Riverheads 14 Staunton 12 Final
- Thread starter kwhs95fan
- Start date
Coaches will tell you that they HATE Homecoming games because they never know whether their team will be focused on the game or more worried about whose toes they will step on at the big dance. So whatever was in the water tonight down in Greenville, it was very far from being a normal Riverheads game as the Big Red barely survived a strong upset bid from Staunton.
The big surprise of this game, at least to me, was that Staunton was the team that played with poise and discipline whereas Riverheads lacked those qualities for most of the night. The Storm in my opinion outplayed the Big Red and although I have not seen or heard any statistics, I would imagine that Staunton held the upper hand in total yardage because they had several big gainers tonight, whereas if RHS had a single play that went for more than 15 yards I don't remember it.
Staunton had the superior team speed and that enabled them to completely cut off Riverheads' outside game. They also clogged up the middle and kept CCC and the rest of the RHS running game off balance all night. The Gladiators still managed enough first downs to score their two touchdowns but they most certainly scored them the hard way as Brendon Fortune squeezed across a short run in the second quarter and Jonathan Talbott matched him in the third.
As for Staunton, as expected McCauley, Fields and Geffrard were their main weapons. Geffrard had a long kickoff return after Riverheads had moved ahead 14-6, and when the Storm pushed across the score to make it 14-12, the battle was on to see who would make the big play to finally end it.
Each team had their chances down the stretch but the Big Red's Daniel Heath, a name you don't hear very often, finally saved the day when he intercepted a Storm pass around midfield with under a minute left. The Storm was out of time outs so RHS was able to take a knee to end the game. Earlier in the fourth quarter, Brody Phillips picked one off in the end zone, in almost the exact same spot where he denied Christiansburg last Friday, so in essence the Gladiators dodged two bullets in the same quarter.
Another surprise from the visitors was their field goal kicker. Sorry I did not catch the name but he booted a pair of them in the first half, each from around the 35 yard mark, and considering that the last quarter-and-a-half was spend with the score standing at 14-12, fans on the home side were understandably worried that the Storm was going to make that one big play that would get them back in his range for a potential game-winner.
Although Riverheads' major offensive weapons were contained effectively tonight, they did get an excellent effort from punter Caleb Weston that most definitely factored in to the outcome. He was called on for four of them in the second half and boomed each and every one of them to keep the field position advantage slanted in favor of Riverheads. The Storm did manage to flip the field once and pin RHS down inside its own 20 but the Gladiators escaped that jam without any damage.
So it was a case of bend but don't break, or a win is a win, or any of a dozen other sports cliches, and the Big Red will certainly take it and move on to get ready for the Bison next Friday. But from my supposed-to-be-on-our-side standpoint, The Storm was the team that came to play tonight and the Gladiators are the ones that need to have a little chat about how to play with the kind of control we are accustomed to seeing.
HOWEVER, and I just bet you know what topic I am about to touch on.......social media is already buzzing about tonight's officiating, calling it the worst ever, etc. I am not sure I would go that far, but there were certainly some moments tonight that had the crowd howling on the RHS side and I suppose Staunton fans may have had some complaints as well.
It was just one of those games in which flags were thrown on what seemed like every other play, the call was not always clearly signaled, the mark-offs seemed a little odd at times and it was just all around strange. Gladiator fans were especially incensed when two flags were thrown for something called "aiding the runner." Well we have been doing that for years and most of us thought it was called a scrum and was perfectly legal.
If the Storm had a major complaint, it might have been about an offensive pass interference called against them shortly before Heath's game-saving interception. But overall they played an outstanding game and forgot that they were supposed to be the underdog and roll over so that RHS could have a nice Homecoming.
But it is in the books now and there is plenty more football to play for both teams, and officials will be hollered at in each and every one of them. My guess is that the Staunton coaches praised their team all the way back to North Coalter Street, whereas the RHS staff's message in the home locker room was most likely "we were kind of lucky tonight guys, so let's put this one behind us and go out the rest of the season and play Riverheads football."
