Cardinals lose vrossover league game

The Wheat/Grape crossover football game between Waitsburg High School and Sunnyside Christian did not end well for the Cardinals. 

“This game was a gut punch. Having beaten Sunnyside Christian (SSC) the first time we played them this season gave us a false sense of security going into it. Both teams are much different teams since that first game in August. As tends to happen throughout a season, we have landed on different responsibilities for various players in various new roles. We’ve also been battling illness and injuries,” said Kiefel.

On the first kickoff, SSC kicked an onside kick and recovered the ball. The Cardinals struggled to contain SSC’s quarterback, who ran and threw the ball well, and by the end of the first quarter, SSC was ahead 32-0.

The Cardinals could not stop SSC’s momentum, and by the third quarter there was a running clock. Waitsburg scored 14 points in the fourth quarter, as did SSC, and the game ended with SSC winning, 68-22.

Liam Kiefel had seventeen completions, throwing for 192 yards and two touchdowns: one to JJ Gleason, one to Landen Henry, and one conversion to Uriah York.

“With a team like SSC, who runs the ball most of the time, you end up playing a lot of defense. SSC had sixty-nine plays to our fifty-two plays. Despite the score, we continued to grind on defense the whole game,” said Kiefel.

Gleason had 15 tackles, York had 12, and Camdyn Vories had 11.

On Friday, November 6, the Cardinals will travel to Cusick to play in the SE1B/NE1B North/South Crossover game at 4 p.m. Cusick finished third in their district.

“It is an outside shot,” said Kiefel. “But if we win that game, we will be in the state playoffs. 

Other matchups for crossover games this week are:

Touchet @ Almira-Coulee-Hartline, Tekoa-Rosalia @ Wilbur-Creston-Keller, SSC @ Wellpinit, Selport @ Dayton, Inchelium @ DeSales, Mary Walker @ Pomeroy and Columbia @ Liberty Christian.