Lake Roosevelt quarterback Brit Egbert, left, and Liberty's Gunner Stephens scramble for an errant snap that rolled into the end zone. Liberty's Brandon Finau recovered the ball for a touchdown.
SPANGLE – Sometimes, a football game is decided solely on turnovers.
Such was the case Friday night, Nov. 4, when the Liberty Lancers held off the visiting Lake Roosevelt Raiders, 15-6, to advance to the state 2B football playoffs.
With a cold, steady rain and a muddy filed, the District 6/7 crossover proved to be a defensive battle, with little offense on both sides of the ball.
Two Raider fumbles and an incepted Lancer pass made the difference in the game.
The first quarter was a hard slog in the mud, with little offensive traction on either side of the ball.
With the ground game not generating any points, Liberty quarterback Jake Jeske went to the air with 3:13 left in the quarter, only to be picked off by the Raiders' Chase Clark near midfield.
Clark raced through the Lancer offensive line to the end zone, giving Lake Roosevelt a 6-0 lead.
That would be it for scoring for the Raiders.
On the PAT, Lancer Dylan Goodwin blasted through the line and blocked the kick.
The score would remain unchanged until 11 seconds before halftime.
With 1:14 left in the half, the Raiders fumbled and the Lancers recovered at the 38-yard line. The recovery game the Spangle boys enough momentum to push the ball down to the 4-yard line with just 11 seconds left in the half.
Jeske went to the air again, this time finding Zayne Brawn in the end zone for a TD.
The Lancers lined up for a PAT; the kick floated wide. But an offside penalty against the Raiders gave the Lancers another shot from one-and-a-half yards out.
Rather than go for one, the Lancers lined up in a split back formation, with Jeske handing the ball off to Ashton Strobel for a dive and 2 points.
The Lancers took an 8-6 lead to the locker room.
The field was muddier after the break and the third quarter remained scoreless, despite liberty's Goodwin coming up with a big fumble recovery with 18 seconds left in the quarter.
The Lancers good some offensive momentum in the fourth quarter, opening with a 32-year pass from Jeske to Strobel. But they ultimately turned the ball over on downs at the Lake Roosevelt 13 with 3:00 left in the game.
The Raiders ticked off 58 seconds at that spot without advancing the ball.
On third down, an errant snap went over Raiders quarterback Britt Egbert's head and rolled into the end zone.
The Lancers were there to cover the ball with 2:02 left in the game. They added the PAT to take a 15-6 lead, ultimately the final score of the game.
The win propelled the Lancers into the state 2B playoffs as the No. 8 seed. They will play the River View Panthers from Finley on Friday or Saturday, Nov. 11 or 12.
The game time, day and location had yet to be determined at press time.
Roger Harnack is the owner/publisher of Free Press Publishing. Having grown up Benton City, Roger is an award-winning journalist, columnist, photographer, editor and publisher. He's one of only two editorial/commentary writers from Washington state to ever receive the international Golden Quill. Roger is dedicated to the preservation of local media, and the voice it retains for Eastern Washington.
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