Game 9: Mead 17, Richland 0
 |
Mead Panthers |
17 |
 |
Richland Bombers |
0 |
November 2, 2012
The Richland Bombers hooked up with the Mead Panthers trying to extend their season into the state playoffs but it was the Panthers who came away with the 17-0 win.
The Bombers received the opening kickoff and in typical fashion embarked on a long opening drive. Starting on their own 32 yard line, Richland went 14 plays before running out of downs on the Mead 4 yard line. The drive ended when Zach Whitby's pass to Spencer Wheeler was knocked away. Unfortunately for the Bombers, this would be there best shot at the end zone.
The Panthers took over at their own 4 yard line and didn't need half the plays to cover the 96 yards they needed. Starting with a 34-yard run by Austin Stone and finishing with a 44 yard pass from Gunnar Kayser to Darian Barlow for a 44-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 Mead lead.
The Bombers tried to get something started but never got back into Mead territory.
With two minutes left in the second quarter, Mead's Garrett Norris took the ball on a sweep and ran 73 yards for a 14-0 lead. In the second half, the Panthers played ball control.
The Bomber defense played a great ball game but the offense could not establish a consistent drive. For the Bombers there is always hope for next year with a good nucleus of juniors returning.
Thank you very much for coming out to the stadium this year and reading my game stories. I am hoping to have time this winter to be able to add some new features to the website before the 2013 season.
Go Bombers!
Game 8: Richland 35, Pasco 0
 |
Pasco Bulldogs |
0 |
|
Richland Bombers |
35 |
October 26, 2012
The Richland Bombers came into their game needing only a win to clinch the number one 4A playoff spot for the Mid-Columbia Conference. They checked off that goal with a 35-0 pasting of the Pasco Bulldogs on a cold, drizzly night at Fran Rish Stadium.
The Bomber offense came out quickly and scored on a 4-play, 76-yard drive. Anthony Galat ate up the largest chunk of ground with a 51-yard run down the Bomber sideline. Zach Whitby then hit my favorite Bomber, Gibson McGeorge with a 15-yard pass and Richland had the lead at 7-0 with 10:32 left in the first quarter.
After that, the game was never really in doubt. Josh Phillips and Mason Baird each had interceptions and Hunter Chambers grabbed two more to keep the Bulldogs from ever establishing a real threat in the game.
Zach Whitby threw for 208 yards and completed four touchdown passes including a 17-yard touchdown pass to Sheldon Liikala, another 3 yard pass to Gibson McGeorge to make the score 21-0 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Josh Phillips added a 32-yard touchdown run that contributed to his 121 total yards on 18 carries.
Whitby then finished the scoring with a swing pass to Garret March, who proceeded to find a bundle of running room enroute to a 65-yard touchdown and a 35-0 Bomber win.
Richland needs to savor this win while they can because next week's game is going to present a much larger challenge. The Mead Panthers invade Fran Rish Stadium next Friday night, November 2, 2012 at 7:00PM. The sixth-ranked Panthers are 8-1 and their only loss is to Greater Spokane League champion Gonzaga Prep. This is a play-in game to determine who gets a bid to the state playoffs so there is a lot riding on this game for both teams.
Rememeber, next Friday night, Richland versus the Mead Panthers.
Go Bombers!
Game 7: Hanford 31, Richland 14
 |
Hanford Falcons |
31 |
|
Richland Bombers |
14 |
October 19, 2012
History was made tonight as the home standing Hanford Falcons defeated the visiting Richland Bombers in Fran Rish Stadium 31-14, thus becoming the first Falcon squad to win a football game against their cross-town rival. Of course, this is only the seventh game in the series so it is not long-standing futility on the field but I bet if you quiz your local Hanford alum you would realize it is a pretty big deal.
The Falcons really had only one game plan. Give the ball to Jalen DeVine which is exactly what they did on the first drive of the game. Nine out of Hanford's first 11 plays featured DeVine behind a monster line as the Falcons marched 75 yards and scoring on a 7-yard run to take a 7-0 lead.
