It was certainly not a pleasant night to be out but the energetic group of Riverheads fans that made the trip to Wilson tonight were rewarded for their dedication as the Big Red swept both the Middle School and JV games from the home team Hornets. The Middle Schoolers took charge early and were never seriously threatened as they knocked off Wilson 20-12, whereas the Gladiator JVs were pushed around quite a bit by Wilson but rallied for a pair of fourth-quarter scores to remain unbeaten with a gutsy 20-14 victory.
In the opening game, Riverheads took its first possession all the way into the end zone for an early 6-0 lead. They scored a second TD just before halftime to go up 12-0, but Wilson scored on the very last play of the half to close the gap to 12-6. After a scoreless third quarter, the Big Red scored again midway through the fourth and added the conversion to take a 20-6 lead. Wilson then scored with about a minute and half left to trim the lead to 20-12. The fact that the clock runs in Middle School games then worked against them as they were unable to get the ball back, allowing Riverheads to hold on.
The win was extra sweet for the Gladiators because it was their first of the season. In fact the points they scored tonight were their first of the season as they had been shut out in their first two games. Helping the team to earn its win tonight was an abnormally large and highly-charged set of cheerleaders. Numbering at least 24, they were determined not to let their team lose and the players gladly obliged.
In the JV game, RHS got off to a great start as Tanner McCray swept right end from about 40 yards out to score just barely a minute into the game. However, the much larger and more physical Hornets took charge from there and posted two TDs to take a 14-6 lead into the locker room.
Wilson then took the second half kickoff and came close to scoring a third TD, but the Gladiators stiffened, which allowed the game to turn in their favor. They pushed across a tying TD and conversion on the first play of the final period, and then blocked a punt, which led to them scoring the winning TD with around three minutes left in the game. Wilson had one final chance but the Big Red picked off a desperation pass around midfield to end the game.
The slippery conditions caused issues for all four teams but if one team had the most trouble, it may have been the Hornet JVs. At least five or six times, the ball hit the carpet but they would always find a way to get the lucky bounce and avoid the turnover. Their quarterback also had to make acrobatic plays a few times to reel in a high snap.
With the win, RHS moves to 3-0 on the season. They will host Page County next Wednesday night for a 6;00 JV only game. Meanwhile the attention now turns to Friday night when the Hornet varsity team invades Greenville. As we near the midway point of the season, that is almost a must-win game for both teams, meaning one of them will leave the field a lot happier than the other. If you believe those weather guys, we should have much better conditions for that game.
In the opening game, Riverheads took its first possession all the way into the end zone for an early 6-0 lead. They scored a second TD just before halftime to go up 12-0, but Wilson scored on the very last play of the half to close the gap to 12-6. After a scoreless third quarter, the Big Red scored again midway through the fourth and added the conversion to take a 20-6 lead. Wilson then scored with about a minute and half left to trim the lead to 20-12. The fact that the clock runs in Middle School games then worked against them as they were unable to get the ball back, allowing Riverheads to hold on.
The win was extra sweet for the Gladiators because it was their first of the season. In fact the points they scored tonight were their first of the season as they had been shut out in their first two games. Helping the team to earn its win tonight was an abnormally large and highly-charged set of cheerleaders. Numbering at least 24, they were determined not to let their team lose and the players gladly obliged.
In the JV game, RHS got off to a great start as Tanner McCray swept right end from about 40 yards out to score just barely a minute into the game. However, the much larger and more physical Hornets took charge from there and posted two TDs to take a 14-6 lead into the locker room.
Wilson then took the second half kickoff and came close to scoring a third TD, but the Gladiators stiffened, which allowed the game to turn in their favor. They pushed across a tying TD and conversion on the first play of the final period, and then blocked a punt, which led to them scoring the winning TD with around three minutes left in the game. Wilson had one final chance but the Big Red picked off a desperation pass around midfield to end the game.
The slippery conditions caused issues for all four teams but if one team had the most trouble, it may have been the Hornet JVs. At least five or six times, the ball hit the carpet but they would always find a way to get the lucky bounce and avoid the turnover. Their quarterback also had to make acrobatic plays a few times to reel in a high snap.
With the win, RHS moves to 3-0 on the season. They will host Page County next Wednesday night for a 6;00 JV only game. Meanwhile the attention now turns to Friday night when the Hornet varsity team invades Greenville. As we near the midway point of the season, that is almost a must-win game for both teams, meaning one of them will leave the field a lot happier than the other. If you believe those weather guys, we should have much better conditions for that game.
