Broncos earn narrow Homecoming victory against NWC

The Homecoming game between the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos and Northwest Christian Crusaders proved to be nail biter on Friday night. The neck-in-neck game eventually went in favor of the home team, 32-29, at Jimmie Snider Field on Oct. 2.

The game began with an unexpected twist when starting quarterback Bryce Esser left warm ups and went to the locker room, returning later in street clothes.

Due to a health issue, Esser is likely to have to sit out for the next four to six weeks.

Peyton Kiel and Jacob Saetre split the quarterback responsibilities on Friday night and helped lead the Broncos to a Homecoming victory.

“We had to make some changes, and those changes caused some problems,” Whitmore said about the game. “It was a good win for us to prove we can overcome obstacles.”

The Broncos took the field focused and energized, determined to win on the home field and on Homecoming night. The game quickly went in favor of the Broncos, as Jacob Saetre ran in a 23-yard touchdown and hit the point after kick. The Broncos moved ahead 7-0 with 10:09 left on the clock.

During the next possession, the Broncos managed to find their way to the end zone again off of a 12-yard run by Damien Rouleau. Saetre’s point after kick was good, and the Broncos led 14-0 with 7:50 left in the quarter.

The Crusaders gained momentum on the next possession, and steadily worked their way down the field. Northwest Christian earned their first touchdown of the game off a 34-yard pass play, with the point after kick good.

The scoring drive continued for both teams in the first quarter, with LRS scoring on Saetre’s 13-yard run, followed by a two-point conversion run by Kiel with 1:23 left on the clock.

The Crusaders ran back the kickoff for 92 yards, moving the end of the quarter score to 22-14 in advantage of the Broncos.

NWC came out focused in the second quarter, and both teams remained locked in scoreless drives until just over four minutes left in the quarter. The Crusaders scored on a 24-yard pass play, and completed a successful two-point conversion pass to tie the game at 22 going into halftime.

After the half, the Broncos returned to the field focused and determined to break the tie. With only a minute and a half off the clock, Kiel connected with Rouleau for a 66-yard pass play and a Bronco touchdown.

Not to be outdone, the Crusaders answered with a 15-yard pass play at the end of the third quarter, bringing the game to a 29-point tie. Whitmore said while the Broncos defense performed well throughout the game, the team needs to improve on the offensive line and secondary defense.

The Broncos earned seven sacks during the game and constantly pressured the quarterback. Chandler Widman earned two solo sacks for the team, and Whitmore said the team blitzed more than they would have liked, but it paid off in the end.

The two teams remained gridlocked in the fourth quarter, both driving the field and being forced to punt or losing possession on a turnover. The Broncos made a final drive to get into field goal range with 1:32 left in the game. Saetre hit the 23-yard field goal attempt, giving the Broncos a 32-29 advantage.

The Broncos victory was sealed in the final minute of the game, with an interception by Saetre.

Whitmore said the Crusaders have an outstanding team for a group in their third year of the program. He explained NWC has great athletes and coaches, and the game simply came down to the Broncos having more experience in tough game situations.

The LRS team ended the night with 345 total offensive yards, while NWC had 254 yards. With new quarterbacks in place, the Broncos only had 13 attempted passes with nine completions for a total of 147 receiving yards.

The LRS team rushed for 198 yards compared to the Crusaders’ 32 rushing yards.

Kiel ended the night with eight completed passes for 127 yards and one touchdown. Rouleau caught four passes for a total of 119 receiving yards. Alan Field had two pass receptions for 26 yards.

Saetre led the team in rushing yards with 164 on 23 attempts. Rouleau had 23 rushing yards on two attempts.

Penalties proved to be another thorn in the side of the Broncos, with the team racking up five-yard penalties when the team was by the end zone.

Whitmore attributed the mistakes to fatigue during the game, both mentally and physically. While the team came out with high energy, Whitmore said the mental fatigue tired the team by the second half. The team has been “playing catch up with conditioning” all season, Whitmore said, but the team has to improve in order to remain competitive.

Whitmore said the team could not afford the mistakes, and they already had other challenges to overcome during the game, like adjusting to a different quarterback.

In the upcoming games, Whitmore expects to use Saetre as the primary quarterback in order to allow Kiel to focus on his defensive responsibilities. Saetre has experience in the position from past years, and Whitmore believes his experience will be beneficial to continuing the team’s success.

“Jake (Saetre) has some strengths and some weaknesses back there,” Whitmore said about Saetre’s upcoming role as quarterback. “He can throw deep and he’s hard to stop as a runner. When Bryce comes back, we’ll reevaluate.”

The Broncos go on the road on Friday, Oct. 9, to face the Liberty Lancers in another tough league game.

Whitmore said they are a structurally sound team, and the Broncos need to be focused on moving the ball offensively and maintaining a strong, pressure defense.