The Bombers then got the ball on their second drive and duplicated that effort though nine out of their twelve plays were through the air. Richland's scoring drive started on their own 32-yard line and featured the air game because senior running back Cameron Simpson was out with an injury. Zach Whitby found Cody O'Toole in the end zone for the touchdown and the game was tied at 7-7.
In the second quarter, the Bombers started with a short field on the Hanford 45 yard line. Whitby peppered the Falcon defense culminating in a 5-yard touchdown pass to Sheldon Liikala and the lead at 14-7.
At this point in the game, the Bomber defense was bending but stiffened up the closer the Falcons got to the end zone. Hanford finished the second half with a 27 yard field goal from Will Bishop to make the halftime score Bombers 14, Falcons 10.
The second half of the game was like a bad episode of Twilight Zone. I have used the old cliche before but tonight, Hanford proved that the best defense is a good offense.
I've been going over the stats for the six previous games and the Bombers have only managed 13 points in the third quarter. Hanford must have seen the same stat because after the Bombers were forced to punt, the Falcons simply did not let Richland have the ball.
The Falcons took over at their own 20-yard line with 10:14 remaining in the third quarter. Jalen DeVine got nine yards on his opening run and then the Bomber defense shut him down. Forced to punt on fourth and two at their own 29-yard line, Hanford took a huge gamble and ran the fake. Malik Slack took off for the sideline for three yards and a first down. The Falcons then proceeded to take the rest of the third quarter and 37 seconds of the fourth (over ten minutes) to cover the remaining 69 yards. A 20-play drive capped off by Jalen DeVine's second touchdown run from five yards out and the Falcons took the lead for good at 17-14.
The Bomber offense finally got back on the field but their drive ended at the 50-yard line. The Falcons took the ball back and methodically marched down the field again, chewing up time and yardage until they found themselves inside the Bomber 10 yard line with a first down. But despite the fact that they had been on the field almost the entire half, the Bomber defense stoned the Falcons and got the ball back on their own 6-inch line.
Key the Rudy music, bring up the orchestra with Rocky runnnig the back streets of Philadelphia as Richland found itself 99.5 yards away from a go ahead score. The Bombers behind wildcat quarterback Mason Baird were able to quickly get the ball out to safer territory at the 10 yard line. But as luck would have it, the Bomber ball carrier fumbled. The Falcons Joe Douglas played footsies with the ball until he finally got a good grasp on it and rumbled the last seven yards into the endzone for a heartbreaking touchdown and a 24-14 Falcon lead.
The Bombers next drive ended when Slack intercepted a Zach Whitby pass at the Bomber 35-yard line. DeVine put the Bombers out of their misery with a 30 yard touchdown run that put the game out of reach at 31-14 and sent the Falcon student body into utter frenzy.
Well, the Bombers live another day. Next Friday night, the Bulldogs from Pasco come for a visit and the Richland faithful can take their rightful spot back on the home side for Senior Night. By next week we should have a better idea of where the Bombers will be playing on November 2 in the traditional GSL Crossover series. It looks at this point like Gonzaga Prep and Mead will be the 4A representatives from Spokane but with these crazy 4A/3A leagues your guess is as good as mine.
Hope to see you next Friday night.
Go Bombers!
How much is it to go to a game?
I have had a few inquiries over the last week so I thought I had better post this.
How much is a Richland Bomber home game? I am glad you asked...
- Adults - $5.00
- Students and Senior Citizens - $3.00
- RHS Student with ASB - Free
Checks are payable to Richland School District.
Have a great time!
Go Bombers!
Game 6: Richland 20, Post Falls 14
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Post Falls Trojans |
14 |
|
Richland Bombers |
20 |
October 12, 2012
The Bombers hosted a new oppponent in the form of the Post Falls (Idaho) Trojans and were able to slip away with a 20-14 win.
Like the previous weeks, the Bombers tried their best to get a fast start. After 13 plays and 63 yards, though, the drive fell flat on the Post Falls 10-yard line.
