Thanks for hitting the highlights as I may be suffering from a little too much of a Commonwealth Cup Hangover to do my usual in depth report. Happy the Wahoos finally got that monkey off their back by the way but it was in doubt until the very end, as most games usually are between those two in just about any sport.
OK back to Riverheads. As already stated the Gladiator defense posted a shutout in this one, but better than that, held the Tigers to minus yardage. If Sussex crossed midfield tonight I don't remember it and I would say their longest play from scrimmage was no more than five yards. The only time their respectable-sized crowd got to cheer, and I do mean the ONLY time, was when they were presented with the regional runner-up trophy, which is of course nothing to sneeze at.
However, as completely as the RHS defense dominated, it is only fair to mention that the Tiger defense did not really do that bad a job on Riverheads, despite the final score. For one thing they did something no other team had done this season.....they kept the Gladiators from scoring on their opening possession, as they had done in all 12 games thus far.
Also Riverheads failed to have any big plays of its own tonight and some of that has to be attributed to the Sussex defense. The Gladiators have usually managed at least one or two explosive plays per game but the longest play I can recall tonight was probably the final TD of the game, a run scored by reserve running back Isaac Hartless with only one second left in the game. Sorry but I was getting a half price hot dog when he scored so I can't give you the exact yardage but it appeared to be in the 20-25 yard range.
Zac Smiley as usual was the workhorse for RHS but instead of breaking any big ones, I would say he had more of a 15 carry/120 yard night give or take. Yes he scored four of the Big Red's six TDs but none were of the highlight reel variety.
QB Elijah Dunlap opened the scoring for RHS on its second possession, scoring on a one-yard sneak. He would later have two or three other tough runs but the Big Red had very little success through the air tonight. Braeson Fulton was held to only one catch as I recall and the Big Red's total yardage through the air was probably no more than 30. However last week's Franklin game showed that they can be effective with the pass when needed.
Another Gladiator that deserves special praise tonight was sophomore Aiden Miller. He only stands about 5'6" and "maybe" weighs 140 but he was all over the field tonight, especially on defense where he recorded a safety and routinely brought down guys who were nearly twice his size. He also pinned the Tigers deep with the only RHS punt of the night, which rolled dead inside the 10.
Speaking of the kicking game, someone else mentioned that RHS excelled in that aspect, which is true because place-kicker Peyton Skillman was perfect on PAT's, added a short field goal and just as importantly, buried the Tigers deep on every kickoff.
In fact the field position advantage gained by Riverheads tonight also factored into the score being what it was despite a lack of big plays. Riverheads has been able all season to move steadily downfield on 70 and 80 yard drives almost at will, but tonight, due to Skillman's kicking and the already-described defensive dominance, the Gladiators had many short fields to work with. More often than not, a Tiger drive would start somewhere around the 20, they would fail to move the ball at all, their punter would get it no further than midfield, if that, and the Gladiators would have a short drive to paydirt. If I had to guess I would say Riverheads' average touchdown drive tonight was less than 50 yards.
Not only that but Sussex had a dreadful time with its center snaps, both on punts and on routine scrimmage plays, which led to a number of sacks, which in turn contributed to the negative total yardage figure. We all understand this was a young Tiger team so hopefully this time next year, they will have some of those timing issues corrected.
Last but not least, both teams did their part to keep the flags flying and the referees conferring. We probably had 20 or more flags in the game, several unsportsmanlike conduct calls, at least two or three reversals (and remember we don't have instant replay in high school ball yet!) and well let's just say it was not either team's finest moment in terms of efficiency.
But a win is a win and now the Gladiators await the results of tomorrow's Essex/Rappahannock game. If Essex wins that one, it will be a repeat trip to Riverheads for the semis. If Rapp wins, they will make a first-time ever visit to the Coliseum. In either case, keep your afternoon free next Saturday, and luckily the daytime kickoff will not interfere with the 7:30 ACC title game.
(P.S.) Both newspapers report that back up freshman QB Bennett Dunlap scored that final TD for the Big Red so I will bow to their superior knowledge and professionalism. I could have sworn that I looked up and saw Hartless as the one dragging tacklers into the end zone, but maybe that hot dog affected my vision!