These two Shenandoah District rivals opened the action by moving what would have been their last game of the season up to the first game of the year and fans were treated to a great game on a gorgeous, if not just a tad cool, night. The Panthers got off to a good start by returning the opening kickoff back for a score, and they also closed out the scoring for the evening, but in between those two TDs the Gladiators scored 42 unanswered points.
I did not see the kickoff return as I was still entering the stadium but the Page fans roared their approval on what I think I heard was a 77 yarder, but don't quote me on that. They then tacked on the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead with just 13 ticks off the clock.
From that moment on, it was pretty much all Riverheads as their returning speedster from last year, freshman Aiden Miller broke a couple of big ones, but in the biggest surprise of the night, the Big Red unveiled a poised, extremely talented eighth-grade quarterback named Bennett Dunlap, who directed the offense beautifully and threaded the needle on several impressive pinpoint passes.
His favorite target was freshman Landon Lightner as the two connected for well over 100 yards on the night. Riverheads fans who have become accustomed to the three yards cloud of dust style of offense over the years were not quite sure what to make of such a wide-open attack and it appeared that Page had no answer on defense.
The most impressive sequence of the game, and the real back-breaker for Page, came in the final minutes of the first half. Riverheads had scored 22 straight points to take control of the game when the Panthers suddenly came to life. They used about five minutes of the second quarter clock on a steady drive that took them down to the five-yard line. Everyone knew that a TD would bring them back to within one score and turn the momentum squarely in their favor heading into the locker room.
But a fourth-down pitchout sailed high and wide and Riverheads recovered on its own 16 yard line. Less than a minute remained on the clock and ordinarily a team might have been content to take a 22-8 lead into halftime, especially knowing that they would receive to open the third quarter. But the Gladiators rolled the dice and the results were amazing.
Bennett's first pass was batted down but on second down, he connected with Lightner down the left sideline and hit him PERFECTLY in stride for a 43 yard completion. He then balanced things out beautifully with another picture-perfect pass out in the right flat which he lofted in just over the defender and Lightner took it in for the TD.
It has been quite a long time since the Gladiator faithful has seen their team cover 84 yards in only two plays, especially through the air. But to accomplish it with a cool, calm, and collected eighth-grader at the helm was incredible and left fans nudging each other and commenting "wow, if he can pass like that now, what will he be like as a senior?"
The Gladiators then added two more scores in the second half, as running back Noah Smiley got into the act. Page then pushed across a closing TD against the Big Red subs.
Riverheads will be in action again at home next Wednesday as they entertain Bath County prior to the varsity team traveling over the mountain to face the Chargers that Friday. To warm up for that event, the Big Red varsity will be participating in a three-team scrimmage at the Blue Ridge School in Greene County this Saturday, where they will tangle with the host team and Fork Union Military. Weather is expected to be gorgeous for that one.
I did not see the kickoff return as I was still entering the stadium but the Page fans roared their approval on what I think I heard was a 77 yarder, but don't quote me on that. They then tacked on the two-point conversion for an 8-0 lead with just 13 ticks off the clock.
From that moment on, it was pretty much all Riverheads as their returning speedster from last year, freshman Aiden Miller broke a couple of big ones, but in the biggest surprise of the night, the Big Red unveiled a poised, extremely talented eighth-grade quarterback named Bennett Dunlap, who directed the offense beautifully and threaded the needle on several impressive pinpoint passes.
His favorite target was freshman Landon Lightner as the two connected for well over 100 yards on the night. Riverheads fans who have become accustomed to the three yards cloud of dust style of offense over the years were not quite sure what to make of such a wide-open attack and it appeared that Page had no answer on defense.
The most impressive sequence of the game, and the real back-breaker for Page, came in the final minutes of the first half. Riverheads had scored 22 straight points to take control of the game when the Panthers suddenly came to life. They used about five minutes of the second quarter clock on a steady drive that took them down to the five-yard line. Everyone knew that a TD would bring them back to within one score and turn the momentum squarely in their favor heading into the locker room.
But a fourth-down pitchout sailed high and wide and Riverheads recovered on its own 16 yard line. Less than a minute remained on the clock and ordinarily a team might have been content to take a 22-8 lead into halftime, especially knowing that they would receive to open the third quarter. But the Gladiators rolled the dice and the results were amazing.
Bennett's first pass was batted down but on second down, he connected with Lightner down the left sideline and hit him PERFECTLY in stride for a 43 yard completion. He then balanced things out beautifully with another picture-perfect pass out in the right flat which he lofted in just over the defender and Lightner took it in for the TD.
It has been quite a long time since the Gladiator faithful has seen their team cover 84 yards in only two plays, especially through the air. But to accomplish it with a cool, calm, and collected eighth-grader at the helm was incredible and left fans nudging each other and commenting "wow, if he can pass like that now, what will he be like as a senior?"
The Gladiators then added two more scores in the second half, as running back Noah Smiley got into the act. Page then pushed across a closing TD against the Big Red subs.
Riverheads will be in action again at home next Wednesday as they entertain Bath County prior to the varsity team traveling over the mountain to face the Chargers that Friday. To warm up for that event, the Big Red varsity will be participating in a three-team scrimmage at the Blue Ridge School in Greene County this Saturday, where they will tangle with the host team and Fork Union Military. Weather is expected to be gorgeous for that one.
