By John McCallum
Managing Editor 

Blackhawks fall to Cascade on road in overtime

 

Last updated 10/15/2019 at 1:24pm

Bill Forhan/Leavenworth Echo

CHENEY – Thankfully, the Blackhawks football team won't have to endure another long bus ride such as the one they made last Friday night to Leavenworth to face Cascade.

The Kodiaks of the 1A Caribou Trail League seemed fresher and more focused than Cheney, and used that to post a 21-14 upset in overtime of the visiting Blackhawks. Head coach Bobby Byrd knew his team would be out of their routine after traveling over three hours to the west, and it showed as Cheney faced third and long many times offensively, contributing to a number of three downs and punt series.

"On a consistent basis, we're not capable of doing that for a long time," Byrd said.

Neither team was stellar during regulation. The score was tied at 7 at the half, with Cheney's score coming on a Dalton Harriet eight-yard touchdown run.

The Kodiaks and Blackhawks traded touchdowns in the fourth, with quarterback Alex Long's five-yard bootleg capping what Byrd said was a "good looking drive." Cascade scored a touchdown in their opening possession of overtime, but as the Blackhawks appeared headed for the tying score, they fumbled, giving the Kodiaks the game.

No stats were available at press time. Byrd said the team had moments of excellence, but also moments where they just seemed off and not focused on the task at hand.

Cheney wraps up their non-league schedule at 3-2, and prepares to head into the second part of their season - Great Northern League play. The Blackhawks open their campaign this Friday with a trip to East Valley (0-1, 1-4).

The Knights have had a rough season so far, but Byrd believes they're improving, despite a 41-0 shellacking by Pullman last Friday. East Valley has also lost to Deer Park (35-7), Lakeland (46-0) and Lake City (13-7) with their only win coming against Greater Spokane League 3A North Central on Sept. 19, 47-28.

Byrd said the Knights are physical up front and have one of the bigger offensive lines Cheney has or will face. They're led by junior quarterback Henry Stevens, who has run for three touchdowns and passed for four.

Also a threat will be senior running back Zachary Honegger, who at 5-10, 215 also plays middle linebacker on defense. Byrd said the Knights have a number of players playing both sides of the ball due to a short roster, but shouldn't be overlooked because of that.

Offensively they will look to get Stevens outside to loosen up the defense while defensively they will put a lot of players inside the box between the tackles and dare teams to throw the ball.

"If they're going to load the box, we'll just try to take advantage of that," Byrd said, adding that while throwing isn't Cheney's strength, neither is it something they disregard.

Byrd said the players were disappointed after the loss at Leavenworth last Friday, believing that how they played is not indicative of what they are capable of doing. The focus this week has been getting back to basics and making tweaks to fine tune things.

"It's the little things that add up," Byrd said. "This week is definitely about the little things. But, we have a clean slate and a new season."

John McCallum can be reached at jmac@cheneyfreepress.com.

Author Bio

John McCallum, Retired editor

John McCallum is an award-winning journalist who retired from Cheney Free Press after more than 20 years. He received 10 Washington Newspaper Publisher Association awards for journalism and photography, including first place awards for Best Investigative, Best News and back-to-back awards in Best Breaking News categories.

 

Reader Comments(0)

 
 

Our Family of Publications Includes:

Cheney Free Press
Ritzville Adams County Journal
Whitman County Gazette
Odessa Record
Franklin Connection
Davenport Times
Spokane Valley News Herald
Colfax Daily Bulletin

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2024

Rendered 03/23/2024 21:56