Stuarts Draft vs Riverheads
- Thread starter kwhs95fan
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Interesting game with a few mistakes by both teams. That is truly two really good teams that should make noise in the playoffs. Draft has a very very good defense. And their offense has some nice wrinkles.
IMO, SD should have ran more spread. They seemed to have a little success doing that. But they tried to line up and go right at Riverheads, and that plays right into the Gladiators hands
There were a few things they did that were really effective and I was surprised they didn’t go back to it. The whistle on the first Draft fumble was a joke and the official spotting the ball is the worse one that wears stripes. Draft is a very good team so I do not want to take away from what they did to stuff a good many plays. I just wasn’t happy with the spot for either team tonight to be honest. The wind and cold made passing an undesirable option but i would like to see this game in pretty weather just to see if they could
have exploited the edges and stretched the field. Hats off to them for a great game and I expect them to represent very well in the playoffs
have exploited the edges and stretched the field. Hats off to them for a great game and I expect them to represent very well in the playoffs
Definitely a slobberknocker to quote one of Coach Casto's favorite terms. As mentioned the Cougar defense came as advertised and for the first three quarters they kept the Big Red out of the end zone. They were especially solid at lessening the impact of the Gladiators' main weapon Zac Smiley.
However, other than allowing a 36 yard TD run by Cobey Rothgeb late in the first quarter, Riverheads showed a pretty strong defense of its own, since that turned out to be the last Cougar points of the night. When it counted the most, the Big Red came up with the big play that made the difference as they stopped the Cougars on 4th and goal in the overtime to give themselves the chance to win it.
The media will say that Cooper Robson "won" the game with his field goal, which was his first of the season by the way. Of course the kick was important and he deserves praise for handling such a pressure-packed situation (let's not forget that before that he also kicked the PAT to tie the score), but if I had to pick one hero for Riverheads tonight, it would be freshman running back Cayden Cook-Cash.
First of all, he is also the RHS punter and if you know anything about Riverheads football, you know that we don't punt much. One paper says we had only punted twice all season, meaning he had very limited varsity experience as a punter. So to put the youngster out there in this game and have him punt about 6 or 7 times or whatever it was without incident was actually quite remarkable.
His other major contribution was taking some of the pressure off Smiley. Of course as they usually do, the Big Red got other quality runs from Noah Smiley, Cy Cox, Cole Burton, and a couple of big QB carries from Bennett Dunlap. But if you want to see a REAL highlight reel carry of the football, watch the tape of this game and I hope the determination and intensity of CCC's 35 yard or so run early in the fourth quarter comes across on screen. He broke at least five tackles and for a brief moment, looked as if he might break the final one and take it to the house. Considering his talent and that of four other freshmen on the Big Red's unbeaten JV team, I would not want to be an opposing coach when that quintet is playing its senior year, but that is cart before horse.
In addition to the stellar defense played by both teams, or perhaps BECAUSE of such excellent defense, this game featured a number of turnovers, but ironically every time one of the teams committed a miscue on offense, their defense would step up to keep it from hurting them. For example, a Cougar fumble in their own territory in the first quarter could have cost them, but they forced a Riverheads fumble on the very next play to get the ball back. Then in the latter stages of the fourth quarter, with the score tied at 7-7, the Gladiators seemed to be on the move to a game-winning score in regulation, when the Cougars stripped the ball again.
I am willing to concede that all the fumbles (I believe there were five total lost in the game) could be attributed to the cold weather, the adrenaline factor of such a big game, the hard-hitting of the defenses, or a combination of those factors. In addition to those fumbles, and at least four others that were recovered by the fumbling team, there was a Riverheads interception by Landon Lightner that stopped a Cougar threat. In fact if I am not mistaken, that "completion" was the only one of the night for either team as they were each determined to live or die by their respective ground games.
Penalties also played a part in this game and as always, fans did not like some of the calls. For example, Riverheads' game-tying touchdown came on a first and goal from the 2 1/2, after two penalties on the same play moved them that close to scoring. SD fans would most likely howl about those two calls, especially considering that they had been hit with another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moments before that. We can only assume that words were being spoken that led to those penalties.
