 3rd Quarter
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Touchdown: Michael Workman 34 yard pass from Ryan Blair (Eldridge kick)
Mead 21, Richland 7 -
Touchdown: Ryan Chan 6 yard pass from Blair (Eldridge kick)
Mead 28, Richland 7 - 4th Quarter
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Touchdown: Sanderson 66 yard pass from Josh Fonner (Weissenfels kick)
Mead 28, Richland 14 -
Touchdown: Workman 9 yard pass from Blair (Eldridge kick)
Mead 35, Richland 14 -
Touchdown: Ben Fewel 18 yard pass from Fonner (Weissenfels kick)
Mead 35, Richland 21
- News/Media
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G-Prep leads area into playoffs
Spokane Spokesman-Review: Thursday November 1, 2018
Spokesman-Review article by Dave Nichols previewing the weekend's 4A playoff matches.
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Playoffs kick off with one game in Pasco, 2 more at Lampson
Tri-City Herald: Friday November 2, 2018
Article in the Friday, November 2 Tri-City Herald by Jeff Morrow previewing the regional football playoffs.
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District 8 Crossovers: Mead 35, Richland 21
Spokane Spokesman-Review: Sunday November 4, 2018
Article in the November 4, 2018 edition of the Spokesman-Review
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Richland's season ends with loss to Mead
Tri-City Herald: Sunday November 4, 2018
Sunday, November 4, 2018 edition of the Tri-City Herald article by Jeff Morrow.
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