The pre-season kicked off at RHS tonight as the Gladiators welcomed their visitors from about 20 miles down the road for their first scrimmage. A surprisingly large contingent of fans came out from both schools to support the teams on a very pleasant night. Many schools would have killed for this size crowd at a regular-season game!
I won't be able to give a full report because I left early, but I did stay through three 12-minute quarters and two sessions of 10 un-timed plays each. As I was leaving, they were starting yet another 12-minute quarter and the Gladiators were on top 35-6.
The Big Red seemed its sharpest on its first two series, as they drove in for a score on each possession. They stuck entirely to the ground (no surprise there if you know Riverheads!) and scored their TDs without either a penalty or turnover. I think those first two scores came from returning running backs Landon Diehl and Harrison Schaeffer.
By contrast, the Wildcats seemed more focused on establishing a passing game, which led to several crowd-pleasing quarterback sacks by the Gladiator defense. However as the second quarter of action progressed, the defense got a little too aggressive at times, as three 15-yard penalties pretty close to one another contributed to the visitors' lone touchdown drive.
Although that tightened the score up to 14-6 at the time and got the Rockbridge crowd energized, Riverheads soon regained its focus as a 40 yard quarterback sweep and a Garrett Campbell interception return deep into RCHS territory put the Big Red comfortably ahead at 28-6.
Another blessing was that both teams escaped the injury bug, at least during the time I was there. Cramps might have been expected on such a warm night, but perhaps the frequent substitutions cut down on the chances for those to develop.
The Gladiators' annual Jamboree featuring Fort Defiance, James River, Appomattox, and Woodstock Central is set for Saturday the 22nd, followed by that much-anticipated first-ever game with R E Lee in Staunton on the 28th.
I won't be able to give a full report because I left early, but I did stay through three 12-minute quarters and two sessions of 10 un-timed plays each. As I was leaving, they were starting yet another 12-minute quarter and the Gladiators were on top 35-6.
The Big Red seemed its sharpest on its first two series, as they drove in for a score on each possession. They stuck entirely to the ground (no surprise there if you know Riverheads!) and scored their TDs without either a penalty or turnover. I think those first two scores came from returning running backs Landon Diehl and Harrison Schaeffer.
By contrast, the Wildcats seemed more focused on establishing a passing game, which led to several crowd-pleasing quarterback sacks by the Gladiator defense. However as the second quarter of action progressed, the defense got a little too aggressive at times, as three 15-yard penalties pretty close to one another contributed to the visitors' lone touchdown drive.
Although that tightened the score up to 14-6 at the time and got the Rockbridge crowd energized, Riverheads soon regained its focus as a 40 yard quarterback sweep and a Garrett Campbell interception return deep into RCHS territory put the Big Red comfortably ahead at 28-6.
Another blessing was that both teams escaped the injury bug, at least during the time I was there. Cramps might have been expected on such a warm night, but perhaps the frequent substitutions cut down on the chances for those to develop.
The Gladiators' annual Jamboree featuring Fort Defiance, James River, Appomattox, and Woodstock Central is set for Saturday the 22nd, followed by that much-anticipated first-ever game with R E Lee in Staunton on the 28th.
