PHOTO BY MEGAN KANE
A fourth-quarter comeback effort came up short for the Hermiston Bulldogs in their opening game of the 2016 season as the Union Titans held on to claim a 36-27 win at Kennison Field on Friday.
The loss comes despite a huge game from sophomore quarterback Andrew James who completed 25 of 34 pass attempts for 362 yards and three touchdowns. James also rushed for 60 yards with one touchdown.
The Titans jumped out to a 20-7 halftime lead and pushed their advantage to 29-7 at the end of three quarters. The Bulldogs fought back with three fourth-quarter touchdowns to cut the final deficit to 9.
Hermiston’s junior receiver Dayshawn Neal had 12 catches on the night for a whopping 212 yards and three touchdowns. Vaemuvete Ena had four receptions for 102 yards for Hermiston.
The 0-1 Bulldogs will travel to Lewiston, Idaho next Friday to take on the 2-1 Bengals. Hermiston will return home on Sept. 16 to host Mountain View.