The Trojans tried to get a good start of their own but fumbled the ball and Mason Baird recovered the ball on the 24-yard line. Trying to strike quickly, Zack Whitby's pass into the end zone was intercepted by Axel Carlson for a touchback. The Trojan's ensuing drive fizzled quckly and Post Falls was forced to punt.
The Bombers, starting on their own 43-yard line handed the ball over to Josh Phillips. With 6 yards on his first carry and 9 yard on his second, Phillips was on a roll. On his next carry, he got the block he needed and took the remaining 42 yards in one fell swoop and the Bombers were on the board 7-0.
The Trojans didn't let the lead stand for long. Taking over on their own 20 Post Falls drove the ball down the field using up almost six minutes and capped the drive with a 1-yard run by Tyler Slater to tie the score at 7-7.
After halftime, the Bombers had trouble getting their offense started. Disaster struck after their first drive when one of the Bomber linemen got knocked off his block and Zach Whitby's rugby punt nailed him square on the back. The ball sailed all the way back to the Bomber 20. In four short plays the Trojans led 14-7 thanks to a five yard run by Mason Lickfold.
The Bombers next two drives rendered more futility and the game was starting to take on an ominious tone. The Trojans missed on a 47-yard field goal try at the end of the third quarter and the Bombers took over. Similar to the start of the game, the Bombers finally got the ball moving and marched the ball down the field on another 13 play drive. This time, though, Cameron Simpson was able to punch the ball through from the three and the game was tied at 14-14.
The Bomber defense stiffened up and Post Falls was forced to punt from their own 13 giving he Bombers excellent field position on the Trojan's 40-yard line. Four plays later, Simpson fought through the line and streaked toward the northwest goal line, barely beating the defenders to the pylon for a 29-yard touchdown. The extra point, though, was blocked and the Bombers held a tenous lead at 20-14.
The Trojans never gave up and moved the ball down the field and found themselves within sniffing distance of the goal line with less than 45 seconds remaining. Quarterback Joey Pfennings took four consecutive shots at the end zone but fortunately for the Bombers his passes all found ground.
It was definitely not a pretty game and hopefully the Bombers will be able to work the kinks out of their offense because the Hanford Falcons are looming on the horizon.
Next Friday night, October 20th at 7:00PM the Richland Bombers will visit Fran Rish Stadium to play the homestanding Hanforfd Falcons in the now-annual Battle of Richland. Unlike previous years, though, this Falcon team is very good sitting at 5-2 and not very happy after dropping tonight's game to the Kennewick Lions.
I would suggest that you come down to the game early. Hanford is the home team so the Bomber faithful will need to find their seats on the visitor's side. This should really be a fun game and both teams deserve a very large, very loud crowd to cheer them on.
See you next Friday night;.
Go Bombers!
Game 5: Richland 29, Kennewick 14
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Kennewick Lions |
14 |
|
Richland Bombers |
29 |
October 5, 2012
If you hold onto the ball long enough, it makes it tougher for the other team to score. The Richland Bombers proved this theory tonight in their game against the Kennewick Lions in a 29-14 victory.
For the second week in a row, the Bombers took the ball on their first posession and marched it down the field for a touchdown. Starting on their own 45-yard line the Richland offense bulled through the Kennewick defense with relative ease. Cameron Simpson got the Bombers on the board with a 5-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 lead.
The rest of the first half saw both teams shoot themselves in the foot with turnovers. The Lions lost a fumble and suffered two interceptions while the Bombers had their own trouble and saw a long 16 play drive end on the two yard line to a fumble of their own.
Early in the third quarter with the game still at 7-0, the Bombers launched an 80-yard, 16-play drive. Mixing in an even ratio of runs to passes, Richland ate up yards and the clock. Zach Whitby threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Cody O'Toole to up their lead to 14-0.
Any comfort received from their touchdown was quickly extinguished on the ensuing kickoff. The Lion's Devven Ramos caught the kickoff at the 10-yard line and followed the wall and didn't stop. 90 yards later Kennewick was right back in the ball game. The extra point flew wide, thought, and the Bomber lead was slightly more comfortable at 14-6.
