Raiders rub Bulldogs' noses in it

The Lake Roosevelt Raiders football team defeated the Okanogan JV team in the first game of the 2018-19 season with a final score of 44-0.

With Bridgeport and Waterville not having football teams this year due to lack of qualifying players, LR took on the Okanogan JV team in a non-league game to help fill out the season, and will later play Kettle Falls, not a usual opponent.

Towering over most of their opponents, LR controlled the entire game, leading 30-0 at the half before adding another 14 points in the second half.

Racking up the points for the Raiders were Steven Flowers, who had three rushing touchdowns; Devon Hobrecht, also with three rushing touchdowns; and Hunter Whitelaw, who threw a touchdown pass to Kaleb Horn.

Whenever an LR player, looking like an adult compared to his opponent, was faced with tackling a little Bulldog trembling in his shoulder pads, the Raider would politely tackle him lightly to the ground, like tucking him in for the night, rather than drilling him to the ground full force.

On offense, Raider runners would simply push Bulldog defenders to the ground and waltz into the end zone.

The game helped Raiders get a feel for the strengths and weaknesses of their team.

"It was a good start to the season," said Head Coach Tim Rasmussen. "We got a game to work on some of our basics, and it helped identify some areas that we need to continue to address. We were pleased with our team's tackling and our special-teams play."

In their first league game of the season, the Raiders will play in Tonasket against the Tigers at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 7.