Second half dooms No. 4 Chiawana in loss to No. 3 Union

It’s funny how just a few minutes can turn a tight contest into a blowout.

That’s what happened to Chiawana on Friday night in a 41-9 loss to visiting Union of Vancouver.

Riverhawks coach Steve Graff could only shake his head and smile after the game.

“The upside is this was not a (Mid-Columbia Conference) game,” said Graff. “But nobody likes to take an ass-whupping like that.”

The first half was a tough battle in which the lead changed hands three times, and No. 4-ranked Chiawana heading into the locker room at halftime trailing No. 3-ranked Union just 13-9.

“At the time, we were playing really good,” said Graff.

Union coach Rory Rosenbach agreed.

“Chiawana did some good stuff out there,” said Rosenbach. “The had us off-balance. It was a real back and forth game.”

But neither Graff nor Rosenbach and their staffs made any major changes at intermission. Just small minor things.

Sometimes, things just happen.

And for 4 minutes and 36 seconds early in the third quarter, those things happened fast for the visiting Titans (4-0).

In that span, here’s what happened:

First, Union quarterback Lincoln Victor found receiver Joseph Siofele on a slant pattern on the opening drive of the second half, and he ran untouched for a 47-yard touchdown play. There was 10:53 left in the third quarter.

Second, after a 3-and-out Chiawana series, the Riverhawks were forced to punt. Union standout Darien Chase gathered in the kick at his own 23 and raced 77 yards for another touchdown.

Third, Riverhawks QB Preston Vine had his pass picked off by Titans DB Daron Ulrich, who raced 34 yards down to the Chiawana 5. One play later, Union RB Nile Jones slashed into the end zone for a score.

Fourth, Chiawana was forced to punt again on the ensuing series. Two plays later, Union RB Isaiah Jones burst through the line on a dive play and raced 52 yards for another TD. The clock read there was still 6:17 left in the third quarter.

It was a 28-0 run that blew the game wide open.

“These past few weeks we’ve been getting better,” said Victor, who had 196 yards passing. “At halftime, we were saying we were the better team. We told each other to just go out and do your job.”

Graff said his team will watch the game film and move on, back into MCC play.

“In the second half, we just fell apart. But it’ll be a good learning experience,” said Graff, whose team falls to 3-1 overall but stays unbeaten at 3-0 in MCC play. “We’ll fix it.”

Especially with the Riverhawks visiting Hanford (3-1 MCC) next Friday.

NOTES: Union has another tough non-conference game next week, taking on 4-0 Puyallup. … Chiawana DB Riley Cissne had a strong defensive game, with 8 tackles. LB Cameron Breier added 6 tackles (one for a loss), while DB Dion Lee added 5 tackles and DB Aarloh Valdovinos had 4 tackles and a pass breakup. … Union LB Alishawuan Taylor had four quarterback sacks.

TITANS 41, RIVERHAWKS 9

SCORING PLAYS

Ch – FG 37 Ryan Lowry

Un – Lincoln Victor 10 run (Christian Alcorn kick)

Ch – Riley Cissne 10 pass from Preston Vine (kick blocked)

Un – Darien Chase 7 pass from Victor (pass failed)

Un – Joseph Siofele 47 pass from Victor (Alcorn kick)

Un – Chase 77 punt return (Alcorn kick)

Un – Nile Jones 5 run (Alex Koga kick)

Un – Isaiah Jones 52 run (Alcorn kick)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Un, Is.Jones 13-103, Lincoln 5-44, N.Jones 12-44, Chase 1-9, Alex Wood 2-3, Pierce Henriksbo 3-2, Totals 36-205. Ch, Gabe Schilz 12-49, Aidan Villarreal 5-24, Team 1-minus 1, AJ Vongphachanh 2-minus 2, JP Zamora 4-minus 8, Seth Wilz 3-minus 9, Vine 4-minus 10, Totals 31-43.

PASSING – Un, Victor 15-21-0-196, Thomas Dalgord 2-4-0-18, Chase 0-1-0-0. Ch, Vine 5-15-1-99, Zamora 5-11-0-83.

RECEIVING – Un, Chase 8-83, Siofele 1-47, Alex Vallejo 3-31, Jayden Picano 1-18, Zach Convey 1-16, Lamont Lane 1-10, Alec Jackson 1-7, Josh Reznick 1-2. Ch, Benny Alferness 3-79, Aarloh Valdovinos 3-59, Caleb Alvarez 1-21, Cissne 1-10, Kobe Young 1-9, Sisay West 1-4.

FIRST DOWNS – Un 14, Ch 12. PENALTIES-YARDS – Un 14-113, Ch 3-20. FUMBLES-LOST – Un 1-1, Ch 1-1.