Riverheads had its share also, as they stopped themselves on a potential TD drive with a holding call, and also Smiley's apparent game-winning TD on the first play of overtime was called back for a false start, which ultimately led to the Big Red needing to win it on Robson's kick.
It is hard to find game statistics anywhere these days, but back in the horse and buggy days, you could find them in the paper for every game in the area the very next morning. In this case, those stats would show less than 300 yard of COMBINED total offense, which again illustrates the intensity of the defensive work by both teams.
Those stats would also show the unusual number of fumbles, the interception, and the penalty yardage. But in this case, I for one am willing to overlook any of those negative-sounding numbers, put a positive spin on them, and just heartily congratulate each team for giving us one of the best games in years. I am not sure it tops their last overtime tussle (a 16-13 Cougar win in 2016) but this is one that will be remembered as the night each team refused to lose.
Best of luck to both teams moving forward and don't be too surprised if you neutral fans here in the area are faced with a dilemma of which state final to attend or watch on May 1st, because it is already pre-determined that each team will host its championship game if they in fact advance that far. But shame on me for saying that, because I am sure both coaches would much prefer a message of "one game at a time." But for the moment, this was one heck of a season finale and you have to like their chances to go far.
However, other than allowing a 36 yard TD run by Cobey Rothgeb late in the first quarter, Riverheads showed a pretty strong defense of its own, since that turned out to be the last Cougar points of the night. When it counted the most, the Big Red came up with the big play that made the difference as they stopped the Cougars on 4th and goal in the overtime to give themselves the chance to win it.
The media will say that Cooper Robson "won" the game with his field goal, which was his first of the season by the way. Of course the kick was important and he deserves praise for handling such a pressure-packed situation (let's not forget that before that he also kicked the PAT to tie the score), but if I had to pick one hero for Riverheads tonight, it would be freshman running back Cayden Cook-Cash.
First of all, he is also the RHS punter and if you know anything about Riverheads football, you know that we don't punt much. One paper says we had only punted twice all season, meaning he had very limited varsity experience as a punter. So to put the youngster out there in this game and have him punt about 6 or 7 times or whatever it was without incident was actually quite remarkable.
His other major contribution was taking some of the pressure off Smiley. Of course as they usually do, the Big Red got other quality runs from Noah Smiley, Cy Cox, Cole Burton, and a couple of big QB carries from Bennett Dunlap. But if you want to see a REAL highlight reel carry of the football, watch the tape of this game and I hope the determination and intensity of CCC's 35 yard or so run early in the fourth quarter comes across on screen. He broke at least five tackles and for a brief moment, looked as if he might break the final one and take it to the house. Considering his talent and that of four other freshmen on the Big Red's unbeaten JV team, I would not want to be an opposing coach when that quintet is playing its senior year, but that is cart before horse.
In addition to the stellar defense played by both teams, or perhaps BECAUSE of such excellent defense, this game featured a number of turnovers, but ironically every time one of the teams committed a miscue on offense, their defense would step up to keep it from hurting them. For example, a Cougar fumble in their own territory in the first quarter could have cost them, but they forced a Riverheads fumble on the very next play to get the ball back. Then in the latter stages of the fourth quarter, with the score tied at 7-7, the Gladiators seemed to be on the move to a game-winning score in regulation, when the Cougars stripped the ball again.
I am willing to concede that all the fumbles (I believe there were five total lost in the game) could be attributed to the cold weather, the adrenaline factor of such a big game, the hard-hitting of the defenses, or a combination of those factors. In addition to those fumbles, and at least four others that were recovered by the fumbling team, there was a Riverheads interception by Landon Lightner that stopped a Cougar threat. In fact if I am not mistaken, that "completion" was the only one of the night for either team as they were each determined to live or die by their respective ground games.
Penalties also played a part in this game and as always, fans did not like some of the calls. For example, Riverheads' game-tying touchdown came on a first and goal from the 2 1/2, after two penalties on the same play moved them that close to scoring. SD fans would most likely howl about those two calls, especially considering that they had been hit with another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty moments before that. We can only assume that words were being spoken that led to those penalties.
