Blackhawks end season shelling GSL's Rogers

For Cheney High School football players, coaches and fans, last Thursday's shellacking of visiting Rogers High School in the season-finale was a great way to send out a talented group of seniors, and provide a positive off-season feeling for the Blackhawks possibilities in 2015.

Senior running back Austin Kline ended his Cheney career by rushing for 180 yards on 19 carries, scoring three touchdowns while junior running back Ty Graham scored twice and junior quarterback Josh Martin threw for another score in the Blackhawks 41-7 win over the Pirates of the 3A Greater Spokane League at Eastern Washington University's Roos Field.

"It was fun for the seniors to end on a good note, and get a good look at some young guys there at the end," CHS head coach Bobby Byrd said.

On Rogers' second possession, Cheney senior defensive back Ryan Ward picked off an Austyn Holm pass, giving the Blackhawks the ball on their own 40. Kline capped the drive with his first touchdown at the 5-minute, 30-second mark in the first quarter.

After a Pirates' punt, Graham, taking some snaps at quarterback, capped a quick, 50-yard drive with a keeper around the right side for a 14-0 lead just before the quarter's end. A Keenan Williams sack of Holm forced Rogers to punt from their 1, and senior Shane Hammel gave the Blackhawks great field position with a punt return to the Pirates 9 where three plays later Martin hit Hammel in the end zone for a 21-0 lead.

Two changes of possessions later, Hammel picked off Holm giving Cheney the ball on its 47. A couple minutes later on a first and 10 in Rogers territory, Kline got the ball, ran right, cut back left and scampered 28 yards to the end zone making it 27-0 with 2:08 to play before the half.

After the Blackhawks recovered an onside kick, Graham took a pitch, ran right and cut straight up the field for a 5-yard score and 34-0 halftime lead. Kline added a 62-yard TD run in the third quarter to cap Cheney's scoring.

Rogers' only score came in the fourth quarter on a 52-yard Holm to Zac Phillips scoring pass.

The win gives Byrd a 7-3 overall mark in his first year at the Blackhawks helm. Cheney went 2-2 in Great Northern League play, a 17-14 home loss to West Valley and 20-14 overtime set back at league champion Clarkston working to deny the Blackhawks a post season appearance.

Byrd said they had the talent to make a playoff run, but just came up a bit short. He credits former head coach Jason Williams for his hard work and dedication, along with an assistant coaching staff Byrd was able to retain, in creating a solid foundation for success.

"I took over a healthy program," Byrd said.

While the Blackhawks will be losing some talented players in Kline, Williams, Hammel and others, Byrd said the mentality of a high school football coach is all about answering the question of who's next.

"We've got some guys coming in who will have big shoes to fill," he said.

Besides Graham and Martin, Byrd pointed to players such as running back Jackson Shaw and linebacker Brayden Butikofer as filling key roles. The Blackhawks will have 3-5 players with returning offensive line experience and a "plethora" of running backs.

Byrd said they also have a lot of returning experience on the defensive side of the ball with a good linebacker corps and solid defensive line players in Devon Waterman and Osiris Goodloe along with Graham in the secondary.

Most importantly, Byrd feels that missing the playoffs may have brought home the point to the returning players of the need to play every game as if their playoff hopes were on the line.

"As a staff, we've stressed that every week is a playoff week, especially in a five-team league," Byrd said. "Now, I think we can sell that to the kids that every week matters. Not that we didn't do it, but we can just emphasize it more now."

John McCallum can be reached at [email protected].