Season draws to a close for the Broncos in the Crossover game

The Lind-Ritzville/Sprague Broncos battled not only against the league’s top team, but also in less than ideal weather conditions, on Nov. 3 in Liberty. The Broncos competed in the Crossover game against the Liberty Lancers, but the 52-6 loss ended the team’s season and prevented them from competing in playoffs.

Head Coach Greg Whitmore said the Broncos faced a strong and consistent Liberty team, who quickly demonstrated why they are ranked at the top of the league.

The LRS team did not have the physicality to stop the Lancers, Whitmore stated, and was disappointed the team did not provide more resistance.

Due to injury, the Broncos were without Mason Brausen and the team felt the effects of his absence on both sides of the ball. The team also struggled with the field conditions, Whitmore said, after a recent snowfall had created a soggy field for the team to play on.

Whitmore explained the Broncos were the smaller team and did not match up well in stature to the Lancers. The Broncos struggled to get their footing on the field, but lacked the ability to dig into the ground and outmatch Liberty in strength.

The Broncos did not have a strong tackling night, Whitmore explained, leading to Liberty dominating the game with offensive drives. He said the Broncos had poor tackling technique, as they tried to tackle too high against their opponent.

The Lancers ended the night with 551 total offensive yards, compared to only 173 for the Broncos.

Liberty quickly proved their dominance and superiority of skills during the first half, scoring twice in each quarter to take a 32-0 lead by halftime. While Whitmore knew the Broncos could not overcome the scoring discrepancy, he looked to the team to fight back in the second half and provide more resistance to the Lancers’ offense.

But the Lancers posted another touchdown before the Broncos had an opportunity to respond in the third quarter. Midway through the third, Austin Thompson ran for 11 yards for the team’s only touchdown of the evening.

Whitmore said the only successful series the Broncos strung together resulted in a touchdown, but the team was not cohesive enough to remain consistent in their drives. The team was plagued with dropped passes and penalties, and Whitmore stated these errors cannot be made against strong opponents.

The Lancers pushed the ball up the field against the Broncos, focusing primarily on their running game, due to the weather conditions. Liberty accumulated 466 rushing yards and only 83 receiving yards.

The Broncos attempted more pass plays in order to gain yardage, but the Liberty defense prevented the success of their completions. Bryce Kelly ended the night with 11 completions for 101 yards, with two interceptions.

Thompson led the Broncos in rushing and receiving yards for the game. He had 26 rushing yards and 46 receiving yards. Shontz Yaeger earned 30 receiving yards for the Broncos.

Whitmore said he was impressed with the quality, strength and consistency of the Liberty team. He added it was evident the team had improved since the Broncos game against them in regular season, and he is hoping they will go far in the playoffs to represent the league.

After the game, Whitmore said the Broncos were not happy with how the season ended, because it is never easy to end on a loss. He expressed his disappointment in the lack of competition in the final game, and felt sympathy for the seniors who ended their football careers with that game.

Whitmore said he is hopeful the underclassmen will work hard in the offseason in order to improve physicality and be a stronger competitor on the gridiron next season. With the Broncos losing nine seniors, Whitmore said there will be a lot of positions opening up next year, and he is hoping the remaining athletes will compete for those spots.

The team still will suffer from a lack of depth, Whitmore added, but if the athletes are weight training in the offseason and participating in other sports, they will have a better chance to being the stronger competitor in next year’s games.

Whitmore said the team will be smaller in numbers, but will be returning a starting quarterback and four linemen. He said they are skilled athletes, but the other group of younger starters for next season will need to work on maturity and being ready to compete in varsity-level games.