Riverheads had its share also, as they stopped themselves on a potential TD drive with a holding call, and also Smiley's apparent game-winning TD on the first play of overtime was called back for a false start, which ultimately led to the Big Red needing to win it on Robson's kick.
It is hard to find game statistics anywhere these days, but back in the horse and buggy days, you could find them in the paper for every game in the area the very next morning. In this case, those stats would show less than 300 yard of COMBINED total offense, which again illustrates the intensity of the defensive work by both teams.
Those stats would also show the unusual number of fumbles, the interception, and the penalty yardage. But in this case, I for one am willing to overlook any of those negative-sounding numbers, put a positive spin on them, and just heartily congratulate each team for giving us one of the best games in years. I am not sure it tops their last overtime tussle (a 16-13 Cougar win in 2016) but this is one that will be remembered as the night each team refused to lose.
Best of luck to both teams moving forward and don't be too surprised if you neutral fans here in the area are faced with a dilemma of which state final to attend or watch on May 1st, because it is already pre-determined that each team will host its championship game if they in fact advance that far. But shame on me for saying that, because I am sure both coaches would much prefer a message of "one game at a time." But for the moment, this was one heck of a season finale and you have to like their chances to go far.
They are high school kids and the emotion of the game came out a couple of times. No need to make more out of it then it was. They were still helping each other up for the most part.
I have a different take on the whole kick a FG in OT talk, if the inadvertent whistle doesn’t blow the first fumble dead, that’s a Riverheads score because Smiley was 10 yds from anyone when they blew it dead. Now that’s not to say the rest of the game would have went exactly as it did had that occurred but, I don’t think it goes to OT either way. Decisions are based on the game situations and who knows if theY make the same call to go for this or punt at this time with a tied score early. I will concede the score Rothgab had but as stated, there was 269 yds of offense in the game for both teams combined. Draft had 106 with 35 coming on their scoring play. They had 36 over the last 3 quarters. Conversely Riverheads had 169 with Cash having one big run in the 4th accounting for 35-40 of that total. It truly was a defensive/field position game. I have to say that both of these teams were phenomenal defensively. It was a shame either had to lose.
I have a different take on the whole kick a FG in OT talk, if the inadvertent whistle doesn’t blow the first fumble dead, that’s a Riverheads score because Smiley was 10 yds from anyone when they blew it dead. Now that’s not to say the rest of the game would have went exactly as it did had that occurred but, I don’t think it goes to OT either way. Decisions are based on the game situations and who knows if theY make the same call to go for this or punt at this time with a tied score early. I will concede the score Rothgab had but as stated, there was 269 yds of offense in the game for both teams combined. Draft had 106 with 35 coming on their scoring play. They had 36 over the last 3 quarters. Conversely Riverheads had 169 with Cash having one big run in the 4th accounting for 35-40 of that total. It truly was a defensive/field position game. I have to say that both of these teams were phenomenal defensively. It was a shame either had to lose.
That does not sound like a Draft team. I know the coach and he does not like that kind of posture.
I was on the Draft side and could not believe what the coaches were saying . And some of the players with that Attitude . Its not the way it's done other places . The Zebras had heard enough and that's when the flags came out.
how do they win if they kick a field goal in ot, rhs still would have had there chance, and how did u end up on the draft side
A few corrections if I may.
1. There were not 2 unsportsmanlike penalties, the 1st was a personal foul
2. The unsecured TD in OT was from an illegal shift, not a False Start
3. The Smiley recovery wasn't an inadvertent whistle, it was called down because it was touched 1st by another Riverheads player who was in fact down.
Obviously we are going to agree to disagree on who was a better team, etc. That's OK.
But I don't believe anyone here will agree that Mr. X was actually right there. It's part of his internet shtick.
1. There were not 2 unsportsmanlike penalties, the 1st was a personal foul
2. The unsecured TD in OT was from an illegal shift, not a False Start
3. The Smiley recovery wasn't an inadvertent whistle, it was called down because it was touched 1st by another Riverheads player who was in fact down.
Obviously we are going to agree to disagree on who was a better team, etc. That's OK.
