WRHS FOOTBALL: White River searches for win in season’s finale

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There was no Homecoming celebration for the White River Hornets Friday night, as the visiting Clover Park Warriors rolled up a big 45-13 victory.

The loss dropped the Hornets’ record to 0-6 in South Puget Sound League 2A play and 1-7 overall. The lone victory came in the second week against Orting.

The Hornets close out the SPSL 2A season Friday night when they host the tough Sumner Spartans. Sumner is one of four teams heading into the regular season’s final weekend with a 4-2 mark.

The Warriors, led by Washington State University-bound Tana Pritchard, fashioned a 10-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, then exploded for three touchdowns in the second period. By the time halftime rolled around, Clover Park was enjoying a 31-0 lead.

The Hornets scored the first and last touchdowns of the second half, with a pair of Warrior TDs sandwiched between. The first came near the end of the third quarter when Nate Lenhart scored on a 6-yard run and the other came through the air, when Zach McMillen connected with Anthony Dove on a 28-yard scoring pass with 2 minutes, 43 seconds remaining in the contest.

The Warriors’ dominance was clear in the battle of total offense. Clover Park ran for 355 yards and gained another 200 through the air for a total of 555. White River finished with 313 total yards, 206 on the ground and 107 through the air.

Individually, Dove had another big night, rushing for 121 yards on 14 carries while also grabbing five passes, good for another 65 yards. McMillen completed 10 of 15 passes and had one interception to go with his TD pass.