The Bombers then started their game of keepaway. Whitby dropped back and threw a beautiful pass to Garrett March who hauled it in a ran for 65 yards. A few plays later, Whitby found Gibson McGeorge for 9 yards and a 21-6 lead.
Trying to avoid another long runback, the Bombers opted for a surprise onside kick. The ball squirted through the front line of the Kennewick return team and Bennett Peterson pounced on the ball at the Lion 42. Zach was more impatient this time around and threw to Deric Samples for a 42-yard touchdown pass. He then found Brock Whitby in the end zone for the 2-point conversion and the Bombers were much more comfortable at 29-7.
Kennewick was able to get their offense on the field and back on track and finished off the scoring when Dylan Tennancour threaded the needle between three Bomber defenders and a strong Kaden Julian came down with the six points. The Lions ran the ball in for 2. Richland was able to run out the clock for the final 29-14 win.
This was a nice win for the Bombers. After letting the other two Kennewick teams beat them in the fourth quarter, the Bombers came on strong and avoided the sweep.
Next Friday night, the Richland Bombers will go non-conference and take on Post Falls Trojans from Idaho at Fran Rish Stadium. The Trojans are currently 1-5 in the very touch 5A Inland Empire League. Bring out the family and enjoy some great football under the Friday Night lights.
Go Bombers!
Game 4: Kamiakin 25, Richland 14
|
Richland Bombers |
14 |
 |
Kamiakin Braves |
25 |
September 28, 2012
The Richland Bombers came out on fire at Lampson Stadium but couldn't maintain the heat and dropped a game to the Kamiakin Braves 25-14.
The Bombers won the coin toss, caught the kickoff, and proceeded to excert their will against the Braves. Zach Whitby found a streaking Gibson McGeorge down the middle of the field and Gibson rumbled 43 yards to the Kamiakin 11-yard line. Two plays later, Whitby executed a perfect quarterback draw for a 5-yard touchdown and a quick 7-0 lead.
After the Braves were forced to punt, the Bombers were at it again, this time highlighted by a 51-yard run by Josh Phillips that put the ball deep in Kamiakin territory. Unfortunately, the effort went for naught when Kevin Garza's 25 yard field goal attempt was blocked.
The Bombers then put the Braves on their heels when Mason Baird intercepted a Kylle Robertson pass at the Kamiakin 24. Two plays later, Whitby connected with Sheldon Liikala for a 9-yard touchdown pass and Richland was cruising.
And then it stopped. I can't pinpoint exactly what happened but somewhere between the first and second quarters the momentum shifted. I imagine in my head as one of the old World War II movies where one engine on the B-17 flames out and dies. The pilot and the co-pilot look at each other and try to act like it's normal. But then the second engine flames out and they know that it's just a matter of time before physics wins.
The Braves turnaround started innocently enough. With little over 5 minutes remaining in the first half, they found themselves starting a new drive on their own 1-yard line. Eleven plays later, Robertson connected with Cameron Rathbun for a 13-yard touchdown. At this point the Bombers still had some luck on their side when the extra point sailed wide.
The Bombers next drive quickly went three and out and a short punt gave the Braves the ball on their own 48 with just less than a minute to go in the half. It turned out to be just enough time for Robertson and Javan Williams to march down the field with Williams scoring on a 36-yard touchdown pass. This time, Derek Redden blocked the extra point and the Bombers carried a slim 14-12 lead into halftime..
In the second half, the Bomber offense went dormant. Both defenses were holding steady but late in the third quarter, Kamiakin got moving and scored the go ahead touchdown on a 1-yard Robertson run. The final dagger came when Javan Williams intercepted a Zach Whitby pass and returned it 26-yards for a touchdown. Kamiakin finally made an extra point providing the final score of Kamiakin 25, Richland 14.
If there is any good that came out of this game it is that the Bombers will not play any more regular season games at Lampson Stadium in 2012. Each of the remaining four games will be played at Fran Rish Stadium in Richland including an away game against the Hanford Falcons.
The Bombers next opponent will be the Kennewick Lions on Friday, October 5, 2012 at 7:00PM. Kennewick, as with Southridge and Kamiakin, is very tough this year so the Bombers will have their hands full again. It should be a great game so please join us next Friday.
