Season No. 1 of the Joe Sprouse coaching era ended on a sour note Thursday when visiting Auburn Mountainview trudged past the White River Hornets 25-12.

The Week 10 contest was the football finale for both teams, neither of which is playoff bound. With the defeat, the Hornets finished the season with an overall mark of 1-9, the only victory coming in Week 2 against Class 1A Orting. The team was 0-7 during the South Puget Sound League 2A campaign.

The loss was perhaps particularly disheartening because White River built a 12-0 lead before giving up four unanswered touchdowns.

The Hornets’ first possession was capped when Anthony Dove broke loose for a 20-yard scoring run. In the second quarter, Dove was in the end zone again, bulling his way from two yards out. Having missed an extra-point kick the first time around, Sprouse opted for a two-point conversion, which also failed.

The Hornets’ second TD was sparked by a short pass from Zach McMillen that receiver Cody Havelock turned into a 69-yard gain.

White River nearly pitched a first-half shutout, but the Lions broke through with 14 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

The third quarter was disastrous for White River, which allowed two touchdowns while generating very little offense of its own.

The Hornets had one final spark, a new lease on life that came with a blocked field goal attempt in the fourth quarter. White River couldn’t capitalize, though, running four unsuccessful plays and giving up the ball. The Hornets found themselves with the ball one more time, but again failed to mount a serious threat.

Given the ball with only a need to run out the clock, the Lions instead posted their fourth touchdown of the night when Korchemny bolted for a 42-yard scoring run. Andrew Staroverov booted the extra-point kick to cap the night’s scoring.oun

The Hornets couldn’t find their rhythm on the grd or through the air. The team netted just 86 yards on 38 rushing attempts and McMillen completed 6-of-22 passes for 141 yards.