CHS turnovers fuel Goldendale victory in ‘14 season-opener

“We would have liked to have won that game. We feel that way about any game,” Bruins Coach John Hallead said. “Unfortunately, we made timely mistakes that cost us the upper hand in the game; I don’t believe it was anything Goldendale did special.”

Nonetheless, Goldendale scored twice on short runs in the fourth quarter to take a 22-11 lead with 5:49 remaining in the game. Bruins turnovers (over on downs at CHS’s 40-yard line after an unplanned run out of punt formation came up short of a first down and an interception returned to CHS’s 32) made both scoring drives possible.

Columbia cut the lead to 22-19 with 3:24 left, with a 61-yard drive that was set up by a strong kickoff return by sophomore Aidan Trummel.

Senior quarterback Tanner Rabinowitz (15/25, 156 yards, 2/2 PATs) hit junior wideout Sam Rowlen (7 catches for 65 yards) for a 5-yard scoring pass play, then hooked up with senior Kyler Riggleman for the 2-point conversion to cut Goldendale’s lead to three.

After a three-play defensive stand, the Bruins forced the Timberwolves to punt one last time.

The Bruins took over at their 31 with 2:13 to go but couldn’t get untracked. Four incomplete passes led to a turnover on downs at the 1:49 mark.

Hallead felt the game was filled with missed opportunities for the Bruins, who won last year’s meeting at Goldendale, 22-0.

“In the second half I felt we had control in the third quarter, but just shot ourselves in the foot too many times with miscues that lost us momentum numerous times.”

Late in the third quarter, a bobbled snap on fourth down forced punter Eduardo Oriz to try to run for a first down, but he was tackled 5 yards short of a first down at the CHS 45.

Goldendale scored from the CHS 2 two minutes into the fourth quarter (on the final play of an eight-play drive), ran for the 2-point conversion, and had its first lead since 8-3 with 6:14 left in the second quarter.

Senior Josh Lewis, in his debut as CHS’s featured back, turned in a strong performance. He rushed 17 times for 96 yards and his first varsity touchdown, which came on a 9-yard run with 4:30 remaining in the first half.

CHS’s first scoring drive (on its third possession) ran nine plays and 62 yards, and resulted in Oriz’s first career field goal, a 23-yarder, that put CHS on top with 6:30 to go in the opening quarter.

The Timberwolves countered quickly, scoring on the first play after Oriz’s second touchback of the quarter. Quarterback Chris Trunkey dropped back and hit tight end Kevin Gilk in stride for an 80-yard score. The run for 2 points gave Goldendale an 8-3 lead with 6:14 in the half.