Raiders lose opener after holding second-half lead
By Doug Stohlberg
It was a game in which Hudson appeared to control, leading 12-0 late in the third quarter. New Richmond, however scored late in the third period and ate most of the fourth quarter on a 14-play drive that culminated with the go-ahead touchdown. The difference in the contest was extra points. Hudson missed a kick and a two-point conversion try; New Richmond made a kick and a two-point try. The score, however, may have been a bit deceiving in that New Richmond dominated the offensive play of the contest. Hudson's Joe Breault provided Hudson's only real offense, scoring on a 78-yard run early in the third period and again midway through the period when he took a short pass from Jeff Johnson and scampered 66 yards for a score. Aside from a couple of other plays, Hudson's offense struggled most of the evening. New Richmond ran 65 offensive plays to Hudson's 35. "We just didn't move the ball offensively," said coach Gerry Uchytil. "If we had any consistency from our offense, we could have won the game. The defense didn't respond at crunch time either." Breault's first score came on the second play of the third quarter. Breault broke through the line and raced 78 yards, but Hudson missed the PAT. Hudson stopped the Tigers on their next possession, but it proved to be the last defensive stop. Hudson again scored, however, as Breault took a short pass from Johnson and scampered up the left side, outrunning his Tiger foes. The play covered 66 yards. New Richmond had a long run back on the kickoff. Starting at the Raider 39, the Tigers scored in six plays, cutting the margin to 12-7 with 1:51 left in the third quarter. Hudson was unable to move the ball on their next possession. After a punt, New Richmond started at the Raider 22 and drove the ball down field in mostly 4- and 5-yard chunks. The Tigers also added the two-point conversion; they not only took the lead, but killed most of the fourth quarter doing it. By the time Hudson got the ball back, there were just over three minutes left in the game. Hudson managed one first down on its next possession, driving to their own 42, but by time they lost the ball, they were back on their own 18. New Richmond knelt on the ball twice as time expired. Despite the loss, and the shortcomings of the offense, Uchytil was pleased with his team's effort. "We made some mistakes and lost our poise a little bit, but we battled all the way," Uchytil said. "Some people were concerned about whether we could compete - we showed we can compete with anyone. "The kids are working hard and have great attitudes." He said Breault had a great game. He also praised the play of John Schuna saying he had a "great game" at both offensive guard and defensive tackle. Others he mentioned were Mike Leverty, Jeff Johnson, Chris Bevers and Allan Barr. He said Johnson had a good game at quarterback. He was sacked five times and hurried several others. He still managed to complete six of 11 passes for 96 yards. Along with the touchdown pass to Breault, he tossed two 16-yard completions, one each to Kevin Miser and Barr. Breault finished the game with 110 yards in eight carries. No one else had more than a couple of yards.
At Menomonie
Friday the Raiders face perennial conference champion Menomonie at Nelson Field in Menomonie. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Menomonie topped Eau Claire Memorial in the season opener, 14-0."Of course, this will be a big test for us," Uchytil said. "We need to get something going on offense." He said Menomonie is bigger than they have been in the past, but probably does not have the outstanding speed of some recent Menomonie squads. "They're still very good, however," Uchytil said. He expects a good conference race this year, with Menomonie and Chippewa Falls the possible favorites. The Raiders will get to see both those teams in the next two weeks. After traveling to Menomonie this Friday, Hudson hosts Chippewa Sept. 10. New Rich. 0 0 7 8 - 15 Hudson 0 0 12 0 - 12 HUD - Joe Breault, 78 yd. run, (kick failed). HUD - Breault, 66 pass from Jeff Johnson., (pass failed). NR - Matt Olson, 33 pass from Tom Crisp, (Crisp kick). NR - Jon Gustafson, 1 yd. run, (Gustafson run). HUD - 189 yg, 93 yr, 96 yp, 6-11-0 p. NR - 246 yg, 169 yr, 77 yp, 4-11-0 p.
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