A Win is a Win

The big story from this weekend was the Homecoming game in Ritzville. Everyone believed in the Broncos and the potential that they were bringing each week but the ascendance of the Northwest Christian (NWC) Crusaders in just their third season was turning heads.

They had the Broncos’ full attention.

For anyone that knows the history of the private school north of Spokane, it was just a matter of time when they would have the football athletes that would compete for a league title. The school has hired some intense coaches that had a good game plan and the scouting report was spot on.

The Crusaders were constantly looking for the screen pass and defended it very well.

Offensively NWC did a great job of coming back after falling behind early and tying the score before halftime. In the third quarter the Broncos would take the lead only to see the Crusaders tie it up heading into the fourth quarter.

The Broncos relied on the run and NWC on the pass and it was quite a chess match. Most people that talked before the game about what needed to happen came down to pressuring the Crusader signal caller and either sack him or force him to throw the ball before he wanted to.

Turnovers were important in this game as they are in most. How a team reacts to them can either be their downfall or their rallying cry.

The Broncos forced a huge fumble after a turnover of their own and the ensuing drive took the home team to the opposite end of Jimmie Snider Field for a game winning field goal kicked by Jacob Saetre. The PATs were huge and there is no doubt that Saetre has been serious about perfecting that part of his game.

In the past few years there have been few challenges to the LRS Broncos on their home turf. This year Okanogan and NWC both brought great teams to Ritzville and the games were memorable.

These games will be very beneficial for all three teams and have made them tougher and more confident that they can play with the best teams in the state.

With starting QB Bryce Esser on the sidelines, it will be up to the coaches to figure out who will lead the team and what changes will need to be made to the offense to accommodate the personnel.

It’s a good thing there is a week to work out the kinks and make adjustments before facing a formidable Liberty Lancer squad on Friday.

Speaking of three point wins, the Seattle Seahawks withstood a late game rally by the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football. The defense played well but it took a great play by Kam Chancellor knocking the ball out of Lion receiver Calvin Johnson’s hands for a touchback to save the day.

Offensively the Seahawks have a lot of work to do. At this point in time, the line is a problem and Marshawn Lynch is out with a hamstring injury. The tight end most used on Monday was Luke Willson not Jimmy Graham.

But Russell Wilson found the former Saint on a few passes in the fourth quarter but a big target like that should be easy to see or maybe the defense has focused on him a bit more and the big guy isn’t open.

13-10 won’t be considered as a game for the ages but it did even the Hawks record at 2-2 and dropped the Lions to 0-4.

There are a few things that make us nervous about this season but the defense seems to be back and the Hawks are 2-0 with Chancellor in the lineup, but it will be a long season and Seattle will need to step up in several offensive areas and soon.

The Rams victory over the Arizona Cardinals was huge for Seattle because Arizona was on the verge of running away with the division. Now the west is up for grabs.

As fans we can be critical of a team’s performance but it is important to note that the reason may lie on the other side of the line.

The biggest wins aren’t the blowouts but the close games that test stamina and psyche and if you can survive those then it may go a long way toward a successful championship season.

After all a win is a win is a win!