WAITSBURG – In the words of the 1961 hit “Mama Said”, made famous by The Shirelles: “Mama said there’d be days like this, there’d be days like this, Mama said.” That had to be what Cardinal players, coaches and fans were left thinking after a dishearten­ing Sept. 19 loss against the Walla Walla Valley Acad­emy Knights.

The first league game of the season started out prom­isingly enough as Cardinals and Knights battled it out neck-and-neck. With a score of 11 to 11 midway through the first game, the Cards faltered after landing on the receiving end of a series of aces from Knight senior Hannah...