As reported earlier, the Riverheads Middle School and JV teams traveled to different locations tonight. I did not attend either but I can tell you the little bit I know.
For starters I just read online that the Gladiator JVs shut out Alleghany 38-0. Sounds like one of their better games of the season, if not their best. Their only loss of the season came on a missed two point conversion at East Rock in the first game of the season.
As for the middle schoolers, I don't have a final but I can say almost for certain that Stuarts Draft won that one to complete a season sweep over Riverheads. Because I live close, I rode down to the Draft and checked things out in the second half from outside the fence. The Cougars had a 20-8 halftime lead at that point.
Each team scored early in the third quarter, on similar sweeps around right end, and each missed their two-point PAT, leaving the score at 26-14. Then came the play that essentially decided the game. The Cougars threw a pass and the receiver was headed for the end zone. He either fumbled or was stripped (can't say which) and a Riverheads player pounced on it.
Trouble is, the ball had not yet gone into the end zone, so the Big Red had to start from its own 3 yard line. That led to a safety, putting the Cougars ahead 28-14. Following that safety, instead of Riverheads kicking off as we see at other levels, the Cougars were given the ball at their own 35 yard line. I am sure the refs knew what they were doing but that seemed like an odd "reward" for forcing a safety.
But it turned our to be a non-issue since they scored on that possession anyway, which made it 36-14 early in the fourth quarter. I left at that point, which is why I can only assume that they held on to win.
Things will return to normal for Riverheads next Thursday when they will host Staunton in a double-header, followed of course by the Friday night varsity game at Gypsy Hill Park. Not that we are glossing right over RHS' HUGE home game coming up in less than 24 hours against Alleghany!
As for the SD Middle Schoolers, they seem to clearly be the class of the county Middle Schools and I believe there is some sort of championship game at the end of the season, but I am not sure about the details.
For starters I just read online that the Gladiator JVs shut out Alleghany 38-0. Sounds like one of their better games of the season, if not their best. Their only loss of the season came on a missed two point conversion at East Rock in the first game of the season.
As for the middle schoolers, I don't have a final but I can say almost for certain that Stuarts Draft won that one to complete a season sweep over Riverheads. Because I live close, I rode down to the Draft and checked things out in the second half from outside the fence. The Cougars had a 20-8 halftime lead at that point.
Each team scored early in the third quarter, on similar sweeps around right end, and each missed their two-point PAT, leaving the score at 26-14. Then came the play that essentially decided the game. The Cougars threw a pass and the receiver was headed for the end zone. He either fumbled or was stripped (can't say which) and a Riverheads player pounced on it.
Trouble is, the ball had not yet gone into the end zone, so the Big Red had to start from its own 3 yard line. That led to a safety, putting the Cougars ahead 28-14. Following that safety, instead of Riverheads kicking off as we see at other levels, the Cougars were given the ball at their own 35 yard line. I am sure the refs knew what they were doing but that seemed like an odd "reward" for forcing a safety.
But it turned our to be a non-issue since they scored on that possession anyway, which made it 36-14 early in the fourth quarter. I left at that point, which is why I can only assume that they held on to win.
Things will return to normal for Riverheads next Thursday when they will host Staunton in a double-header, followed of course by the Friday night varsity game at Gypsy Hill Park. Not that we are glossing right over RHS' HUGE home game coming up in less than 24 hours against Alleghany!
As for the SD Middle Schoolers, they seem to clearly be the class of the county Middle Schools and I believe there is some sort of championship game at the end of the season, but I am not sure about the details.