Go Bombers!
Game 3: Richland 21, Chiawana 14
 |
Chiawana Riverhawks |
14 |
|
Richland Bombers |
21 |
September 14, 2012
The Richland Bombers held their first home game of the 2012 season and thanks to some late-game heroics, came away with a big 21-14 win over the evenly matched Chiawana Riverhawks.
The Riverhawks came out of the gate with a definite script: give the ball to Clifton Lozano and see how things go from there. In the first eight plays, Lozano had 36 yards and three first downs. Next, the Riverhawks gave the ball to Joey Zamora and he promptly connected on four of his five passes to put Chiawana at the three yard line. Lozano capped off the drive with a three yard touchdown run and the Riverhawks led 7-0. Their first drive consumed 80 yards on 13 plays and ate up the first six minutes of the game. From the start they had you could hardly tell they had lost their first two games by a combined score of 46-14.
The Bombers looked to return the favor and started a methodical hike of their own. Eleven plays later they found themselves inside the 10-yard line and out of downs. Prior to the snap on a 29-yard field goal attempt Chiawana jumped offsides, placing the ball at the 4-yard line with only one yard needed for the first down. As luck would have it, though, the running attempt was stoned by the Riverhawk defense and the drive was over.
After a short Riverhawk drive, the Bombers got back to business this time embarking on an 8 minute, 18 play drive that hit paydirt when Zach Whitby connected with Nate Streufert and tied the score at 7-7.
Chiawana decided that wouldn't do. Instead of eating up clocktime, they just decided to get it done quickly. Grady Graff hauled in a 23 yard touchdown pass from Zamora and the Riverhawks went into the halftime locker room with a 14-7 lead.
Trying to mitigate the momentum the Riverhawks took into halftime, the Bombers started the second half quickly. Whitby connected with Gibson McGeorge for a 26-yard gain, then followed with a 20-yard strike to Josh Phillips and finished on the ground with the running of Cameron Simpson for 25 more including a 2 yard touchdown run to tie the game at 14.
After the Bombers scored, the defenses took over. Neither team could sustain a drive and late in the game it looked like overtime was inevitable.
Richland got the ball back at their own 12-yard line with only 3:30 remaining. Josh Phillips was given the ball to start the drive and in four plays later had pushed the ball ahead 25 yards. Zach Whitby then found Cameron Simpson for 12 more. Whitby then struck oil when he found Deric Samples wide open behind the Riverhawk line. Samples hauled in the pass and ran 43 yards for the winning touchdown.
Much like the Washington State Cougars, the Bombers haven't been wining pretty but they are 2-1 heading into the bye week. The Bombers next opponent will be the 3-0 Kamiakin Braves on September 28th at 7:00PM at Lampson Stadium in Kennewick.
If you are looking for something to do next Friday and Saturday night, might I suggest taking the family to Sausage Fest at Christ the King School in Richland. Sit back and have a sausage or five, or try the fresh corn-on-the-cob. It's quite fun, and tasty!
See you in two weeks!
Go Bombers!
Friday is Lonnie Pierson Night
As if the game against the Chiawana Riverhawks was not enough incentive to come out to the game, the Richland Bombers will be honoring former head coach Lonnie Pierson, inducting him into the Bomber Hall of Fame. The festivities start at 5:30PM with a tailgate party including pulled pork sandwiches.
All former Bomber players are encouraged to come out and help celebrate this great man. Coach Pierson holds the best coaching record in Bomber history at 129 wins against 63 losses. Among his teams many accomplishments starting in 1986, the Bombers did not lose a regular season conference game until 1991, a stretch of 36 conference games.
Coach Pierson's greatest on-field achievement, though, was the Bombers 1999 season when the Bombers went 13-1 and captured the 4A State Championship with a 21-18 win against the Kentwood Conquerors.
So, remember, Friday night September 14th at 5:30PM, come out and have a little food and help celebrate Coach Lonnie Pierson.
See you then! Go Bombers!
