Riverhawks nearly defeat Spokane in the cold

Sabercats 14 Riverhawks 7

WARDEN - Steam curled off of the football players' heads on the sidelines as the temperature hovered just above freezing Saturday night.

The best selling concession during the Evergreen Football League (EFL) game was hot chocolate.

Despite the cold, the Columbia Basin Riverhawks played strong against the visiting Spokane Sabercats as they lost 14-7.

"I don't know if we ever played in near freezing (temperatures) before," said Riverhawks Coach Jim Whitaker. "I don't think it made much difference."

The game was close with a special team effort making a difference.

The Riverhawks started the game kicking to Spokane. The Sabercats caught the ball and the team immediately huddled around him, where he handed it off to another player to run the length of the field for a touchdown.

"They ran the trick play and it worked for them. They scored," said Whitaker.

The Riverhawks rallied and managed a drive marching about 60 yards down field. Czac Conly ended the drive with a 10 yard touchdown pass to Emerson Ferguson. A successful point-after attempt left the game tied.

Conly threw for about 194 yards and a touchdown. He also threw for two interceptions.

"I though we were in the game and we were going to be fine," said Whitaker. "We had expected them to play a defense similar to the year before, but they did not … it was a complete overhaul. We were trying to adjust our running game and run a little bit."

The second half started spectacularly for the Riverhawks with a kickoff return landing in Zack Lewis' arms, who then tossed it to AJ Eldredge who ran it nearly the length of the field.

"It was a big disappointment not finishing it off," said Whitaker.

A series of penalties turnovers and mistakes left the Riverhawks trailing through the rest of the game, noted Whitaker.

Despite the setbacks, the team still kept stride with an undefeated team tied for first place in the EFL.

"We're encouraged. Our defense played well," said Whitaker.

Next week they play the South Sound Shockers at South Sound Stadium in Lacey at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

"It's was a game we could have won. It's a game we should have won," said Whitaker. "We're encouraged … we have had some newer people show up and want to play."

The depth of the roster is improving helping the team compete. Whitaker said a new person interested in taking part came forward during the game against Spokane and they are still looking for more people.

"I think we have one more week," said Whitaker.

The team practices in Moses Lake and plays in Warden, but only has a few Moses Lake players.

For more information, call Justin Whitaker 509-793-3420.