LRS tops nemesis; win streak now 38
PASCO – Edgar Brown Stadium was the site of the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague football team’s last loss, and the defeat was to the Broncos’ State 2B quarterfinal foe Friday night, Waitsburg-Prescott.
The Broncos were determined not to lose to the Cardinals – not so much because they wanted to extend their sizeable winning streak, but because they just didn’t want to lose to Waitsburg-Prescott.
For what Lind-Ritzville/Sprague might lack in flair the Broncos more than make up with resilency. It showed again, as they held off the Cardinals 17-14 to move one game closer to returning to Tacoma.
The Broncos (12-0) – winners of 38 straight dating back to a 42-7 loss to W-P in the quarterfinals to end the 2011 season – will meet Okanogan (11-1) in the semifinals next week, most likely at Moses Lake.
“We remembered it and they put some articles in the newspaper, too,” LRS coach Greg Whitmore said. “It was their goal and we had a target on our back. We just looked at it as a good football team and another good test for us.”
LRS used a touchdown to open the second half and a 32-yard field goal from Matt Leffel to open a 17-7 lead late in the third.
W-P (8-4) pulled within 17-14 when quarterback Jacob Dunn hit Chance Leroue on a 19-yard pass in the back corner of the end zone with 5:45 remaining.
LRS kept the ball the rest of the way, and did so on a big third-down completion for 30 yards from Cort Ruzicka to Jacob Saetre.
“Jake and I have been playing together since we were young so we’ve been used to big things like that,” Ruzicka said. “We really needed that big play.”
It was a defensive first half.
The Broncos scored first, marching 68 yards on five plays on their second possession. Ruzicka got around left end, broke three tackles and lumbered 17 yards. The point-after kick was blocked.
The Cardinals responded. Moving mostly through the air, quarterback Jacob Dunn hit Chance Leroue on a 16-yard post for a touchdown, and the extra point put W-P ahead 7-6.
The only scoring in the second period came with the Cardinals trapped at their 6-yard line. A bad snap skipped past Dunn and through the end zone for a safety. That allowed LRS to go into halftime ahead 8-7.