A monster game by Justin Tidwell wasn’t enough to secure White River High’s first football victory of the season.

The senior running back tallied five rushing touchdowns Friday night and scooted for well over 200 yards, but the Hornets wound up on the short end of a 62-48 scoring explosion. The visiting Franklin Pierce Cardinals used a 21-0 advantage in the third quarter to ride home with the victory.

White River fell to 0-4 on the season, 0-2 in South Puget Sound League 2A play.

Friday’s contest was a story of two halves, with the first one generating plenty of excitement for Hornet fans. The Cards struck quickly, posting a touchdown on the game’s fourth play, but White River answered with two Tidwell TDs – one on a 41-yard gallop, the other on a 2-yard blast – to take the lead. An explosive second quarter saw each team score three touchdowns. White River received a scoring run by speedy sophomore Devyn Hager and two more by Tidwell, allowing the Hornets to take a 34-28 advantage into halftime.

The decisive third quarter featured the arm of Cardinal quarterback Willie Patterson, who tossed three of the five TD passes he would total for the night. He also ran for the Cardinals’ final tally.

Tidwell and Hager each had touchdown runs in the fourth period and the squads combined to eventually score 110 points, reportedly a SPSL 2A record.