After just a few minutes of gameplay, it was clear that the Richey-Lambert football team was going to be able to celebrate a Homecoming win.
The Fusion held a 13-0 lead over visiting Gardiner after a handful of minutes, and with one more commanding drive capped off by a touchdown toward the end of the first quarter, Richey-Lambert left little doubt as to the outcome of the game.
Richey-Lambert closed out the rest of the game strong, defeating Gardiner 55-0 for a big Homecoming win on Friday, September 17.
In the victory, Richey-Lambert showed off what it’s capable of, and it also kept a hot streak going for the Fusion’s start to the season.
Despite losing one game so far this season, it was only a two-point loss in what turned out to be a shootout, so the Fusion have still been playing well, especially on offense, in the first games of the season.
Richey-Lambert featured a high-caliber offense last year as well, and with nearly every starter/player returning, the Fusion look poised to be a tough out again this year.
The Fusion offense wasted no time getting going early, as it put up 26 points (nearly half of the final score) in just the first quarter.
After the early touchdowns, Nick Engesser got the Fusion on the board again, running it in for a touchdown with 4:40 left in the first quarter. The extra-point try was good, giving the Fusion a 20-0 lead.
After stopping Gardiner, Richey-Lambert scored one more time before the opening quarter ended. Layne Herman caught a pass from Austin Lien to put the Fusion up 26-0 heading into the second quarter.
Richey-Lambert only scored one time in the second quarter, when Brett Mullin ran the ball in for the score. The Fusion took a 34-0 lead into halftime.
To give credit to Gardiner, they put together a few good drives that nearly ended with some scores of their own, and in the second quarter, Gardiner’s defense held firm on first and goal to keep the Fusion from scoring again.
On the drives where Gardiner was making progress, Richey-Lambert’s defense showed what it was capable of.
A couple times, the Fusion defense held firm in short-and-goal situations, keeping Gardiner from getting on the board.
Richey-Lambert’s defense also recorded a few turnovers; Mullin recovered a fumble in the first half, and James Head intercepted a pass in the first half too.
The second half was similar to the first, with the Fusion scoring a few more times to extend their lead and secure the win.
In the third quarter, Grady Gonsioroski found Herman for a passing touchdown, and Engesser had a big run for another touchdown. Also in the third quarter, the Fusion picked up a safety.
The final score of the game came later in the fourth quarter, when Corbin Mullin broke free for a big touchdown run.
Everything was going right for Richey-Lambert in the win, and with the impressive display, Richey-Lambert kept its good start going.
The Fusion have a big game coming up next, as they host Savage on Friday, September 24. Savage has played well to start this season too, so it should be a good game to watch.