The big surprise of this game, at least to me, was that Staunton was the team that played with poise and discipline whereas Riverheads lacked those qualities for most of the night. The Storm in my opinion outplayed the Big Red and although I have not seen or heard any statistics, I would imagine that Staunton held the upper hand in total yardage because they had several big gainers tonight, whereas if RHS had a single play that went for more than 15 yards I don't remember it.
Staunton had the superior team speed and that enabled them to completely cut off Riverheads' outside game. They also clogged up the middle and kept CCC and the rest of the RHS running game off balance all night. The Gladiators still managed enough first downs to score their two touchdowns but they most certainly scored them the hard way as Brendon Fortune squeezed across a short run in the second quarter and Jonathan Talbott matched him in the third.
As for Staunton, as expected McCauley, Fields and Geffrard were their main weapons. Geffrard had a long kickoff return after Riverheads had moved ahead 14-6, and when the Storm pushed across the score to make it 14-12, the battle was on to see who would make the big play to finally end it.
Each team had their chances down the stretch but the Big Red's Daniel Heath, a name you don't hear very often, finally saved the day when he intercepted a Storm pass around midfield with under a minute left. The Storm was out of time outs so RHS was able to take a knee to end the game. Earlier in the fourth quarter, Brody Phillips picked one off in the end zone, in almost the exact same spot where he denied Christiansburg last Friday, so in essence the Gladiators dodged two bullets in the same quarter.
Another surprise from the visitors was their field goal kicker. Sorry I did not catch the name but he booted a pair of them in the first half, each from around the 35 yard mark, and considering that the last quarter-and-a-half was spend with the score standing at 14-12, fans on the home side were understandably worried that the Storm was going to make that one big play that would get them back in his range for a potential game-winner.
Although Riverheads' major offensive weapons were contained effectively tonight, they did get an excellent effort from punter Caleb Weston that most definitely factored in to the outcome. He was called on for four of them in the second half and boomed each and every one of them to keep the field position advantage slanted in favor of Riverheads. The Storm did manage to flip the field once and pin RHS down inside its own 20 but the Gladiators escaped that jam without any damage.
So it was a case of bend but don't break, or a win is a win, or any of a dozen other sports cliches, and the Big Red will certainly take it and move on to get ready for the Bison next Friday. But from my supposed-to-be-on-our-side standpoint, The Storm was the team that came to play tonight and the Gladiators are the ones that need to have a little chat about how to play with the kind of control we are accustomed to seeing.
HOWEVER, and I just bet you know what topic I am about to touch on.......social media is already buzzing about tonight's officiating, calling it the worst ever, etc. I am not sure I would go that far, but there were certainly some moments tonight that had the crowd howling on the RHS side and I suppose Staunton fans may have had some complaints as well.
It was just one of those games in which flags were thrown on what seemed like every other play, the call was not always clearly signaled, the mark-offs seemed a little odd at times and it was just all around strange. Gladiator fans were especially incensed when two flags were thrown for something called "aiding the runner." Well we have been doing that for years and most of us thought it was called a scrum and was perfectly legal.
If the Storm had a major complaint, it might have been about an offensive pass interference called against them shortly before Heath's game-saving interception. But overall they played an outstanding game and forgot that they were supposed to be the underdog and roll over so that RHS could have a nice Homecoming.
But it is in the books now and there is plenty more football to play for both teams, and officials will be hollered at in each and every one of them. My guess is that the Staunton coaches praised their team all the way back to North Coalter Street, whereas the RHS staff's message in the home locker room was most likely "we were kind of lucky tonight guys, so let's put this one behind us and go out the rest of the season and play Riverheads football."
I would be remiss if I did not mention an outstanding defensive play from RHS' Carson Brooks. When Staunton scored its only touchdown to cut the lead to 14-12, they of course went for two. But he broke through the line and dropped the runner in his tracks. If Staunton had scored those two points, we might STILL be playing!
I previously asked an officiating buddy of mine about the pushing issues. He said you can't aid a runner with the ball, but you can push a pile. I guess it's simply at the mercy of the official who is watching the play.
