It only took the Delhi Hawks one play to trick themselves into believing they were on their way to their second win of the young season, but after 26 unanswered points from the Riverbank Bruins, the Hawks were only able to leave Riverbank with their second loss of the preseason ... while the host Bruins had their second win.
After racing out to a 55-yard score to open play, Riverbank clamped down on the Hawks, holding Delhi to less than 60 yards of total offense throughout the remainder of the contest. An injury to the Bruins' starting left cornerback left Riverbank scrambling for the right personnel at the start, and Delhi capitalized on that series, scoring in what would be the Hawks' lone highlight of the 26-8 blowout.
Riverbank (2-1) answered with a quality drive, which ended with a 2-yard touchdown plunge from Eric Evans to get the Bruins on the board. Riverbank would squander the 2-point PAT leaving the Hawks with a two-point cushion.
Over the game's next 12 minutes Riverbank established themselves as the more dominant team, forcing the Hawks into a final fight to hold on and not get embarrassed.
"We were able to control the clock on offense while we were moving the ball," Riverbank head coach Paul Smith said. "We rushed for 222 yards on the ground, the defense played outstanding. We were able to hold them to just 90 yards passing and 15 yards rushing."
After racing out to a 55-yard score to open play, Riverbank clamped down on the Hawks, holding Delhi to less than 60 yards of total offense throughout the remainder of the contest. An injury to the Bruins' starting left cornerback left Riverbank scrambling for the right personnel at the start, and Delhi capitalized on that series, scoring in what would be the Hawks' lone highlight of the 26-8 blowout.
Riverbank (2-1) answered with a quality drive, which ended with a 2-yard touchdown plunge from Eric Evans to get the Bruins on the board. Riverbank would squander the 2-point PAT leaving the Hawks with a two-point cushion.
Over the game's next 12 minutes Riverbank established themselves as the more dominant team, forcing the Hawks into a final fight to hold on and not get embarrassed.
"We were able to control the clock on offense while we were moving the ball," Riverbank head coach Paul Smith said. "We rushed for 222 yards on the ground, the defense played outstanding. We were able to hold them to just 90 yards passing and 15 yards rushing."