But I don't believe anyone here will agree that Mr. X was actually right there. It's part of his internet shtick.
Or referee? Can’t imagine a dyed in the wool Riverheads fan hanging out on the Draft side for a rivalry game nonetheless the biggest game this season. Plus the coaches and players can only go to what the 30-35 yard line? You being privy to what the coaches and players were saying you had to have either been on the chain gang, the referee on that sideline or hanging out with the Draft fans in and around that area near the field house as there were very few down along the fence on the other end. Plus the second unsportsmanlike conduct was on that side of the field. My bet is you were on the chain gang.
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@Gunz41 Not to get into a deep discussion but are you saying that a Riverheads player was down and touched the ball and that is all it took to gain possession and stop the play? If so I have to call into question several other fumbles. The ball was still moving until Smiley possessed it. Right wrong or indifferent, that was a horrible officiating crew for a game like that. I have nothing but respect for Draft and there’s a razors edge in who’s better between the two so no argument on who’s better. On April 1st 2021 it was Riverheads. But if that game is played 10 times it would probably split even. Both have phenomenal defenses and the ability to make slight adjustment to take advantage of defensive tendencies. If you didn’t see that then you watched a different game than I did. I have to believe we will see them both make deep playoff runs with at least a chance to bring two state titles back to Augusta county. I would be extremely happy if that were to occur.
Then that was an inadvertent whistle. Just because you touch a ball on a fumble and youre down doesnt make the play dead.
I think you guys missed my point on that fumble. It wasn't an inadvertent whistle that caused that play to stop, they called that another Riverheads guy was down with the ball.
And the OT call should have been a false start, but that is not what WAS called.
Now, again I am not going to get in a back and forth on who is better, etc. That is pointless, as we all have a vested interest there. I think it was two VERY good teams playing a GREAT game.
But please, don't forget that nobody got on here spewing stuff on your players, team, etc.
And yes, the crew didn't do a very good job, and there were a couple TERRIBLE calls/non calls. And not all going against Stuarts Draft. I was there live, said them at the time, and have also watched the video multiple times. I can point everyone out if you want. And I don't mean calls that can be called/uncalled every game. But there is no certainty that everyone would agree on them either.
Games over, congrats on the win. Hopefully both teams can do the County proud going forward
And the OT call should have been a false start, but that is not what WAS called.
Now, again I am not going to get in a back and forth on who is better, etc. That is pointless, as we all have a vested interest there. I think it was two VERY good teams playing a GREAT game.
But please, don't forget that nobody got on here spewing stuff on your players, team, etc.
And yes, the crew didn't do a very good job, and there were a couple TERRIBLE calls/non calls. And not all going against Stuarts Draft. I was there live, said them at the time, and have also watched the video multiple times. I can point everyone out if you want. And I don't mean calls that can be called/uncalled every game. But there is no certainty that everyone would agree on them either.
Games over, congrats on the win. Hopefully both teams can do the County proud going forward
Respect your opinion but if the official “thought” a Riverheads player had the ball and blew the whistle when in fact it was still live then by definition it is an inadvertent whistle. I was at the game live too and have watched again on video. The ball is not possessed by anyone until Smiley got it, period. So I get your point I just happen to disagree with it. But that aside, good luck to the Cougars in these playoffs. I think you guys are going to hoist that trophy on May 1st.
I only watched most of the first quarter and it appeared to me the crew did a poor job of spotting the ball on a few occassions and the umpire appeared to be out of position most of the time.
I guess we just have different definitions of inadvertent whistle. I'm saying that whether or not he was correct on the call, he called the ball dead. So his whistle wasn't inadvertent, just that maybe he had the wrong call to begin with. By the official call, whether he blows his whistle or not, Riverheads was going to take over at the same spot.
But since you want to keep looking at that 1 play, here are the others.
Well then, maybe go back and Watch the Personal Foul (3 sec left in 3rd quarter, there COULD have been one, ON RIVERHEADS, SD did absolutely nothing wrong there, while a RHS player hit someone after the whistle. In fact, not a peep from ANYONE about anything.