On another note, at a Thursday night game I attended there was a bit of flinch by an offensive lineman that none of the nearby officials flagged, but one of the zebras about 30 yards away tossed his flag. Go figure.
On another note, at a Thursday night game I attended there was a bit of flinch by an offensive lineman that none of the nearby officials flagged, but one of the zebras about 30 yards away tossed his flag. Go figure.
Great recap and you hit the highlights but I want to point out that Daniel Heath had several other impressive plays on the night. On a night filled with opportunities for improvement, he was a constant that was needed in all three aspects of the game.
Now to the game, IMO this was certainly the most uninspired play I have seen on the year overall. Hangover from the emotional win against Christiansburg or overlooking an underrated Storm team, either way it almost cost a game tonight. Lessons learned for this group and we will see if it is fixed moving forward.
On the officiating, my understanding is that aiding the runner is being emphasized but a player is allowed to come in to move the pile as you described usually by trying to hit the defender that is attempting to tackle. The aiding comes in when a player pulls or pushes directly onto the offensive player with the ball.
Out of the puzzling calls, the one that had me the most confused was a defensive pass interference called against Riverheads by the opposite side line judge when the offense occurred in front of two officials within 20 feet of the alleged infraction outside of the numbers where neither even reached for a flag. While any official can make a call if seen, we have all heard or seen that most officials have their area of responsibility during a play. How in the hell is that official following his keys and looking for the things likely in his area if he is watching tv across the field? That kind of stuff is ridiculous and has become more prevalent with the lack of officials.
But overall I will agree that Staunton played the better game. Their defensive play was especially good and had been talked about as being their calling card. And this was the least penalized I believe they were on the season so they played more disciplined than I had anticipated.
Onto next week and the preparation for that one.
Now to the game, IMO this was certainly the most uninspired play I have seen on the year overall. Hangover from the emotional win against Christiansburg or overlooking an underrated Storm team, either way it almost cost a game tonight. Lessons learned for this group and we will see if it is fixed moving forward.
On the officiating, my understanding is that aiding the runner is being emphasized but a player is allowed to come in to move the pile as you described usually by trying to hit the defender that is attempting to tackle. The aiding comes in when a player pulls or pushes directly onto the offensive player with the ball.
Out of the puzzling calls, the one that had me the most confused was a defensive pass interference called against Riverheads by the opposite side line judge when the offense occurred in front of two officials within 20 feet of the alleged infraction outside of the numbers where neither even reached for a flag. While any official can make a call if seen, we have all heard or seen that most officials have their area of responsibility during a play. How in the hell is that official following his keys and looking for the things likely in his area if he is watching tv across the field? That kind of stuff is ridiculous and has become more prevalent with the lack of officials.
But overall I will agree that Staunton played the better game. Their defensive play was especially good and had been talked about as being their calling card. And this was the least penalized I believe they were on the season so they played more disciplined than I had anticipated.
Onto next week and the preparation for that one.
I thought I would come on out and go ahead and say it…. I watched the game yesterday and last week and Riverheads is not the same team we’ve seen past years, I think the younger kids are really stepping up but Triple C is not impressing me this year. I get injuries hold you back but he doesn’t look to have the special touch anymore. It’s like part of him graduated last year…. Not hating just speaking what I see
Are you willing to fill one of those vacant positions created by your suggestion?
In the past, I did. 15 years did it in Virginia in football and baseball. Happily retired now. I stand by the statement. Aggregious against Riverheads and it was noticeable. The worst officiated football game and most one sided I've seen in 10 years, and again, Riverheads isn't my team. Radford is, so if you have an outsider with no dog in the fight commenting on it, there's probably some validity behind the statement.
Most of the flags were meh. I could take or leave most of them but there were three that pissed me off. The two aiding the runners were laughable when they allowed scrums all over the field for most of the night. The main one was where the jackass threw from the opposite side as the line judge was egregious. DPI or not it’s not his call when he has 3 player interactions going on simultaneous in his area and he seen this across the field? That was a joke……..period.
