Richland prepares to host a special TOC 2017-18 ceremony where the football team will be nationally recognized by MaxPreps.
MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the
Richland (Wash.) Bombers have officially been named to the 13th Annual MaxPreps Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its thirteenth year honoring football.
This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for 100 of the top teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the MaxPreps National Rankings. For football, only 50 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 17,000 competing varsity teams, this puts the Bombers ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!
In order to be eligible, the team not only had to be nationally ranked, but also had to win a state championship. Beating Woodinville 28-21 on Saturday, Dec. 2 in the
WIAA Class 4A state championship contest marked the completion of an incredible 14-0 season — and earned Richland an invitation to the Tour of Champions.
Richland bolted out to a 28-0 halftime advantage and then hung on for dear life in winning the school's first state football championship since 1999, and its third in program history. Adam Weissenfels, who tied a championship game record by picking off three Woodinville passes, opened the game's scoring in the first quarter when he reeled in a 9-yard strike from Cade Jensen. Then the roof fell in on the runner-up Falcons. The champions scored three times in the second quarter on a 3-yard run by Jared Whitby, a 17-yard romp from Parker McCary and Sammy Cervantes' 15-yard reception from Jensen.
When the fourth quarter rolled around the Bombers still led by three scores. But the runners-up scored on a 38-yard scoring strike and a 9-yard run in the final quarter to pull within 28-21 with 3:26 left. The Falcons began their final drive at their own 20 with 2:11 remaining. But on fourth-and-11, Weissenfels secured a desperation pass to seal the championship win a year after the Bombers lost to Camas in the finals.
Jensen completed 13 of 23 passes for 182 yards and a pair of scoring strikes. McCary ran the ball 28 times for 116 yards, and a score, and Cervantes and Cody Sanderson caught five balls between them for 119 yards collectively. The Bombers won the turnover battle 6-1.
Richland opened playoff competition with a 62-28 win over West Valley. Then, following a 28-21 win over Gonzaga Prep, the Bombers bumped Central Valley from championship contention with a 42-10 semifinal win to set up the championship bout with Woodinville.
Mike Neidhold's club opened the season with a 24-21 triumph over Bellevue. Then, 13 wins later, the Bombers wrapped up an undefeated season and the state championship hardware. Richland outscored its competition 619-170 and posted a pair of shutouts. The Bombers held eight opponents to 10 points or less.
Having won all 14 games in 2017, Richland set itself up for some rather high rankings come season's end. Not only are the Bombers the top team in MaxPreps'
Washington Class 4A rankings, Richland is the No. 1 team in all of
Washington. The Bombers are the No. 64 team in
MaxPreps' National Rankings!
These incredible season achievements have earned the Richland Bombers an invitation to the 13th Annual Tour of Champions. Please join us in the gymnasium as we celebrate with the football team, coaching staff, students and fans on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at approximately 7 p.m. during halftime of the boys varsity basketball game.
For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the
MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.
