Friday, Oct. 16, 2009

Richland football controls its playoff hopes

By Rene Ferran, Herald staff writer

RICHLAND -- If you'd asked Richland coach Mike Neidhold two weeks ago if he thought his football team would be in position to host a crossover playoff game, he might have laughed you out of the room.

The Bombers were 1-3 at that point, having just been shut out by Eisenhower at home, only the latest sign of an offense in disarray.

But Neidhold and his team didn't panic. They took advantage of a soft spot in the schedule to earn a couple of wins -- neither of them pretty, perhaps, but they give Richland a chance to earn the Cascade Division's No. 2 seed.

To do so, the Bombers have to win the next two weeks. First up: Kamiakin tonight at Fran Rish Stadium.

"It's proof that if you just keep playing (and) getting better every week, you can find yourself where things have unfolded for us, where we control our own destiny," said Neidhold, whose team finishes the regular season at Walla Walla. "We're still in the hunt in spite of all the troubles we've had."

The Braves come into tonight's game off a 38-35 overtime win over Wa-Hi in which they rallied from a 21-point, fourth-quarter deficit.

Richland is just happy if it can reach 21 points period in a game. The Bombers are 13th in the CBBN in total offense, averaging just 246.7 yards per game.

They're 12th in scoring offense (14.5 ppg) and dead last in passing, not even getting 60 yards per game through the air.

"It's disappointing that we haven't been able to throw the ball well this year," Neidhold said. "But we know what our strength is now, and that's running the ball, getting the ball to Jake (McKinney) and Gage (Reynolds). We're going to ride that as far as it'll take us."

McKinney, a junior, has enjoyed a breakout season and ranks second in the league in rushing with 796 yards and seven TDs.

He and Reynolds, who returned from injury recently, are running behind a rejuvenated line bolstered by the return two weeks ago of senior Garrett Gallinger from a broken foot.

"He's the key," Neidhold said. "He's our team captain, one of the few seniors we have, and a huge piece of our offensive line. Without him, there was a huge void."

Kamiakin, meanwhile, can wrap up the division's No. 2 seed with a win tonight. The Braves are last in the CBBN in rushing offense (62.3 ypg) but first in passing (234.3).

-- Most coaches will tell you the game they dread the most each season is Homecoming, what with all the outside distractions and the extra pressure to win the game.

That's why Southridge coach Andy Troxel was happy to see that crosstown rival Kennewick was scheduled as the Suns' Homecoming opponent at Lampson Stadium.

"We know the focus is a lot better this week than if it were someone else we were playing," Troxel said.

The Suns put together their most complete game of the season last week in romping past Pasco 48-0, but Troxel still isn't satisfied.

"We're still a work in progress," he said. "We're still developing in the passing game. The thing we've done since the Wenatchee game, though, is we've gotten better each week. That's been our focus this year, to hopefully peak in December and not in Week 1 or 2."

Southridge already has clinched the Columbia Division's No. 2 seed. Kennewick, meanwhile, needs a win tonight or next week against Pasco to secure the No. 4 seed.

-- Hanford began live webcasts of its football games last week with its Homecoming win over Eastmont at www.hhsfalcons.com/stream/live. The Falcons are at Eisenhower tonight. ... Chiawana has to win tonight at Walla Walla or be eliminated from the Cascade playoff race. ... Prosser received mixed news on the injury front for tonight's CWAC game against Wapato. Senior OL Kody Hartley will play for the first time since suffering an elbow injury in the first quarter of the season opener, but WR Dominic Garza will not play after suffering a concussion in last week's loss to Ellensburg. ... River View's final shot at procuring a home playoff game comes tonight when it hosts Royal in SCAC East play. The Panthers haven't beaten the Knights since 1993. ... DeSales travels to No. 6 Waitsburg-Prescott in a matchup of Southeast 2B unbeatens. ... Second place in the IMC is on the line tonight when Hermiston hosts Mountain View.