Overall I guess I have come to accept that with a lack of officials we will have some questionable calls. The only hope is it screws both teams equally, lol
Overall I guess I have come to accept that with a lack of officials we will have some questionable calls. The only hope is it screws both teams equally, lol
Fairlawn, I'm not one to knock officials, and that's the first time I've ever seen you comment about officiating on here. I have to agree with you. I watched second half and thought Riverheads was getting jobbed, I don't know if on purpose but it was bad
Zebras are lazy ! They don't like to run from end to end so they toss their hanky on big plays so they can clean their glasses , pick their nose and piss the fans off ! Oh and they are among the Riverheads haters .
I think either side could make a claim calls went against them. The aiding the runner rarely gets called, but if it's a point of emphasis this year, then maybe that crew was looking for it. Every crew has different things they emphasis. I'm sure the Staunton fans thought they were hosed on the offensive pass interference and the roughing the passer late in the game.
I keep reading about the uninspired play of Riverheads, but looking at Staunton scores on Maxpreps, it looks like this could've easily been a match-up of two 1 lose teams. A lot of close scores.
I think CCC ankle is still bothering him. He might not have made an impact on O, but I'd like to see how many tackles he had on D. Looked like he was making a lot of stops up the middle.
I keep reading about the uninspired play of Riverheads, but looking at Staunton scores on Maxpreps, it looks like this could've easily been a match-up of two 1 lose teams. A lot of close scores.
I think CCC ankle is still bothering him. He might not have made an impact on O, but I'd like to see how many tackles he had on D. Looked like he was making a lot of stops up the middle.
Thanks for all this additional input, especially from neutral fans such as our former referee, folks who did not have a dog in the fight and hopefully just appreciate good play and yes, good officiating. I have had time to further reflect on this game and have these added thoughts........
I personally underestimated Staunton, which I now don't understand. After all, at the beginning of the season, I predicted them for the number three spot behind RHS and SD. Also I predicted their very close game with Central a few weeks ago and I was aware that they had lost that game and two others by just one score.
So I guess if I have an excuse, it was that I compared more recent scores, such as Riverheads shutting out Wilson on its own field 37-0 and then Wilson coming to Staunton the very next week and winning 14-7. So between that Red Pride win, followed by the amazing comeback over C'burg, not to mention the return of CCC, I just assumed that the Gladiators were on the way to a fantastic finish and that their usual ground control game would frustrate the Storm and that we would be able to put them away without too much trouble.
But on RHS' first two possessions Friday night, Staunton stopped them and it soon became apparent that The Storm was a much more polished team than I thought they would be on both sides of the ball. I would not have guessed they could stop Riverheads so effectively and I expected the occasional pitchout to be fumbled or the occasional shotgun snap to go sailing over the QB's head, but other than the two crucial interceptions in the fourth quarter, they were a well-oiled machine.
So I suppose that in addition to Staunton being a better-than-expected team, the Gladiators became a little frustrated about the closeness of the game and the quirks of the officiating, and that led to them being the team that seemed at the time to be the one struggling.
However, thinking back on it, RHS did not commit a turnover to my knowledge, they had a very solid kicking game from the aforementioned Caleb Weston, not to mention place-kicker Zac Brooks who technically provided the two winning points, and most important of all, they had those three defensive gems that I mentioned in my game recap. In other words, they made the plays that needed to be made to win the game.
So if the officiating had not become the major topic of conversation and it had been called more "normally," if there is such a thing, it is hard to say how it would have turned out. We will learn more about each team when we see how the rest of their seasons turn out.
As for one of today's posters being ready to put CCC out to pasture already, I don't think that is a fair assessment. After all he is still healing, or so it seems, and also the Gladiators have gotten excellent service from the five primary backs that filled in for him during his absence.
So moving forward, I think the coaching staff would be wise to just make him a "part of the plan" and not the whole plan, which will make the Big Red that much harder to prepare for. When a team in any sport relies on that one superstar, and he goes down, they are often in big trouble, and the Big Red has done a good job overall balancing what they have.
