"Raindrops kept falling on our field, but that doesn't mean we didn't get to play the game". (Now that tune will be stuck in your head all day after you read this!)
Seriously a torrential downpour hit the Greenville area around 5:00 Wednesday afternoon, delaying the kickoff half an hour, but once the action got underway, it was business as usual for the Junior G'men as they remained unbeaten with a 46-12 win over the Generals. However in all fairness to Stonewall, the game was closer than that score might indicate and in fact, it turned dramatically in favor of Riverheads with an odd sequence of events over the last four minutes of the second quarter.
RHS had scored on its one and only possession thus far and was leading 8-0. Stonewall had also moved the ball well on its first possession and just narrowly missed a fourth down conversion in Riverheads territory. So on their second possession, they seemed determined to even the score.
They made it all the way down to the Gladiator 10, only to be hampered by a fumbled pitchout on third down. On fourth and goal from the 13, the Big Red intercepted at the three yard line to kill the drive. However, that left them 97 yards away from the goal line with only 3:30 left on the clock.
Surprisingly they stuck mainly to the ground game and managed to traverse that distance, scoring to go up 16-0, with 1:17 on the clock. To add insult to injury, Stonewall fumbled on the first ensuing play from scrimmage and the Gladiators were back in business again. It took them only 36 seconds to score their third TD to go up 24-0.
So if you followed that chain of events, in less than 3 minutes of clock time, the game went from a possible 8-8 tie to a commanding 24-0 Big Red lead. That sort of took the wind out of the Generals' sails, although they kept fighting and scored twice in the second half. I left there impressed with their grit and feeling as if they just might have the athletes to turn their program around over the next few years.
I would also have to give a shout out to the Stonewall coaching staff. As we all know, coaches can get a little testy at times during a game, especially when things are not going their way. But since we had a smaller crowd than usual tonight and therefore a quieter atmosphere, you could hear most of what was being yelled from across the field, and I can honestly say that every comment I heard directed from the Stonewall coaches to their players was delivered in the interest of positive reinforcement. Good job on their part.
The Gladiators were playing tonight without their top running back, but they never missed a beat on offense as Landon Lightner, Cole Burton and Isaac Hartless were the main weapons. Eighth-grade quarterback Bennett Dunlap directed the offense with his usual confidence and efficiency but also punctuated the win with a defensive gem as he intercepted a late Stonewall pass and returned it about 60 yards down the left sideline for a pick-six behind a perfectly-set-up wall of blockers.
The game was completed without further rain, although there were a few distant lightning flashes spotted in the second half. The refs either failed to notice or decided that they were too far away to cause any alarm.
The Gladiators will travel to Wilson next Wednesday to try to maintain their unbeaten string.
Seriously a torrential downpour hit the Greenville area around 5:00 Wednesday afternoon, delaying the kickoff half an hour, but once the action got underway, it was business as usual for the Junior G'men as they remained unbeaten with a 46-12 win over the Generals. However in all fairness to Stonewall, the game was closer than that score might indicate and in fact, it turned dramatically in favor of Riverheads with an odd sequence of events over the last four minutes of the second quarter.
RHS had scored on its one and only possession thus far and was leading 8-0. Stonewall had also moved the ball well on its first possession and just narrowly missed a fourth down conversion in Riverheads territory. So on their second possession, they seemed determined to even the score.
They made it all the way down to the Gladiator 10, only to be hampered by a fumbled pitchout on third down. On fourth and goal from the 13, the Big Red intercepted at the three yard line to kill the drive. However, that left them 97 yards away from the goal line with only 3:30 left on the clock.
Surprisingly they stuck mainly to the ground game and managed to traverse that distance, scoring to go up 16-0, with 1:17 on the clock. To add insult to injury, Stonewall fumbled on the first ensuing play from scrimmage and the Gladiators were back in business again. It took them only 36 seconds to score their third TD to go up 24-0.
So if you followed that chain of events, in less than 3 minutes of clock time, the game went from a possible 8-8 tie to a commanding 24-0 Big Red lead. That sort of took the wind out of the Generals' sails, although they kept fighting and scored twice in the second half. I left there impressed with their grit and feeling as if they just might have the athletes to turn their program around over the next few years.
I would also have to give a shout out to the Stonewall coaching staff. As we all know, coaches can get a little testy at times during a game, especially when things are not going their way. But since we had a smaller crowd than usual tonight and therefore a quieter atmosphere, you could hear most of what was being yelled from across the field, and I can honestly say that every comment I heard directed from the Stonewall coaches to their players was delivered in the interest of positive reinforcement. Good job on their part.
The Gladiators were playing tonight without their top running back, but they never missed a beat on offense as Landon Lightner, Cole Burton and Isaac Hartless were the main weapons. Eighth-grade quarterback Bennett Dunlap directed the offense with his usual confidence and efficiency but also punctuated the win with a defensive gem as he intercepted a late Stonewall pass and returned it about 60 yards down the left sideline for a pick-six behind a perfectly-set-up wall of blockers.
The game was completed without further rain, although there were a few distant lightning flashes spotted in the second half. The refs either failed to notice or decided that they were too far away to cause any alarm.
The Gladiators will travel to Wilson next Wednesday to try to maintain their unbeaten string.
