Saints silence Raiders 19-6

LR football was handed its second loss of the season Saturday as the Seattle Lutheran Saints won the seesaw fight 19-6.

The Raiders moved the ball on the Saints, but tough breaks with turnovers prevented LR from scoring more points.

In the first half, both sides moved the ball fairly well, with fourth-down conversions keeping many drives alive. Seattle Lutheran opened the scoring in the second quarter with a play action pass for a touchdown. The Raiders blocked the extra point

Shortly thereafter, Raider quarterback Austin Rosenbaum came out of the game with an injury. But freshman Chance Garvin jumped right in and drove the offense down the field, where Justus DeWinkler scored a tying touchdown for a 6-6 tie at halftime. The extra point went wide right.

“Chance showed great courage and poise out there,” Head Coach Steve Files said. “He came into a tough situation and played good football.”

A fumble ended a Raider drive right after the half, and that was the story for the rest of the game for the Raider offense: turnovers and penalties. Seattle Lutheran took advantage with a scoring drive, but failed a conversion attempt.

The Saints offense wore down the Raider defense in the second half through the use of multiple formations. Throughout the second half, the Raider defense coverage holes were compounded by missed tackles. More than one Saints drive stayed alive from missed tackles.

Up 12-6 at the start of the 4th quarter, Seattle Lutheran drove deep into Raider territory when the defense suddenly stiffened. What had looked like an interception that could shift momentum from the Saints was ruled pass interference.

The Saints then scored the last points of the 19-6 game, but not before DeWinkler flew into the Saints backfield in a blindside blitz to sack the quarterback, who fumbled the ball. The Raiders recovered, but then slowly drove down field, chewing up the last six minutes of the game without scoring.

“We need to block better, line and backs both, in order to get to where we want to be offensively,” Coach Files said. He called the line “the unselfish heroes of the game,” and predicted they will “get better as they fully grasp our new offense.”

DeWinkler rushed for 83 yards on 12 carries. Garvin had one completion for 37 yards to Kyle Holt.

Rosenbaum is questionable for Friday’s game, and Garvin was taken off the field with a leg injury at Monday’s JV game against Liberty Bell at Greene Field.

Friday the Raiders play the Reardan Indians at Greene Field at 7 p.m.