I had been dreading tonight's scrimmage because I assumed we would all be sweltering in 90 degree heat with the sun beating down on our poor little not-used-to-it bodies. But we caught a break as a series of afternoon thunderstorms cooled things down and the scrimmage was played in remarkably comfortable weather.
However, things were not so comfortable for visiting Turner Ashby as Riverheads needed only 12 seconds to take the lead on what would be one of three touchdown passes thrown by junior quarterback Bennett Dunlap. That CANNOT be good news for this year's opponents who are no doubt expecting the Big Red to again be a running machine. Even worse, only one of those three TDs went to last year's favorite target, Landon Lightner. The other two, including the game's first play, went to sophomore Cayden Cook-Cash.
The Gladiators rolled the dice on that first play from scrimmage and Dunlap tossed a beauty straight down the middle of the seam. CCC hauled it in around the 20 and broke a couple of tackles as he took it to the house. The Big Red starters went on to manhandle the TA starters 35-0 in the first half, as Lightner and CCC hauled in the remaining two TD passes, CCC added a rushing TD for good measure, and Aidan Miller scored on a nice broken field run of about 40-50 yards. Returning kicker Cooper Robson was perfect on PATs although those are not challenged in scrimmages.
Following those two 12-minute quarters, each team got 10 untimed downs with RHS going first. They made it down to about the 10 with their second-string offense on the field, but could not punch it in. TA then scored on about the eighth play of its series. Things then got a little confusing when the teams headed for the locker room causing some fans to assume that the scrimmage was over. But the PA announcer, now in his 87th consecutive year of service (wonder where I got that idea???) straightened out any misunderstanding by explaining that there would be a break, then two more quarters.
Those two quarters were a little more productive for the visitors as they outscored RHS two TDs to one, but of course that was presumably with each coach giving everybody a chance to show their stuff. Luke Bryant scored the lone second-half Riverheads TD. The game was then stopped with about 90 seconds left on the fourth quarter clock when a referee spotted some distant lightning.
The big discussion on the RHS sideline was about the construction of the new bleachers. They are a work in progress at the moment and if you didn't have a lawn chair on the home side tonight, you had to stand on your own two feet, so to speak. But my sources tell me that there is a crew scheduled to work overtime these next two weeks and that the new bleachers WILL be in place for the home opener against Waynesboro on the 27th.
However, things were not so comfortable for visiting Turner Ashby as Riverheads needed only 12 seconds to take the lead on what would be one of three touchdown passes thrown by junior quarterback Bennett Dunlap. That CANNOT be good news for this year's opponents who are no doubt expecting the Big Red to again be a running machine. Even worse, only one of those three TDs went to last year's favorite target, Landon Lightner. The other two, including the game's first play, went to sophomore Cayden Cook-Cash.
The Gladiators rolled the dice on that first play from scrimmage and Dunlap tossed a beauty straight down the middle of the seam. CCC hauled it in around the 20 and broke a couple of tackles as he took it to the house. The Big Red starters went on to manhandle the TA starters 35-0 in the first half, as Lightner and CCC hauled in the remaining two TD passes, CCC added a rushing TD for good measure, and Aidan Miller scored on a nice broken field run of about 40-50 yards. Returning kicker Cooper Robson was perfect on PATs although those are not challenged in scrimmages.
Following those two 12-minute quarters, each team got 10 untimed downs with RHS going first. They made it down to about the 10 with their second-string offense on the field, but could not punch it in. TA then scored on about the eighth play of its series. Things then got a little confusing when the teams headed for the locker room causing some fans to assume that the scrimmage was over. But the PA announcer, now in his 87th consecutive year of service (wonder where I got that idea???) straightened out any misunderstanding by explaining that there would be a break, then two more quarters.
Those two quarters were a little more productive for the visitors as they outscored RHS two TDs to one, but of course that was presumably with each coach giving everybody a chance to show their stuff. Luke Bryant scored the lone second-half Riverheads TD. The game was then stopped with about 90 seconds left on the fourth quarter clock when a referee spotted some distant lightning.
The big discussion on the RHS sideline was about the construction of the new bleachers. They are a work in progress at the moment and if you didn't have a lawn chair on the home side tonight, you had to stand on your own two feet, so to speak. But my sources tell me that there is a crew scheduled to work overtime these next two weeks and that the new bleachers WILL be in place for the home opener against Waynesboro on the 27th.