Now the very next play (after the field flipped) there is the encroachment and unsportsmanlike on the same play. I'm not on the field, so I won't pretend to know If and what he said (unless Mr. X who just wants to run his mouth). I will say that the encroachment is EXTREMELY close.
Now is one of those that we may see differently. Doesn't mean I am right you or wrong or vice versa. But the "non fumble" on the SD sideline certainly looks like he wasn't down when called that way. But I can even let that slide.
About 4 minutes later, a long run by Cook Cash was negated by a hold. I looked and looked and didn't see it.
Now, to the biggest call not made, and since both are saying how poor the officials were shouldn't surprise me, but they missed a HORRENDOUS PI. 1. He was hit before the ball got there by a good bit, but you don't have to even look that close. In HS football, you cannot face guard/remove field of vision. And that happened.
Now, are these calls pretty damning in my book? Yes. Did they cost SD the game? Nope. Unforced mistakes really hurt them.
Anyway, again great game and Good Luck to Gladiators moving forward, even though I'm not sure they need it.
I looked at that pass play in OT. 5 or 6 times before drawing a conclusion. That spot on the field coupled with the camera angle make it tough to determine. But once I jacked up the resolution I was able to stop the action and there was contact while the ball was still in the air. Unfortunately for SD, it appears as if the official right there was watching the flight of the football instead of the players. Can't understand why the back judge didn't throw a flag. Just my two cents as the outcome of this makes not difference to me.
Those were certainly questionable with the encroachment being the one I may actually disagree. But honestly if you go back to our first game with Tazewell it seems they are letting some of the jumping by the defense to happen at times. I have even spoken to officials to make sure there wasn’t a change to the rule. All said there were those you mentioned and a couple more with my specific references to spotting the damn ball. I couldn’t believe how many times the ball was moved back or forward once placed down. That is just annoying. As to the PI, I was on the opposite end of the field live and although blurry it did look like enough to draw that flag. If I am being petty which I am, the play in ‘16 that Draft won on should have been flagged for being a pick play. It wasn’t and we move on. Not saying Draft shouldn’t have won because they were amazing that night but we can always find a play or two especially late that we could say was a bad call. This year was a good game overall and the kids were helping each other up through out. For an alleged rivalry, that’s fairly cordial but I would expect nothing less from either team.
I did not realize that was the pass play you guys were referencing. I thought it was an earlier one, such as the deflected interception. Sounds like there were more than enough controversial calls for one game, but the good thing is that a loss was not going to cost either team in terms of their playoff position or long term goals. By this time next week, either or both teams will have blown calls in those games to discuss. Officials aren't perfect and never will be, but for the most part, things tend to balance themselves out.
I only brought up a few because of 2 things, 1 being the troll and having to run his mouth and lie. There is absolutely ZERO reason for that, and 2 because of the talk about the Smiley fumble recovery.
Now, full transparency, I can almost see the missed PI, even though it's obvious (and don't even need to see the contact before because of face guard), but the one that really is unacceptable is the Personal Foul. I probably wouldn't call it on Riverheads, but NOBODY from SD did anything wrong on the play that I can see, and I probably watched the play 25+ times to see. IF there was something, it would have been Riverheads. So it ended up 1st and 10 +15 yards for RH, instead of either 2nd and 10 or 2nd and 25.
Now, unlike some (not saying anyone here), I try to be objective, and I certainly don't think that their was any of the trying to help Riverheads stuff. But the crew did make themselves a part of the outcome of this game. And I think that if anyone is looking at the game objective, that had it not been for some fortunate calls, RHS probably doesn't score.
Like I said a GREAT game, by two VERY good teams. Good luck to the Gladiators going forward, although I suspect they won't need it
I have now had the chance to watch the game replay and as always, you notice a LOT of things you did not see in real time. Before I get to some of those new impressions, let me commend once again Mrs. Casto and her staff for the superb video coverage and to have Leland McCray and his sidekick offering equally good analysis made the experience even better. Those of you who were watching from home must have felt like the game was being played right there in your living room!
The first observation I will make is that each team had a golden opportunity to win the game in regulation but in each case, a crucial turnover cost them that chance. SD had the first such chance midway through the second quarter. If you recall, Dunlap was hit in the backfield while going back to pass and the ball was jarred loose. That gave the Cougars a first down at the Riverheads 28, already leading 7-0.