I personally underestimated Staunton, which I now don't understand. After all, at the beginning of the season, I predicted them for the number three spot behind RHS and SD. Also I predicted their very close game with Central a few weeks ago and I was aware that they had lost that game and two others by just one score.
So I guess if I have an excuse, it was that I compared more recent scores, such as Riverheads shutting out Wilson on its own field 37-0 and then Wilson coming to Staunton the very next week and winning 14-7. So between that Red Pride win, followed by the amazing comeback over C'burg, not to mention the return of CCC, I just assumed that the Gladiators were on the way to a fantastic finish and that their usual ground control game would frustrate the Storm and that we would be able to put them away without too much trouble.
But on RHS' first two possessions Friday night, Staunton stopped them and it soon became apparent that The Storm was a much more polished team than I thought they would be on both sides of the ball. I would not have guessed they could stop Riverheads so effectively and I expected the occasional pitchout to be fumbled or the occasional shotgun snap to go sailing over the QB's head, but other than the two crucial interceptions in the fourth quarter, they were a well-oiled machine.
So I suppose that in addition to Staunton being a better-than-expected team, the Gladiators became a little frustrated about the closeness of the game and the quirks of the officiating, and that led to them being the team that seemed at the time to be the one struggling.
However, thinking back on it, RHS did not commit a turnover to my knowledge, they had a very solid kicking game from the aforementioned Caleb Weston, not to mention place-kicker Zac Brooks who technically provided the two winning points, and most important of all, they had those three defensive gems that I mentioned in my game recap. In other words, they made the plays that needed to be made to win the game.
So if the officiating had not become the major topic of conversation and it had been called more "normally," if there is such a thing, it is hard to say how it would have turned out. We will learn more about each team when we see how the rest of their seasons turn out.
As for one of today's posters being ready to put CCC out to pasture already, I don't think that is a fair assessment. After all he is still healing, or so it seems, and also the Gladiators have gotten excellent service from the five primary backs that filled in for him during his absence.
So moving forward, I think the coaching staff would be wise to just make him a "part of the plan" and not the whole plan, which will make the Big Red that much harder to prepare for. When a team in any sport relies on that one superstar, and he goes down, they are often in big trouble, and the Big Red has done a good job overall balancing what they have.
Then...well...first let me thank you for "volunteering" your time because these officials don't make enough money to put up with the crap that fans, athletes and coaches throw at them...
Now, it's really easy to state "throw 'em out"....we already have a gross shortage. What's the solution? Officiate games with short crews? Or start cancelling games because we don't have a full crew to officiate a game?
I understand bad calls happen... oftentimes, more frequently than some people would like to see. I've seen it happen to both teams in the same night.
Angel Hernandez gets paid MAD MONEY to be the worst umpire in the history of the MLB...and he's a professional...
Just a thought, but some people might want to be careful with what they wish for...the replacement options could possibly be 1000 times worse.
As one has has posted on this thread I will say that I agree with you on most of this. The only thing I as a fan ask for is consistency. It is inconsistent to call aiding on two plays that even on review of film are the same as a dozen others. It is inconsistent to have officials make calls from across the field ONLY one time and later in the contest. That is what my gripe is and the misses here or there or overzealous stuff happens but generally it’s a wash because they screw both teams equally.
It is a thankless job and one that I applaud them for doing but please do it as though you are being paid significantly. Because players, coaches and even fans dedicate themselves to their schools and expect at least a semi-professional approach to it since they are supposed to be the constant on the fields.
It is a thankless job and one that I applaud them for doing but please do it as though you are being paid significantly. Because players, coaches and even fans dedicate themselves to their schools and expect at least a semi-professional approach to it since they are supposed to be the constant on the fields.
