Raymond-South Bend gets first state-football tourney win in combo-team history

Defense leads Ravens in 22-7 victory over Goldendale in first round of 2B State Tournament

By Ryan Sparks • November 12, 2022 6:00 am
PHOTO BY LARRY BALE Raymond-South Bend running back Ty Reidinger rushed for a team high 165 yards in a 22-7 victory over Goldendale in the first round of the 2B State Football Tournament on Friday at Millam Field in South Bend.
PHOTO BY LARRY BALE Raymond-South Bend running back Ty Reidinger rushed for a team high 165 yards in a 22-7 victory over Goldendale in the first round of the 2B State Football Tournament on Friday at Millam Field in South Bend.

Raymond-South Bend picked up the first state-tournament victory in the combo-team’s short history, beating No. 11 Goldendale 22-7 on Friday at Millam Field in South Bend.

“We played very well defensively,” RSB head coach Luke Abbott said of his Ravens team, which held the Timberwolves (8-3 overall) scoreless through nearly the first three-and-a-half quarters of game play. “(Goldendale) has a good offensive line, a good defensive line, they have a senior quarterback and some good skill players. We knew it was going to be a challenge for us.”

RSB (9-2) scored twice in the second quarter on a 13-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Austin Snodgrass to senior tight end Daniel Medeiros and a 4-yard TD run by senior running back Ferrill Johnson.

Leading 14-0 entering the fourth quarter, RSB’s lead was cut in half after a 4-yard touchdown run by Timberwolves senior running back Seth Lucatero.

Led by senior running back Ty Reidinger, the Ravens embarked on a 14-play drive to close out the game, with Reidinger carrying the ball 11 times and capping the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run with under a minute to go.

The drive was one of the few possessions the No. 6 Ravens were able to punch across the goal line as RSB moved the ball well between the 20s, but struggled in the red zone.

Three promising first-half possessions ended deep inside T-wolves territory, an aspect of the game Abbott acknowledged the Ravens will need to improve upon if it hopes to advance deeper into the tournament.

“We moved the ball well all the way down, we just have to learn to finish sometimes. We made a couple of mistakes here and there,” he said. “But you can’t be nitpicky. You have stuff to work on, but a win is a win at this point.”

PHOTO BY LARRY BALE Raymond-South Bend running back Ferrill Johnson (10) looks for a hole while teammate Malachi Duckworth (54) throws a block during a 22-7 victory over Goldendale in the first round of the 2B State Football Tournament on Friday at Millam Field in South Bend.

PHOTO BY LARRY BALE Raymond-South Bend running back Ferrill Johnson (10) looks for a hole while teammate Malachi Duckworth (54) throws a block during a 22-7 victory over Goldendale in the first round of the 2B State Football Tournament on Friday at Millam Field in South Bend.

Reidinger finished with a workhorse-like stat line of 165 yards on 28 carries, an average of 5.89 yards per carry.

Johnson also hit triple digits, rushing for 106 yards on 15 carries, an average of 7.06 yards per carry.

With the win, RSB will face No. 3 Pe Ell-Willapa Valley in a battle of two Pacific League rivals in the state quarterfinals next weekend (time, date, location to be determined).

“We know each other well,” said Abbott, whose team suffered its first loss of the season against the Titans back on Oct. 15. “We’re looking forward for another opportunity against a good football team.”