On their first play from scrimmage, they advanced the ball down to the 21. Then a muffed snap sent them back to the 30, and Lightner intercepted for Riverheads on the next play to turn them away. Speaking of that pick, in my original post (and in real time) I thought it was deflected but seeing it on replay, it looked as if it was overthrown and almost went right to him.
Anyway, when you consider how dominant the Cougars defense had been to that point, I am firmly convinced that if they had pushed across a score there to lead 14-0 at the break, and remember they were due to receive the second half kickoff, even the brilliant RHS defensive staff would have been hard-pressed to turn that one around.
As for RHS' regulation chance, that came midway through the fourth quarter. They had managed to tie the score at 7-7, and had pinned the Cougars inside the 20 with one of their best punts of the night. The Cougars then got a little nervous and mishandled the center exchange on consecutive plays, but Riverheads was not able to cover either one. Still the Gladiators got possession on a short punt and were in prime position to score. But around the 4 minute mark, a hard hit fumbled the ball right back to SD. That of course led to the overtime, which I will come back to shortly.
As for other general comments.....
1) I can certainly see the frustration about the referees and the spotting of the ball. They seemed willing to just carry and toss it all over the place, which of course makes you question the validity of the measurements or any other close calls for first downs.
2) Speaking of the refs, did you notice that in overtime, he had to toss the coin three times before he could catch it and make a call? Coach Floyd's body language at that point was priceless!
3) The punting aspect of this game was incredible. I would estimate that the two teams punted for a combined dozen or so times. So if you do the math, that means that there were 12 chances for a snap to go over someone's head, 12 chances for a block, and 12 chances for the return man to fumble it. Despite all of that, nothing bad happened for either team, even though the Cougar punter pinned RHS inside its own 10 either two or maybe three times.
4) Cayden Cook-Cash's run in the fourth quarter was even more amazing on replay than it looked in real time. First of all our announcers only credited him with 35 yards and in my first post, I think I did the same. But in replay, it appears that the line of scrimmage was the 5 give or take and he ended up at the 45 after breaking all those tackles. Not only that but Dunlap pitched the ball back to him and he actually started his forward motion right at the goal line. So the actual length of that run was closer to 45 yards if you look at it that way. Bottom line is that he did NOT want to go down!
5) Our clock operator, who I am sure is a fine gentleman, must have gotten caught up in the excitement. Did you notice that he never put the winning points up on the scoreboard? I personally stuck around an extra five minutes or so after the winning kick and the scoreboard still read 7-7. On this replay, it looks as if it stayed that way until it was turned off. My apologies if am wrong on that detail.
6) Even our beloved and resilient Dr. Moore got a chance to show his toughness. Notice at the 1:09 mark of the third quarter when he was knocked down, presumably by some over-exuberant RHS players celebrating the first down measurement, but he appeared to pop right back up, ready for the next play! For those of you who might not be familiar, he is the only team doctor Riverheads has ever had, serving the school since its inception in 1962.
OK, about the overtime..........
The replay does show the SD receiver and some fans along the fence calling for PI. Being on the other side I have no opinion on that one.
I did however notice the illegal shift that was called on Riverheads and have no quarrel with it. But I am with Leland on the issue of why the flag was so hard to see. It did appear as if it landed right on the yard stripe so maybe it blended in.
Finally it is ironic that a Riverheads field goal was not enough to win the OT game in 2016 but it did get the job done this time. That just emphasizes how VERY important it is to be lucky enough to win that coin toss and choose defense. So the Cougars got that break back then and Riverheads got it this time.
As someone on here has commented, these teams could probably play 10 times and it would be a 50/50 split. Just think we will only have to wait about 7 months give or take before they go at one another again, as opposed to the customary year between games.
Therefore I am guessing that a date is already set on one or more calendars, most likely for late October/early November. In the meantime, best wishes to both in the playoffs and let's win those state titles!
