Once again this year, the temps hit about 90 with not a drop of rain in sight, although a nice breeze kept the day from being totally unbearable. The Gladiators' guests for the day were Waynesboro, Stonewall Jackson and Central Woodstock.
I arrived about 1:30 thinking I was there in plenty of time for the two Gladiator scrimmages, only to find out that their first one was already underway. I soon learned that was because they had decided to shorten each scrimmage to only two timed quarters instead of also playing some untimed downs as they have in the past. I was told this was done because of the smaller numbers for the visiting squads.
So even though I did not see them in person, I understand that Stonewall beat Waynesboro 16-0 and Central beat the Little Giants 14-0. That would appear to make those two teams somewhat evenly matched and it was announced that they will play each other in a Shenandoah County rivalry game early in the season. Stonewall especially is a team in need of a good season.
Moving on to the two RHS scrimmages, to say the Gladiators took early command of their scrimmage with Stonewall would be an understatement. I got there at the 8:59 mark of the first quarter and the Big Red was ALREADY ahead 21-0. I was told that junior running back Zac Smiley scored the first TD from about 65 yards out and that Stonewall then presented the Gladiators with golden scoring opportunities by fumbling on its first three possessions. Those miscues gave RHS shorter fields to play with, which they easily converted into scores.
I got there barely in time to see about a 30 yard TD pass to Braeson Fulton (more on him in a moment) for the Big Red's third score and I was told that Cy Cox scored the second one. The Gladiators continued to pour it on, taking a 35-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.
As that quarter unfolded, I learned also that the expected starting quarterback, senior Elijah Dunlap, will be out for the first few weeks due to an injury suffered in Summer League baseball. Well that certainly turned out to be a non-issue for the coaching staff as his younger brother, freshman Bennett, took over and handled the reins quite admirably, including tossing a second TD pass in that first quarter to Avery Boehm.
The Generals settled down in the second quarter and gave a much better account of themselves against the Gladiator second-string. In fact Stonewall had some success through the air of its own, and technically won the quarter as it ended in a 42-14 Riverheads win.
After a break, the Gladiators then took on the Falcons in a game that primarily featured the first string for both teams. RHS stopped Central cold around midfield and took it in for the first TD of the game to lead 7-0. They clearly controlled both lines of scrimmage in this game and might have scored more but they did shoot themselves in the foot with a fumble and an interception. However Central could not turn either turnover into a score and the Gladiators added one more for a 14-0 final.
In summary, it was typical Riverheads, especially in the running game. At least 8-10 different backs toted the ball with TDs scored by D'ante Gray and Aiden Miller, along with a second rushing TD by Smiley and one by Fulton to go along with his pass reception. Apologies if I have left out anyone.
In case the Fulton name rings a bell, yes this is the same Mr. Fulton who made all-state basketball in both his freshman and sophomore years and led the Gladiators to a state baseball title in 2018. Last year as a junior he sat out basketball in order to concentrate on his true passion, baseball, and the Gladiators again advanced to the state semi-finals, where they lost that heartbreaker to Auburn.
As for football, he had not been seen on the gridiron since his eighth-grade year but diehard Big Red fans remember that he was just as intense on the football field as he is anywhere else. Well apparently he has decided to go out with a bang in this, his senior year, so he is back and appears to have not lost a beat. That is of course terrible news for Big Red opponents as if they didn't already have a deep enough Riverheads backfield to worry about.
Finally there had been some concerns about the line play for the Gladiators this year, due to some key losses. These two scrimmages may not have been enough to answer that question just yet, but one thing is for sure...the Gladiators have some size this year to go with their speed. There are at least half a dozen guys who either top 300 pounds already or easily could if they ask for an extra helping of smashed taters here and there.
So I think it is safe to say that the Gladiators will do some "smashing" on defense as well as running wild on offense. In other words, it looks like it will be business as usual in Greenville this year.
Next up is a Friday night scrimmage with Waynesboro. That was originally scheduled to be played at Waynesboro, but due to their construction/expansion process, there is talk that the game may be moved to Riverheads. As of the final horn today a final decision has not been made on that question.
