If these two are going to continue to have games like this, they may just have to make it a regular thing. To give you the headline first, the Gladiators held off the visiting Colonels tonight in a 43-36 overtime thriller that had just about any kind of weirdness you can think of. As a result the Big Red is now 2-0 on the season and averaged 56 points per game in those two victories.
But I have to be honest, and I am sure most Riverheads fans would agree, that this was not a win to be especially proud of and there are definitely some chinks in the Gladiator armor. They now have one week to figure some things out before Stuarts Draft comes calling next week for both teams' Shenandoah District opener.
For openers, the weather impacted this one as a one-hour lighting delay pushed the kickoff back to 8:00. Definitely not what the visitors wanted to hear. So fans did the best they could as they enjoyed a brief but brilliant rainbow and a nice red sky sunset while waiting for the kickoff.
In a classic deja vu kind of way, RHS jumped out to a 21-0 lead, much like the 19-0 halftime lead they had at Altavista last year. Altavista trimmed the margin to 21-7 by halftime, and although the third quarter had some serious action, neither team scored.
So when Riverheads scored on the second play of the fourth quarter and added a two-point conversion to go up 29-7, it looked as if the Colonels would go quietly this time.. In fact, knowing what we know now, if the Gladiators had not gone for two, we might be having a different discussion.
Following that score that put the Gladiators up by three scores, it is only fair to say that Altavista played like a team possessed. They uncorked one big play after another and the Big Red was simply not able to stop them. In fact the Colonels were so explosive that they cut the lead down to 29-21 in less than one minute of game time thanks to an onside kick recovery. So if you are following the plot here, the teams combined for three TDs in roughly 90 seconds to open the fourth quarter.
Riverheads then scored to go up 36-21, and if you remember the situation from last year, they also had a two-score lead at the five-minute mark in Altavista's 29-25 win. So even with a 15 point lead, Riverheads was unglued by this time and it was only a matter of time before the Colonels worked their magic again.
They answered that Riverheads TD almost immediately to make the score 36-28, and then scored the tying touchdown at the 50 second mark. They needed a two-point conversion to force the tie and got it, much to the disbelief of the home crowd.
With less than a minute to go, Riverheads got the ball deep into enemy territory and almost pulled out the win in regulation. But they couldn't finish the deal and as the overtime started, just about everybody in the stadium had the feeling that the Colonels were going to find a way to win.
The Gladiators got the ball first in the extra session, and needed all four downs before Jackson Fitzgerald squirted up the middle from about four yards out for what turned out to be the winning score. Bryan Lopez-Rojas kicked his fifth PAT for the final Gladiator point of the night.
Altavista had been so explosive in the fourth quarter and the Gladiator defense had been so vulnerable that it seemed like they would be able to score easily and that the game would come down to whatever decision they made on the extra point try. But the Big Red forced them into a fourth and six play and a pass into the end zone was knocked away, giving Riverheads the hard-earned victory.
So yes the Gladiators deserve credit for stepping up the defense when they needed it the most. And yes, Fitzgerald and his running mate Skyler Shiflett had some absolutely huge plays on offense. The Gladiators also got two scores from Rylan Payne and some hard yards from fullback Gage Hutton, who was filling in for the injured Spencer Simpson.
But nobody who witnessed that game could possibly come away from it without respecting the huge Colonel comeback and the fact that they just would not quit. Once again, just like he did last year, that little waterbug Jontez Lee, all 150 pounds of him, just drove the Gladiators crazy and almost willed his team to victory with some of the most determined plays you will ever see one guy make.
But they had other athletes as well and having seen them tonight, I think they must be the best 0-2 team in the state and I have no idea how Lunenburg held them to a single TD last week. At the end of the season, either RHS or Buffalo Gap could face the Colonels in a winner-take-all playoff game, and if that happens, it will likely be another one that will go down to the wire.