The first observation I will make is that each team had a golden opportunity to win the game in regulation but in each case, a crucial turnover cost them that chance. SD had the first such chance midway through the second quarter. If you recall, Dunlap was hit in the backfield while going back to pass and the ball was jarred loose. That gave the Cougars a first down at the Riverheads 28, already leading 7-0.
On their first play from scrimmage, they advanced the ball down to the 21. Then a muffed snap sent them back to the 30, and Lightner intercepted for Riverheads on the next play to turn them away. Speaking of that pick, in my original post (and in real time) I thought it was deflected but seeing it on replay, it looked as if it was overthrown and almost went right to him.
Anyway, when you consider how dominant the Cougars defense had been to that point, I am firmly convinced that if they had pushed across a score there to lead 14-0 at the break, and remember they were due to receive the second half kickoff, even the brilliant RHS defensive staff would have been hard-pressed to turn that one around.
As for RHS' regulation chance, that came midway through the fourth quarter. They had managed to tie the score at 7-7, and had pinned the Cougars inside the 20 with one of their best punts of the night. The Cougars then got a little nervous and mishandled the center exchange on consecutive plays, but Riverheads was not able to cover either one. Still the Gladiators got possession on a short punt and were in prime position to score. But around the 4 minute mark, a hard hit fumbled the ball right back to SD. That of course led to the overtime, which I will come back to shortly.
As for other general comments.....
1) I can certainly see the frustration about the referees and the spotting of the ball. They seemed willing to just carry and toss it all over the place, which of course makes you question the validity of the measurements or any other close calls for first downs.
2) Speaking of the refs, did you notice that in overtime, he had to toss the coin three times before he could catch it and make a call? Coach Floyd's body language at that point was priceless!
3) The punting aspect of this game was incredible. I would estimate that the two teams punted for a combined dozen or so times. So if you do the math, that means that there were 12 chances for a snap to go over someone's head, 12 chances for a block, and 12 chances for the return man to fumble it. Despite all of that, nothing bad happened for either team, even though the Cougar punter pinned RHS inside its own 10 either two or maybe three times.
4) Cayden Cook-Cash's run in the fourth quarter was even more amazing on replay than it looked in real time. First of all our announcers only credited him with 35 yards and in my first post, I think I did the same. But in replay, it appears that the line of scrimmage was the 5 give or take and he ended up at the 45 after breaking all those tackles. Not only that but Dunlap pitched the ball back to him and he actually started his forward motion right at the goal line. So the actual length of that run was closer to 45 yards if you look at it that way. Bottom line is that he did NOT want to go down!
5) Our clock operator, who I am sure is a fine gentleman, must have gotten caught up in the excitement. Did you notice that he never put the winning points up on the scoreboard? I personally stuck around an extra five minutes or so after the winning kick and the scoreboard still read 7-7. On this replay, it looks as if it stayed that way until it was turned off. My apologies if am wrong on that detail.
6) Even our beloved and resilient Dr. Moore got a chance to show his toughness. Notice at the 1:09 mark of the third quarter when he was knocked down, presumably by some over-exuberant RHS players celebrating the first down measurement, but he appeared to pop right back up, ready for the next play! For those of you who might not be familiar, he is the only team doctor Riverheads has ever had, serving the school since its inception in 1962.
OK, about the overtime..........
The replay does show the SD receiver and some fans along the fence calling for PI. Being on the other side I have no opinion on that one.
I did however notice the illegal shift that was called on Riverheads and have no quarrel with it. But I am with Leland on the issue of why the flag was so hard to see. It did appear as if it landed right on the yard stripe so maybe it blended in.
Finally it is ironic that a Riverheads field goal was not enough to win the OT game in 2016 but it did get the job done this time. That just emphasizes how VERY important it is to be lucky enough to win that coin toss and choose defense. So the Cougars got that break back then and Riverheads got it this time.
As someone on here has commented, these teams could probably play 10 times and it would be a 50/50 split. Just think we will only have to wait about 7 months give or take before they go at one another again, as opposed to the customary year between games.
Therefore I am guessing that a date is already set on one or more calendars, most likely for late October/early November. In the meantime, best wishes to both in the playoffs and let's win those state titles!
