I will be back later with a full report but this was a classic battle from start to finish in which the Gladiators had to come from behind three times before finally subduing the Bulldogs. Back to the usual Saturday business of college basketball.
Riverheads Rallies Past Tazewell 28-17
- Thread starter longtimerhsfan
- Start date
Sorry to keep you guys in suspenders but I will try to make it worth the wait. This was a titanic battle from start to finish between two teams that love their smashmouth football. As luck would have it, Mother Nature allowed the game to be played on a relatively dry field with no rain or snow and the two teams gave their fans their money's worth.
Tazewell brought a respectable fan section and you could tell from the beginning that both the Bulldogs and their supporters were pumped and eager to see what these four-time state champions up here in Greenville were all about. As a result, the early emotion and momentum very much belonged to the visitors as they forced a fumble on RHS' first possession and drove about 50 yards to quickly go ahead 6-0. The PAT sailed wide, although it may have been impacted by the wind, a soft section of the turf, or perhaps both.
As it turned out, that turnover would end up being Riverheads' one and only on the day, so on their next possession, the Gladiators righted the ship and started off on one of their patented, all-rushing TD drives. It took about eight minutes off the clock and when Zac Smiley scored the first of his three TDs, the action had already ticked over into the second quarter. Whatever had happened to the Tazewell PAT at that scoreboard end of the field did not impact Riverheads as the new placekicker (haven't learned his name yet) nailed the first of four to put Riverheads ahead 7-6.
The rest of the second quarter was a defensive struggle and appeared ready to end with that same score, but Tazewell moved into position for a field goal at the opposite end and nailed it from about 36 yards to regain the momentum and take a 9-7 lead into the locker room.
Everybody in the stadium knew that the Bulldogs were due to receive the second half kickoff and that the game might hinge on what they did with that first possession. Well Mr. Smiley made sure they did very little with it as he picked off a deflected pass and put the Gladiators right back in business around the Tazewell 35. That fired up the Big Red faithful, a group that is not accustomed to being behind, and they were soon rewarded as Smiley's second score put RHS ahead 14-9 less than two minutes into the second half.
A lesser team might have panicked at that point and coughed up another turnover, but the confident Bulldogs were unfazed and in no time at all, the game saw yet another lead change as they hit paydirt again from inside the five and tacked on a two-point conversion to move back in front 17-14 at the midway point of the third quarter.
Riverheads then turned to something the fans don't see very often, the forward pass, as a 20-yard completion from Bennett Dunlap to Landon Lightner enabled the Gladiators to cross midfield. They quickly navigated the rest of the yardage and Cayden Cook-Cash scored his first varsity touchdown from about 8 yards out to give RHS the lead for good at 21-17.
Still refusing to go quietly, the Bulldogs embarked on yet another drive, this one featuring a couple of circus catches, and they found themselves deep into the red zone, ready to regain the lead. But RHS came up with a big defensive stop on fourth down and batted a pass down to squelch the drive.
The Gladiators then did what they do best.........drove steadily down the field, all on the ground as the precious seconds ticked away on the clock. Everyone knew that if they failed to score and gave the ball back to Tazewell, the Bulldogs might very well have the explosiveness to pull out a last second win.
As the Gladiators neared the red zone, Tazewell did not stop them, but they almost stopped themselves as they were hit with back to back five yard penalties, leaving them facing a third and long situation. Hard-running fullback Cole Burton, who had been used very little to that point, caught the 'Dogs by surprise with a strong 14 yard burst up the middle to give Riverheads a manageable fourth and four around the 14 yard line.
That is when Smiley sealed the deal as he sneaked out in to the left flat, snagged what was only Dunlap's second pass of the entire game, and shook off a defender to scamper into the endzone with about 3 minutes left.
Tazewell was unable to mount another threat as the Gladiators celebrated the hard-earned win. RHS will now begin district play next Friday night when Wilson comes calling.
As you can tell, Smiley was the big hero of the day on both offense and defense but the Gladiators also got solid rushing games from his younger brother Noah, along with Cy Cox, Aiden Miller, and the aforementioned Burton. Once again this year the Gladiators are blessed with an abundance of running backs and the overall key to their success will be to see how the rest of the team develops.
We hope all Tazewell folks had a safe trip home and we will see you sometime this fall for the continuation of the series. You will find then that Gladiator fans travel well just as you folks did today.
Tazewell brought a respectable fan section and you could tell from the beginning that both the Bulldogs and their supporters were pumped and eager to see what these four-time state champions up here in Greenville were all about. As a result, the early emotion and momentum very much belonged to the visitors as they forced a fumble on RHS' first possession and drove about 50 yards to quickly go ahead 6-0. The PAT sailed wide, although it may have been impacted by the wind, a soft section of the turf, or perhaps both.
As it turned out, that turnover would end up being Riverheads' one and only on the day, so on their next possession, the Gladiators righted the ship and started off on one of their patented, all-rushing TD drives. It took about eight minutes off the clock and when Zac Smiley scored the first of his three TDs, the action had already ticked over into the second quarter. Whatever had happened to the Tazewell PAT at that scoreboard end of the field did not impact Riverheads as the new placekicker (haven't learned his name yet) nailed the first of four to put Riverheads ahead 7-6.
