A pair of usually "hot" teams met tonight in Greenville on what we hope will be the hottest and most humid night of the season. Each is accustomed to playoff runs at the end of the season, and based on what we saw tonight, they should each have a good shot at that goal again this year.
For the most part, they were a contrast in styles as Riverheads ran the ball almost every play, whereas TA showed that once again this season, they will air it out a good bit. The format tonight was two 12 minute quarters played under game conditions, followed by each team getting two series of 10 untimed towns. If you were "keeping score", TA won the first segment 27-14 and the second one score to none, although the Gladiators came very close to scoring a tying TD late in the game.
RHS had the ball first and marched down the field to score in about 3 1/2 minutes, which happens quite often on their home field. They alternated running backs with at least five or six different guys toting the pigskin. The touchdown came on about a 30 yard jaunt off left tackle by Skyler Shiflett.
TA then scored the next three TDs to grab a 20-7 lead, as one of their unchallenged PATs failed to clear the crossbar. Riverheads then made it a game again as someone whose name escapes me pushed it across from about the three yard line. (If I can find a roster, I will come back and edit this to give the young man proper credit.) UPDATE: The second touchdown was scored by senior fullback Mason Flint.
TA then had only about a minute or two before halftime and when Gladiator Chris Dotson sacked the quarterback, it appeared that the score might stay 20-14 at the break. But the TA quarterback lofted his second picture-perfect pass of the night over the middle to account for the Knights; fourth score of the evening.
The untimed down segment featured primarily second strings and the TA fans seemed to really get into seeing those guys play. They took their first series in for a score but needed 9 of the 10 plays to accomplish it. The teams then stopped each other the rest of the way, although on the very last play of their last series, the Big Red had a touchdown knocked away by a hard hit in the back of the end zone.
The JVs also scrimmaged tonight but theirs was entirely untimed downs. I missed some of that action, but I believe the final total was three scores to one in favor of TA. Ironically the lone Riverheads touchdown came through the air.
I also learned a few things tonight that may be of interest to Gladiator fans. First of all, the JVs have added a game to their schedule. On Wednesday night of the opening week, the Gladiators will open their season at East Rockingham. The RHS varsity will then host Smith Mountain Lake that Friday night.
Also I learned some news about three Gladiator seniors who might have been expected to contribute this year. First of all, in the "of all the rotten luck" department, Ethan Mulcahy has been injured again and will apparently miss the entire season. Normally a three-sport athlete, he had to sit out his entire junior year except for limited baseball action. With this latest injury, he will now miss an undetermined amount of his senior year.
Another three-sporter, Brody Phillips, who was injured in last year's football game at Stuarts Draft, and also returned toward the very end of the baseball season, has decided to forego football this year and will play golf this fall. His real sport of choice is baseball and he will hopefully go out with a bang next spring.
Lastly, in my preview of a couple of weeks ago, I had mentioned that Jonathan Talbott should be the top returning running back this year. However, he opted not to play football this year. But based on what we witnessed tonight, the Gladiators will have more than enough guys to employ a "run by committee" approach this time around.
For the most part, they were a contrast in styles as Riverheads ran the ball almost every play, whereas TA showed that once again this season, they will air it out a good bit. The format tonight was two 12 minute quarters played under game conditions, followed by each team getting two series of 10 untimed towns. If you were "keeping score", TA won the first segment 27-14 and the second one score to none, although the Gladiators came very close to scoring a tying TD late in the game.
RHS had the ball first and marched down the field to score in about 3 1/2 minutes, which happens quite often on their home field. They alternated running backs with at least five or six different guys toting the pigskin. The touchdown came on about a 30 yard jaunt off left tackle by Skyler Shiflett.
TA then scored the next three TDs to grab a 20-7 lead, as one of their unchallenged PATs failed to clear the crossbar. Riverheads then made it a game again as someone whose name escapes me pushed it across from about the three yard line. (If I can find a roster, I will come back and edit this to give the young man proper credit.) UPDATE: The second touchdown was scored by senior fullback Mason Flint.
TA then had only about a minute or two before halftime and when Gladiator Chris Dotson sacked the quarterback, it appeared that the score might stay 20-14 at the break. But the TA quarterback lofted his second picture-perfect pass of the night over the middle to account for the Knights; fourth score of the evening.
The untimed down segment featured primarily second strings and the TA fans seemed to really get into seeing those guys play. They took their first series in for a score but needed 9 of the 10 plays to accomplish it. The teams then stopped each other the rest of the way, although on the very last play of their last series, the Big Red had a touchdown knocked away by a hard hit in the back of the end zone.
The JVs also scrimmaged tonight but theirs was entirely untimed downs. I missed some of that action, but I believe the final total was three scores to one in favor of TA. Ironically the lone Riverheads touchdown came through the air.
I also learned a few things tonight that may be of interest to Gladiator fans. First of all, the JVs have added a game to their schedule. On Wednesday night of the opening week, the Gladiators will open their season at East Rockingham. The RHS varsity will then host Smith Mountain Lake that Friday night.
Also I learned some news about three Gladiator seniors who might have been expected to contribute this year. First of all, in the "of all the rotten luck" department, Ethan Mulcahy has been injured again and will apparently miss the entire season. Normally a three-sport athlete, he had to sit out his entire junior year except for limited baseball action. With this latest injury, he will now miss an undetermined amount of his senior year.
Another three-sporter, Brody Phillips, who was injured in last year's football game at Stuarts Draft, and also returned toward the very end of the baseball season, has decided to forego football this year and will play golf this fall. His real sport of choice is baseball and he will hopefully go out with a bang next spring.
Lastly, in my preview of a couple of weeks ago, I had mentioned that Jonathan Talbott should be the top returning running back this year. However, he opted not to play football this year. But based on what we witnessed tonight, the Gladiators will have more than enough guys to employ a "run by committee" approach this time around.