Game 2: Richland 26, Walla Walla 20
|
Richland Bombers |
26 |
 |
Walla Walla Blue Devils |
20 |
September 7, 2012
If you have followed Tri-City area football for any length of time you have come to appreciate the fact that the hardest place in the conference (whatever that conference may be) to play is in Walla Walla. There are several schools of thought as to why this is true but this is a family column. To that end, the Richland Bombers improved greatly over week one and came away with a hard-fought 26-20 victory over the Blue Devils.
Much like last week's game, the first half bore little fruit in the scoring department for either team. The Bombers were able to get on the board in the first quarter after a sustained thirteen play drive, capped off by Zach Whitby's 26 yard touchdown pass to Cody O'Toole for the 7-0 lead.
That lead carried over halftime and then both teams started kicking it into gear. Walla Walla tied the game at 7 when Jonah Hoe scored on an 11-yard run. Hoe was the workhorse for the Blue Devils, finishing with 143 yards on 26 carries.
The Bombers responded quickly when Josh Phillips broke off a 50 yard run to give Richland a 13-7 lead in the third quarter. Speaking of workhorses, Josh finished the game with 171 yards on the same 26 carries.
The Blue Devils fought hard all night and responded with a long 13 play drive. Hoe scored the touchdown on a 2-yard run and the extra point made the score 14-13. After recovering a Bomber fumble Walla Walla capitalized when Dakota Turner passed to Dean Atkinson for a 31-yard touchdown and a 20-13 lead.
Starting the fourth quarter, the Bombers knew they had to get going again. The drive started out fine with Whitby connecting on throws to Keith Kneblik for 14 yards and Sheldon Liikala for 13 more. Liikala's catch was then padded by a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty by the Blue Devils. Momentary disaster struck on the next play when the snap sailed over Whitby's head for a 29-yard loss. Undaunted by the task at hand, the Bombers came right back: 7-yard run by Derek Redden; 21-yard pass to Liikala; and then topped off by a 10-yard touchdown run by Phillips. The extra point was straight and true and the Bombers were tied again at 20.
Being a former kicker one of my favorite things to watch are long kickoffs. Kevin Garza was almost flawless in this department when four of his five kicks went for touchbacks. That's as good as a Dentyne commercial!
Garza's last touchback required the Blue Devils to start on their own 20 yard line. Late in the fourth quarter it is difficult to sustain an 80-yard drive and the Bomber defense made sure that statement was true.Walla Walla was forced to punt and gave Richland a first down 54 yards away from the go-ahead score.
The Bombers methodically marched the ball down the field quickly but were finally stalled inside the Walla Walla 10 yard line. After three unsuccessful attempts, Richland was faced with a fourth down at the 6-yard line. Whitby then hit Gibson McGeorge on a crossing pattern for a touchdown and a 26-20 Bomber win.
I've been told that now is when I should regale you with Gibson's heroic athleticism but being that he is my nephew, I firmly believe that would be unprofessional. It was fun to watch, though.
If you go through the Scores, Rosters, and More section on this website, you will be able to trace the history of Richland football through the years. 2012 celebrates the 100th anniversary of the first high school football game played in Richland. I haven't been able to pinpoint the actual date of that first game but I do know that it was in 1912. Same year Fenway Park opened and the same year the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic.
So, if you want to be a part of history, come down to the game next Friday night at Fran Rish Stadium for the Bombers first home game of the year. The Bombers will be taking on the always tough Chiawana Riverhawks. The weather should still be beautiful so come out and watch the best football the Tri-Cities has to offer. Remember, ALL of this year's game start at 7:00PM!
Go Bombers!
PS. Sorry for the delay in posting this game summary. I was in Pullman watching my beloved Eagles put a scare into those kitty cats on the Palouse. It was a very fun game to watch and even though my Eagles lost the game it was nice to see a great crowd come support Mike Leach and the Cougars.
Game 1: Southridge Suns 9, Richland Bombers 7
|
Richland Bombers |
7 |
 |
Southridge Suns |
9 |
August 31, 2012
There is winning ugly and there is losing ugly and the Richland Bombers almost did both in one game.