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Well, after watching the game online I was really surprised at the outcome. From the perspective of I don't like either of you and being totally wrong about the final score, I will add my two cents.
SD- Why was the playcalling so horrendous? Outside of a single play did you really think you could run right at them from the single wing? That was a wrinkle that I hadn't seen but I actually thought spreading them out and throwing the ball some was your best chance. I know the wind was blowing 100 mph in Fisherville so I assume that was an issue in Greenville.
Red Team- You turned the ball over more than I have seen you do in years. I said before that would be the only thing to keep this game close and it did. You guys didn't look at all like the team I have seen twice. Granted it was against a very good team but I thought you might put it in the air once or twice which didn't happen.
Smiley's fumble recovery was a terrible call. That should have been a TD no questions. To be down you have to have possession and you can watch the replay over and over, you will never see possession other than when 8 had the ball headed to the endzone.
That by rule should have been pass interference. Terrible non-call. The illegal shift was a false start actually even though they didn't know the correct signal for the penalty.
Personal foul and all that mess that lead to the TD. I saw nothing that would have been a personal foul other than a shove from the Red team. Granted, none of us have any clue what was said but emotions run high, and at that point in a game like this, you have to let some of that go. It can not play a factor in the outcome unless it absolutely needs to be called. We will never know the answer to that one because there are 2 sides to that story.
I have to say the officiating has been really bad this year from what I have seen but I do not like to complain about it that much because they are having a really hard time finding officials. You can tell most are clueless though so I hope they can address this. An increase in pay or something needs to be done. A game like this officials need to stay out of the way and call the game correctly. But, officials did not win or lose the game. They changed the score. The problem is they missed some really big calls.
Very enjoyable game to watch from a defensive standpoint. Both offenses seemed to play not to lose more than win.
Good luck in the playoffs to two very good teams. Wish we could have played both of you later in the year but other than that enjoy the run. We have an +1 game with a very athletic William Bryd team this week so I hope we can match up against them and have a good showing to end our season.
SD- Why was the playcalling so horrendous? Outside of a single play did you really think you could run right at them from the single wing? That was a wrinkle that I hadn't seen but I actually thought spreading them out and throwing the ball some was your best chance. I know the wind was blowing 100 mph in Fisherville so I assume that was an issue in Greenville.
Red Team- You turned the ball over more than I have seen you do in years. I said before that would be the only thing to keep this game close and it did. You guys didn't look at all like the team I have seen twice. Granted it was against a very good team but I thought you might put it in the air once or twice which didn't happen.
Smiley's fumble recovery was a terrible call. That should have been a TD no questions. To be down you have to have possession and you can watch the replay over and over, you will never see possession other than when 8 had the ball headed to the endzone.
That by rule should have been pass interference. Terrible non-call. The illegal shift was a false start actually even though they didn't know the correct signal for the penalty.
Personal foul and all that mess that lead to the TD. I saw nothing that would have been a personal foul other than a shove from the Red team. Granted, none of us have any clue what was said but emotions run high, and at that point in a game like this, you have to let some of that go. It can not play a factor in the outcome unless it absolutely needs to be called. We will never know the answer to that one because there are 2 sides to that story.
I have to say the officiating has been really bad this year from what I have seen but I do not like to complain about it that much because they are having a really hard time finding officials. You can tell most are clueless though so I hope they can address this. An increase in pay or something needs to be done. A game like this officials need to stay out of the way and call the game correctly. But, officials did not win or lose the game. They changed the score. The problem is they missed some really big calls.
Very enjoyable game to watch from a defensive standpoint. Both offenses seemed to play not to lose more than win.
Good luck in the playoffs to two very good teams. Wish we could have played both of you later in the year but other than that enjoy the run. We have an +1 game with a very athletic William Bryd team this week so I hope we can match up against them and have a good showing to end our season.
Let's not be mad at me Mr Gunz . Your team is very good this year and I wish them the best . I think sometimes the coaches and players should let there play do the talking and keep their pie hole shut. I was close enough to hear what was being said and the Refs had enough of it . I think the talent on both teams was even. Maybe coaching may have been the difference ? Let's bring two trophies back to Augusta Co.