Undaunted Raiders take on big football foes

When you've had one win all season and your last league game will be against one of the top 2B football teams in the state with 22 straight wins, you might not think it could be fun.

But don't tell that to Lake Roosevelt's Raiders, at least not those who made the trip to the home of Bulldogs Friday night to endure a 78-8 drubbing.

"We took 16 players to Okanogan, five of them freshmen," said Raider Head Coach Geary Oliver. "At the end of the game we had 13 able to play. Our guys played hard from beginning to end and had fun doing it."

Nevertheless, the Raiders were down 50-8 by halftime.

But the score's not everything, is it?

Oliver said an Okanogan fan, with grandkids on that team, approached the LR coach after the game and told him the Raiders were the best team the Bulldogs had played all season.

"Not the score, but your kids played hard the whole game and played with class. They are going to be fine men," he said, Oliver recalled.

"And that is what it is all about," Oliver added.

Elijah Broadnax was chosen as the MaxPreps "Overall, Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Lake Roosevelt Football Player of the Game," the site said.

The Raiders (1-7) will make a long trip to Goldendale, where they'll face the Timberwolves (6-2) in a postseason crossover game with the Eastern Washington Athletic Conference West's number-two team at 2 p.m.

Saturday.