Bad calls are made all the time. I made many of them. That's human nature. There is a shortage and officials are underpaid. No question about this and with fewer inexperienced officials, some of the calls made might not be as accurate. That's not intentional. That's accidental. What is a totally different ballgame is when you have an official with the intent to influence the game (no accident). It's rare. It's very rare, but it does happen. I did officiating long enough to know it when I see it. Like I wrote, in all my years on this board, I've never written anything about an official. Ever. Until now. What happened with Riverheads-Staunton was intentional, not accidental, and that crew shouldn't work again. Your post gwb16 is being made on the assumption that the officiating/missed calls are Always accidental and 99.5 percent of the time, they are just that. But, don't neglect the 0.5 percent or less in which it's not accidental. This is why I posted and I stand by my post.
Which plays specifically were "aggregious" and specifically made "with the intent to influence the game" and was so apparent to you to say it was "intentional, not accidental?" Those are some strong words and accusations. I have watched the game over a few times and there are some questionable calls on both sides, but to me it seems as if the flag count was fairly equal. If you are referencing the aiding the runner calls, which is a point of emphasis this year, on both calls you can see the offensive players attempting to aid the runner. Especially the 2nd call, where you can see one player pushing the runner and another player grabbing defenders and pulling them off the pile.
Each team had questionable pass interference calls. Staunton was called for a questionable roughing the passer on 4th down. Other than that you had your run of the mill holds, off sides, and facemask calls.
They are very strong words and spot on. That's why I posted it, and "accusations" is your word. I call it my opinion just like you have yours. I will not do a tit for tat on this play or that play. I gave my opinion and stand by it. It's the most egregious officiating I have seen in 10 years, and again, my first post in one decade giving critique of officials, of which I once was.
Last edited:
You have always been a straight shooter on the board....I wasn't there, I haven't seen the film and I'm going to have to rely on your years of experience and judgement. I will add, that's a truly sad situation or a very unfortunate situation...I can't pass judgement either way.
I was fortunate enough many years ago to roam the sidelines for VAPREPS... I heard some conversations between coaches and officials that never should have taken place...but it's a violent and emotional game. Things happen. I also heard some of the FUNNIEST exchanges that you could ever hear...it goes both ways.
I guess I still believe or rather, I WANT TO believe in honorable officials.
The crew for the Ridgeview/Union game was very poorly handled by the officials. They didn’t favor either team (but RV had significantly less laundry, something like 3-35 to 10-110, approx) but they just totally were over their heads. Clock issues, making absolutely absurd calls, spotting the ball was an adventure, etc….
When it’s the top game on a Friday in a region, you’d hope for the best crew.
The schools are gonna eventually have to start paying some money every year to incentivize more people to come do a thankless job and get paid a decent amount.
Agree with you. I come from a family of officials at HS and College level. I loved it. Loved doing it, and very aggressive in defending officials which are short staffed, underpaid, and totally not appreciated. I am also aggressive about ensuring the integrity of officiating and like doctors, lawyers, cops, nurses, plumbers, teachers, most of them 99.5% are trying to do the right thing. They make mistakes, but their intentions are good. But, we forget that there is going to be that .05 percent that always don't have good intentions. We want so much to believe they are always objective and they are 99.5 plus percent of the time, but there is still that small group in every profession, whether officials or a federal judge, that are corrupted. Human nature.
I don't know who that other BG fan is, or if he is even a BG fan. I want to apologize for his comment. CCC is the best back we will see this year, one of the best linebackers we will see also. The "other" backs are some of the best we will see. There offensive line is the best we will play against. Riverheads defense is the fastest, best defense we play all season. BG is struggling and we have nothing but respect for Riverheads football.
Saw the state championship game last year. Seen some of RH games on film this year. Wondering how they would stack up against Union or Graham. Young man or who ever you are, be careful and not poke an angry bear. Good luck to you but understand something when you poke that bear they come out angry.
Riverheads would stack up with both of them, but I give the edge to Union, Graham. Both have great speed and athleticism. Union has what is probably its most athletic team since the school formed. Both are well coached and know how to get their athletes in open space forcing DBs to cover. That don't mean Riverheads can't beat both of them. They could, but I would give Union and Graham the advantage this year. Riverheads is really good.
