The White River Hornets will look to return to their winning ways Friday when they travel to Auburn Mountainview to face the Lions in South Puget Sound League 3A football action.
After starting the season with victories over Franklin Pierce and Sumner High, the Hornets were whacked 48-3 Friday night by the Lakes Lancers.
Friday, White River will see a team that opened its season with a shutout victory over Clover Park but then suffered losses to Bonney Lake and the Peninsula Seahawks. Kickoff is planned for 7 p.m.
The home-field loss to Lakes got off to a rough start for White River, as the visiting Lancers scored on the first offensive play of the game. Senior running back Willis Wilson broke free and took off on a 52-yard touchdown run. Kicker Keegan Love added the first of his six extra-point kicks and, just 17 seconds into the game, the Lancers were celebrating a 7-0 lead.
The first play was especially tough on the Hornets, as Markus Kaelin injured his thumb attempting to make a tackle. The starting defensive back/quarterback did not return to the game. The injury bug quickly hit again, as linebacker/tight end Chase Myers was sidelined with a shoulder injury.
The Hornets showed signs of life early, as the defense kept Lakes from converting a fourth-down play on the Lancers’ second possession. The offense, under the direction of backup QB Marc Anderson, put together an 11-play drive that culminated with Kevin Moore booting a 27-yard field goal.
On that drive, Anderson completed all three of his passing attempts, including a key fourth-down toss to Hunter Chadwick.
That apparently fired up the Lancers, who found the end zone on all four of their second-quarter possessions and took a commanding 35-3 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The statistics at intermission showed Lakes’ dominance. The Lancers compiled 314 yards of offense at the break, with 230 coming on the ground. Wilson accounted for 144 first-half yards on just eight carries and scored four touchdowns.
White River managed 50 yards through the air during the first half, but was held to minus-8 yards on the ground.
Lakes’ starters took the field and scored a quick second-half touchdown before being sent to the bench by Lancer coach Dave Miller. The Lakes backup players posted the game’s final points with a TD in the fourth quarter.
White River’s running game, which had been so effective during the earlier victories against Franklin Pierce and Sumner, was not a factor against the tough Lancer defense. The Hornets’ 31 running plays netted just seven yards.
Anderson finished 10-of-15 passing, good for 114 yards. Michael Madden hauled in eight passes, gaining 81 yards, and Chadwick and Collin Green added two receptions each.