So a win is a win and miraculously the Big Red never trailed in this one, but there is work to be done. This was NOT a typical Riverheads defensive effort, and there is cause for concern after giving up 36 tonight and 21 last week to Smith Mountain. Next Friday's game with the visiting Cougars will be VERY interesting........
But I have to be honest, and I am sure most Riverheads fans would agree, that this was not a win to be especially proud of and there are definitely some chinks in the Gladiator armor. They now have one week to figure some things out before Stuarts Draft comes calling next week for both teams' Shenandoah District opener.
For openers, the weather impacted this one as a one-hour lighting delay pushed the kickoff back to 8:00. Definitely not what the visitors wanted to hear. So fans did the best they could as they enjoyed a brief but brilliant rainbow and a nice red sky sunset while waiting for the kickoff.
In a classic deja vu kind of way, RHS jumped out to a 21-0 lead, much like the 19-0 halftime lead they had at Altavista last year. Altavista trimmed the margin to 21-7 by halftime, and although the third quarter had some serious action, neither team scored.
So when Riverheads scored on the second play of the fourth quarter and added a two-point conversion to go up 29-7, it looked as if the Colonels would go quietly this time.. In fact, knowing what we know now, if the Gladiators had not gone for two, we might be having a different discussion.
Following that score that put the Gladiators up by three scores, it is only fair to say that Altavista played like a team possessed. They uncorked one big play after another and the Big Red was simply not able to stop them. In fact the Colonels were so explosive that they cut the lead down to 29-21 in less than one minute of game time thanks to an onside kick recovery. So if you are following the plot here, the teams combined for three TDs in roughly 90 seconds to open the fourth quarter.
Riverheads then scored to go up 36-21, and if you remember the situation from last year, they also had a two-score lead at the five-minute mark in Altavista's 29-25 win. So even with a 15 point lead, Riverheads was unglued by this time and it was only a matter of time before the Colonels worked their magic again.
They answered that Riverheads TD almost immediately to make the score 36-28, and then scored the tying touchdown at the 50 second mark. They needed a two-point conversion to force the tie and got it, much to the disbelief of the home crowd.
With less than a minute to go, Riverheads got the ball deep into enemy territory and almost pulled out the win in regulation. But they couldn't finish the deal and as the overtime started, just about everybody in the stadium had the feeling that the Colonels were going to find a way to win.
The Gladiators got the ball first in the extra session, and needed all four downs before Jackson Fitzgerald squirted up the middle from about four yards out for what turned out to be the winning score. Bryan Lopez-Rojas kicked his fifth PAT for the final Gladiator point of the night.
Altavista had been so explosive in the fourth quarter and the Gladiator defense had been so vulnerable that it seemed like they would be able to score easily and that the game would come down to whatever decision they made on the extra point try. But the Big Red forced them into a fourth and six play and a pass into the end zone was knocked away, giving Riverheads the hard-earned victory.
So yes the Gladiators deserve credit for stepping up the defense when they needed it the most. And yes, Fitzgerald and his running mate Skyler Shiflett had some absolutely huge plays on offense. The Gladiators also got two scores from Rylan Payne and some hard yards from fullback Gage Hutton, who was filling in for the injured Spencer Simpson.
But nobody who witnessed that game could possibly come away from it without respecting the huge Colonel comeback and the fact that they just would not quit. Once again, just like he did last year, that little waterbug Jontez Lee, all 150 pounds of him, just drove the Gladiators crazy and almost willed his team to victory with some of the most determined plays you will ever see one guy make.
But they had other athletes as well and having seen them tonight, I think they must be the best 0-2 team in the state and I have no idea how Lunenburg held them to a single TD last week. At the end of the season, either RHS or Buffalo Gap could face the Colonels in a winner-take-all playoff game, and if that happens, it will likely be another one that will go down to the wire.
So a win is a win and miraculously the Big Red never trailed in this one, but there is work to be done. This was NOT a typical Riverheads defensive effort, and there is cause for concern after giving up 36 tonight and 21 last week to Smith Mountain. Next Friday's game with the visiting Cougars will be VERY interesting........