I arrived about 1:30 thinking I was there in plenty of time for the two Gladiator scrimmages, only to find out that their first one was already underway. I soon learned that was because they had decided to shorten each scrimmage to only two timed quarters instead of also playing some untimed downs as they have in the past. I was told this was done because of the smaller numbers for the visiting squads.
So even though I did not see them in person, I understand that Stonewall beat Waynesboro 16-0 and Central beat the Little Giants 14-0. That would appear to make those two teams somewhat evenly matched and it was announced that they will play each other in a Shenandoah County rivalry game early in the season. Stonewall especially is a team in need of a good season.
Moving on to the two RHS scrimmages, to say the Gladiators took early command of their scrimmage with Stonewall would be an understatement. I got there at the 8:59 mark of the first quarter and the Big Red was ALREADY ahead 21-0. I was told that junior running back Zac Smiley scored the first TD from about 65 yards out and that Stonewall then presented the Gladiators with golden scoring opportunities by fumbling on its first three possessions. Those miscues gave RHS shorter fields to play with, which they easily converted into scores.
I got there barely in time to see about a 30 yard TD pass to Braeson Fulton (more on him in a moment) for the Big Red's third score and I was told that Cy Cox scored the second one. The Gladiators continued to pour it on, taking a 35-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.
As that quarter unfolded, I learned also that the expected starting quarterback, senior Elijah Dunlap, will be out for the first few weeks due to an injury suffered in Summer League baseball. Well that certainly turned out to be a non-issue for the coaching staff as his younger brother, freshman Bennett, took over and handled the reins quite admirably, including tossing a second TD pass in that first quarter to Avery Boehm.
The Generals settled down in the second quarter and gave a much better account of themselves against the Gladiator second-string. In fact Stonewall had some success through the air of its own, and technically won the quarter as it ended in a 42-14 Riverheads win.
After a break, the Gladiators then took on the Falcons in a game that primarily featured the first string for both teams. RHS stopped Central cold around midfield and took it in for the first TD of the game to lead 7-0. They clearly controlled both lines of scrimmage in this game and might have scored more but they did shoot themselves in the foot with a fumble and an interception. However Central could not turn either turnover into a score and the Gladiators added one more for a 14-0 final.
In summary, it was typical Riverheads, especially in the running game. At least 8-10 different backs toted the ball with TDs scored by D'ante Gray and Aiden Miller, along with a second rushing TD by Smiley and one by Fulton to go along with his pass reception. Apologies if I have left out anyone.
In case the Fulton name rings a bell, yes this is the same Mr. Fulton who made all-state basketball in both his freshman and sophomore years and led the Gladiators to a state baseball title in 2018. Last year as a junior he sat out basketball in order to concentrate on his true passion, baseball, and the Gladiators again advanced to the state semi-finals, where they lost that heartbreaker to Auburn.
As for football, he had not been seen on the gridiron since his eighth-grade year but diehard Big Red fans remember that he was just as intense on the football field as he is anywhere else. Well apparently he has decided to go out with a bang in this, his senior year, so he is back and appears to have not lost a beat. That is of course terrible news for Big Red opponents as if they didn't already have a deep enough Riverheads backfield to worry about.
Finally there had been some concerns about the line play for the Gladiators this year, due to some key losses. These two scrimmages may not have been enough to answer that question just yet, but one thing is for sure...the Gladiators have some size this year to go with their speed. There are at least half a dozen guys who either top 300 pounds already or easily could if they ask for an extra helping of smashed taters here and there.
So I think it is safe to say that the Gladiators will do some "smashing" on defense as well as running wild on offense. In other words, it looks like it will be business as usual in Greenville this year.
Next up is a Friday night scrimmage with Waynesboro. That was originally scheduled to be played at Waynesboro, but due to their construction/expansion process, there is talk that the game may be moved to Riverheads. As of the final horn today a final decision has not been made on that question.
