Riverhawks cruise past North Sound to get season's first victory

MOSES LAKE — The Columbia Basin men’s football team left little doubt in their Washington Football League (WFL) contest Saturday with the North Sound Sting as the Riverhawks cruised to a 41-10 victory.

The Riverhawks scored on their first two possessions of the contest to take a 14-0 lead and Columbia Basin took a 41-0 lead into the half.

Riverhawks Vice President and player Shane Starnes said jumping on the Sting early was critical to Saturday’s victory.

“That was huge,” he said of his team’s start. “We kept our foot on the gas peddle. We wanted to score every time.”

Columbia Basin’s first score came when Josh Kast took a hand off and ran toward the home sideline before diving into the end zone for a 7-0 Riverhawks lead.

After back to back losses to start the WFL season, the Riverhawks put one into the win column heading into this weekend’s bye week, Starnes said.

“We head into the bye week and hopefully we can use this win to build some momentum heading toward the playoffs,” he said.

The Riverhawks made some adjustments Saturday after starting the season 0-2 and Starnes said they paid off.

“We tweaked our schemes and it worked out well for us,” he said. “We played well, especially on offense.”

Starnes said the Riverhawks’ first victory will help his team throughout the remainder of the season.

After a 41-10 victory Saturday night, Starnes said the Riverhawks have improved since last season.

“Teams are starting to overlook us because of year’s past, but we have some guys who can make plays,” he said.

With the win over North Sound, Starnes said the Riverhawks are a productive football team if they can take care of the football.

The Riverhawks return to the gridiron May 2 when they travel to Walla Walla to take on the Blue Mountain Stars.

Starnes said the Riverhawks need to capitalize on their opportunities if they are to knock off Blue Mountain on the road.

“We need to cut down on our mistakes and capitalize on theirs,” he said.