Whitehorse football team beats Monument Valley to take Battle of the Drum, sweep season series

by David Boyle
News Director
The Whitehorse Raiders defeated the Monument Valley Cougars on the football field on October 11 to take the Battle of the Drum for the second time this year.
While the final 50-12 score heavily favored the Raiders, the game was within two points at halftime. However, the Raiders grabbed the win with a big second half.
The game opened with a 60-yard touchdown drive by Monument Valley, capped off with a 30-yard touchdown run by Melias Cly to make the score 6-0.
The Raiders responded with a 46-yard drive on the next possession capped by a 38-yard touchdown run by Izaya Bob. The Raiders added two points on a pass from Tristan Black to Kaleb Joe to take an 8-6 lead. 
The next Monument Valley drive stalled on a fourth-down conversion attempt but on the next play Cly forced and recovered a fumble to give the Cougars another possession.
The Raiders returned the favor just two plays later when Dominic Dance intercepted a pass to give Whitehorse the ball at midfield.
The Raiders drove down to the goal line where Black delivered a two-yard touchdown pass to Joe, making the score 14-6 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter started with a Monument Valley drive that ended at the Whitehorse 15-yard line. The Raiders responded with a drive to the Monument Valley 17, but a pass was intercepted by Braxton Goodshield.
The Cougars then drove down to the Raider five where on fourth down Cly ran the ball in for a touchdown to make the score 14-12 for Whitehorse. The teams each had one more possession but neither were able to score before the first half expired.
The second half began with the Raiders taking the ball 60 yards on the opening drive to extend their lead with a two-yard touchdown run by Black. Aiden Hamm then ran the ball into the end zone to add two points to make the score 22-12 in favor of the Raiders.
Monument Valley responded by driving down to the Whitehorse 11 yard line but were unable to convert points.
The Raiders regained possession and promptly drove the length of the field, adding an 11-yard touchdown pass from Black to Joe. Kalin Tohonnie added the two-point conversion this time to extend the lead to 30-12.
The Cougars couldn’t move the ball on their next possession and a high snap rolled into the end zone and was recovered by Bob to give Whitehorse another quick touchdown and make the score 36-12.
On the ensuing Monument Valley possession, Raider defensive pressure once again forced a punt and Whitehorse took over at the Cougar 21. The Cougar defense stiffened up though and they took the ball back after a fourth-down attempt failed at the close of the third quarter.
The Whitehorse defense once again brought pressure with Landin Clark intercepting a pass and returning it 22 yards for their second defensive touchdown of the game. Kelan Dee added a two-point conversion.
The Cougars kept fighting and drove to the Whitehorse 12 yard line but were unable to get into the end zone. The Raiders’ next drive went the length of the field and was capped by a four-yard touchdown run by Dee and make the final 50-12.
Whitehorse improved to 4-4 on the year with the win. The Raiders are the #5 seed in the 8-player playoffs and will travel to Water Canyon on October 27 for a quarterfinal showdown between the #4 and #5 seeds.
The Cougars dropped to 2-6 with the loss and will enter the postseason as the #7 seed. They’ll travel to Monticello on October 27 for a game you’ll be able to watch live on StreamUtah.live.