During the past four weeks, Columbia River had its way with a string of Class 2A opponents.
On Friday night at River Stadium, though, Tumwater came to town and humbled the Chieftains 62-6 in their final game before they finally kick off Class 3A Greater St. Helens League play.
The Thunderbirds (5-0), ranked No. 2 in 2A, took advantage of three turnovers and two special teams miscues to hand Columbia River (4-1), ranked No. 6 in 3A, its worst loss since the final week of the 2010 season.
“This is a momentum game, and against as strong and disciplined a team as Tumwater, when you get down, you start thinking about how good that other team is,” said River quarterback Gabe Evenson. “People all try to step up and do it on their own, and they lose sight of the team, of trusting the guy next to you.”