The rest of the second quarter was a defensive struggle and appeared ready to end with that same score, but Tazewell moved into position for a field goal at the opposite end and nailed it from about 36 yards to regain the momentum and take a 9-7 lead into the locker room.
Everybody in the stadium knew that the Bulldogs were due to receive the second half kickoff and that the game might hinge on what they did with that first possession. Well Mr. Smiley made sure they did very little with it as he picked off a deflected pass and put the Gladiators right back in business around the Tazewell 35. That fired up the Big Red faithful, a group that is not accustomed to being behind, and they were soon rewarded as Smiley's second score put RHS ahead 14-9 less than two minutes into the second half.
A lesser team might have panicked at that point and coughed up another turnover, but the confident Bulldogs were unfazed and in no time at all, the game saw yet another lead change as they hit paydirt again from inside the five and tacked on a two-point conversion to move back in front 17-14 at the midway point of the third quarter.
Riverheads then turned to something the fans don't see very often, the forward pass, as a 20-yard completion from Bennett Dunlap to Landon Lightner enabled the Gladiators to cross midfield. They quickly navigated the rest of the yardage and Cayden Cook-Cash scored his first varsity touchdown from about 8 yards out to give RHS the lead for good at 21-17.
Still refusing to go quietly, the Bulldogs embarked on yet another drive, this one featuring a couple of circus catches, and they found themselves deep into the red zone, ready to regain the lead. But RHS came up with a big defensive stop on fourth down and batted a pass down to squelch the drive.
The Gladiators then did what they do best.........drove steadily down the field, all on the ground as the precious seconds ticked away on the clock. Everyone knew that if they failed to score and gave the ball back to Tazewell, the Bulldogs might very well have the explosiveness to pull out a last second win.
As the Gladiators neared the red zone, Tazewell did not stop them, but they almost stopped themselves as they were hit with back to back five yard penalties, leaving them facing a third and long situation. Hard-running fullback Cole Burton, who had been used very little to that point, caught the 'Dogs by surprise with a strong 14 yard burst up the middle to give Riverheads a manageable fourth and four around the 14 yard line.
That is when Smiley sealed the deal as he sneaked out in to the left flat, snagged what was only Dunlap's second pass of the entire game, and shook off a defender to scamper into the endzone with about 3 minutes left.
Tazewell was unable to mount another threat as the Gladiators celebrated the hard-earned win. RHS will now begin district play next Friday night when Wilson comes calling.
As you can tell, Smiley was the big hero of the day on both offense and defense but the Gladiators also got solid rushing games from his younger brother Noah, along with Cy Cox, Aiden Miller, and the aforementioned Burton. Once again this year the Gladiators are blessed with an abundance of running backs and the overall key to their success will be to see how the rest of the team develops.
We hope all Tazewell folks had a safe trip home and we will see you sometime this fall for the continuation of the series. You will find then that Gladiator fans travel well just as you folks did today.
Riverheads converted their huge fourth down in the red zone, Tazwell was stopped, those were the two biggest plays I think. I thought Tazwell QB could have ran for the first down on the third down play but chose to pass and was short setting up the fourth down.
actually both third down plays were huge, the good run by RHS FB to make it fourth and manageable and the missed opportunity for Tazwell that led to fourth down.
two very good teams that played a very good, back and forth game.
actually both third down plays were huge, the good run by RHS FB to make it fourth and manageable and the missed opportunity for Tazwell that led to fourth down.
two very good teams that played a very good, back and forth game.
Thanks. I intended to point out that both teams were gutsy and not afraid to gamble on fourth down plays. Also I checked on the place-kicker and his name is Cooper Robson. I would suspect he was recruited from the soccer team. Regardless, congratulations to the junior on his 4 out of 4 day.
Watching you guys play is like watching rugby with the occasional forward pass lol. toss to the wide side, scrum at the LOS, Riverheads gains seven yards at a time lol
I assume I am not overstepping by pointing this out, since the livestream suggested that we should spread the word, but there is a great video of this game available on Youtube. Actually there is lots of Riverheads action on there if you search for it.
But in this case, credit goes to Coach Casto's wife for the filming, and a local radio personality provides great play by play coverage as they make an excellent team. Nice alternative for those of you who don't subscribe to NFHS or would like to see a different view of the game. You can do a general search on Youtube or if needed, her handle is Footballmomof5.
I assume these streams will continue for the rest of the season. Thanks to that dynamic duo for giving us this option for seeing the Big Red games.
But in this case, credit goes to Coach Casto's wife for the filming, and a local radio personality provides great play by play coverage as they make an excellent team. Nice alternative for those of you who don't subscribe to NFHS or would like to see a different view of the game. You can do a general search on Youtube or if needed, her handle is Footballmomof5.
I assume these streams will continue for the rest of the season. Thanks to that dynamic duo for giving us this option for seeing the Big Red games.
