Raiders fall to Bears in long game

When it comes to Brewster, there have been years when Lake Roosevelt could have claimed a moral victory if they'd held the Bears to two touchdowns by halftime, but not this year.

The two teams looked like a good match on LR's field Friday night, better than Brewster's winning score of 19-8 might let on.

"I think we played hard. We just lost our focus late in the game," Coach Geary Oliver said, and injuries didn't help, putting the team down three offensive line starters.

"The replacement players stepped up and competed, but it took about half the game to gain some confidence," Oliver said. "We should get two starters back this week and that should help considerably."

The Raiders' sole touchdown came with Quarterback Wyatt Egbert running into the endzone. The extra two points came as Terrell Bush ran it in after catching the ball from Anthony Smith's mid-tackle pass.

The Bears and the Raiders occupy similar territory on the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Rating Percentage Index, a statistical system used to comparatively rank teams.

Brewster is currently pegged at 22nd among the state's 45 2B teams with a 2-3 win-loss record. The Raiders are at 26th, with a 3-2 record but an RPI of 0.4477, just 0.0369 points below the Bears.

Frustration on the part of some Raider players was notable. Well into the fourth quarter, some 21 flags had flown, and the Raiders had lost 100 yards to penalties. The game lasted about 15 minutes longer than usual.

Oliver said the Raiders earned their procedural calls, but he'd argue about some personal fouls if he could.

"But you have to play the game as it is called and not dwell on those things during the game," he said. "It's not easy though."

In its third and last home game of the regular season, LR will host Manson (5-0) Friday night at 7 p.m. for the annual homecoming game and senior night.