MOSCOW - The Silver got the best of the Gold during Friday night's Idaho spring football finale, but coach Robb Akey said there was growth throughout the ranks as the Vandals left the field for the final time this spring.
"The offensive line is coming along," he said of the unit depleted by graduation. "I'm happy with the progress we've made.
"We gained a lot of ground on defense this spring. What I see, and what you probably saw tonight, was a defense that has gained confidence. It has a swagger. I'm very happy to see that."
All of the nearly 3,300 Vandal fans in attendance saw it as the No. 1 offense repeatedly came up short when going against the No. 1 defense as it settled for field goals or punts on a number of occasions. When it was all said and done, the Silver won 27-14.
That's not to say there weren't highlights for both teams. Amid the impressive percentages put up by quarterbacks Nathan Enderle and Brian Reader was a largely, but not wholly, good showing by the receivers.
"The offense had opportunities," Akey said. "There were too many dropped balls and that one offense had a couple opportunities to make some things happen. Sometimes that happens to be good defense was played."
One that would make any highlight reel was Robert Hatchett splitting the defense and sprinting 74 yards to score on a pass from Logan Bushnell. That brought him close to being the top receiver of the night - an accolade that goes to junior college transfer Armauni Johnson, who's impressed all spring. He pulled in seven passes for 103 yards.
Enderle, the victim of a few drops, finished the night by completing 12 of 20 passes for 113 yards, while Reader connected 23 of 31 for 259 while playing for both sides. The rushing attack didn't cover miles of
yards but did make the plays when needed with the backs showing their versatility as effective weapons out of the backfield in the passing game.
Defensively, Paul Senescall and JoJo Dickson had seven tackles each with four of Senescall's counting as tackles for loss. Linebacker Korey Toomer accounted for the game's lone interception when he picked off Reader late in the scrimmage, while Aaron Grymes, Gary Walker, Isaac Butts and Tracy Carter each had a pass breakup.
Trey Farquhar was successful on a 53-yard field goal as well as a 34-yarder to go with five PATs. Bobby Cowan boomed a 62-yard punt during an evening when he kicked six times for an average of 40.5 yards.
"I think they all stepped it up tonight," Akey said of the spirited session. "One thing this football team had better always possess is an intensity and a fire. For a spring game, it wasn't too bad. I think you'll see a little extra juice on Sept. 2."
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