I have taken stats for Richland football since September of 1989 and the one thing I have learned is that numbers don't lie. The Southridge Suns had the ball for 76 plays, Richland had 44. The Suns had 279 yards of total offense and the bombers had 90 yards. The only statistical category the Bombers won on the night was punts with nine over the Suns six.
The first half of the game felt more like a soccer game and ended in a Sounder-like fashion tied at 0-0.The second half really didn't feel much different though with 7:28 remaining in the third quarter, Southridge broke the tie when Connor Mertens connected on a 37 yard field goal.
Into the fourth quarter, Southridge was starting to take command and embarked on a methodical march down the field doing a great job of both chewing up yardage at 3 to 4 yards at a time and counting down the seconds. But on the 17th play of the drive Bennett Peterson stepped in front of a Grant Lathim pass and sprinted down the field 85 yards for a Bomber touchdown and a 7-3 lead. Finally, the Bombers seemed to have found some life.
On the next drive, Southridge could not muster any offense and were forced to punt. Unfortunately as was the story the entire game to this point, the Bomber offense could not muster the needed offense to chew up the clock.
The Suns had one last shot at the win with less than two minues remaining and started throwing the ball around the field, first to Clay Gonzales for 18 yards and then a few plays later to Brendon Kelly for 34 more yards deep in Richland territory. The Bomber defense then stiffened again and knocked the Suns back with two consecutive sacks and the Suns looked all but dead.
With one play remaining in the game, Lathim rared back and spotted Kelly on the right hand side and lofted the ball. Two Bomber defenders looked to have the bead on the interception or to at least knock it down but in Harry Potter-like fashion, the ball landed in Kelly's hands on the 10 and he split through the defenders for the winning touchdown. As you can expect, bedlam ensued.
The Bombers played inspired defense for 75 straight plays but play number 76 took the wind out of their sails.
As Coach Neidhold said in the postgame interview, though, it is better to lose one like this early then to lose it late. This is only the first game of the season and the Walla Walla Blue Devils are next on the docket. It is Richland's only true road trip of the season until the playoffs so I suggest you pack up the Wagon Queen Family Truckster and mosey on down to wine country for some high school football at Borleske Stadium. 7:00PM, don't be late!
See you next week! Go Bombers!
Welcome to the Mid-Columbia Conference
The Richland Bombers travel to Lampson Stadium to take on the Southridge Suns in the first weekend of play in the newly revamped Mid-Columbia Conference.
Please note that ALL game times this season are at 7:00PM.
Go Bombers
2012 Schedule
The first year of the new Mid-Columbia Conference will get under way on August 31, 2012 when the Richland Bombers travel to Kennewick to take on the Southridge Suns. If the true intent of the new conference was to save on gas, then the intended consequence worked. The Bombers only true travel game is on September 7 when they drive to Walla Walla to take on the Blue Devils. For the first time in several years, Richland will be playing games against every Tri-City school. This season should be a great deal of fun.
Go Bombers!
Printable 2012 Richland Bomber Football Schedule
Richland Youth Football Program
I've been getting a lot of inquiries lately about the Richland Youth Football Program. The Richland Youth Football Program (formerly called Grid Kids) serves kids from age 8 to 14. You can find out all the information you need by going to Richland Youth Football.
Registration and eligibility information can be found on the Registration page. This is a great program and is a good foundation for future Bombers.
Thank you
Free Custom-Fit Mouthpieces
West Richland Family Dental Center is offering free custom fit mouth pieces. There is no need to be a current patient. Simply call phone number 967-3421 and ask to make an appointment. Tell them you are a Bomber football player and they will take care of you. This is a tremendous service they are providing us. Be great representatives of our program. Use your manners!
2012 Bomber Youth Football Camp
The Bombers are holding their annual Youth Football Camp from June 26 to June 28, 2012 at the Richland High School practice fields at Carmichael Middle School on Wellsian Way. The camp is daily from 5:00 to 6:30PM.
Kids from grade 3 through 8 will enjoy coaching from the Richland Bomber Football staff and players.
Youth Football Camp Brochure
