As a tune-up for Friday night's main event, the JV squads met at Riverheads tonight and the Gladiators rolled to a 36-0 win. Things started badly for the visitors with a mishandled opening kickoff and only got worse as they gift-wrapped turnovers and miscues all night long, many of which RHS turned directly into scoring opportunities.
In the first half alone, Wilson sailed a punt snap out of the end zone for a safety, followed that up almost immediately with an interception, then gave up a fumble and yet another muffed punt. As a result, it was 20-0 at the break and the only thing that kept it from being worse was that the Gladiators made a mistake or two of their own that Wilson did not capitalize on.
Two more Wilson fumbles in the second half enabled the Big Red to add two more scores, along with a two-point conversion after each one to account for the 36-0 final. It was a total team effort for RHS as it seemed like a different name was being called out on every carry or pass. That kind of depth could mean that the Gladiators are going to remain a factor in local football for years to come.
Wilson did manage a little success here and there by going to the air. They had two or three completions in the 20-30 yard range but could never put together enough consistency to get into the end zone. Their best opportunity came just before halftime when they drove down inside the ten-yard line before running out of time.
I believe Riverheads is now 6-1 on the year. They will be at Stonewall next week and then have the unenviable task of playing Buffalo Gap and Stuarts Draft in the same week, due to a postponement caused by the heavy rains earlier this fall.
In the first half alone, Wilson sailed a punt snap out of the end zone for a safety, followed that up almost immediately with an interception, then gave up a fumble and yet another muffed punt. As a result, it was 20-0 at the break and the only thing that kept it from being worse was that the Gladiators made a mistake or two of their own that Wilson did not capitalize on.
Two more Wilson fumbles in the second half enabled the Big Red to add two more scores, along with a two-point conversion after each one to account for the 36-0 final. It was a total team effort for RHS as it seemed like a different name was being called out on every carry or pass. That kind of depth could mean that the Gladiators are going to remain a factor in local football for years to come.
Wilson did manage a little success here and there by going to the air. They had two or three completions in the 20-30 yard range but could never put together enough consistency to get into the end zone. Their best opportunity came just before halftime when they drove down inside the ten-yard line before running out of time.
I believe Riverheads is now 6-1 on the year. They will be at Stonewall next week and then have the unenviable task of playing Buffalo Gap and Stuarts Draft in the same week, due to a postponement caused by the heavy rains earlier this fall.
