Tazewell @ Riverheads
- Thread starter gladiatorgrad10
- Start date
Like GHS said..........each team gave the other exactly what they were expecting to see as Riverheads got seven rushing touchdowns from five different players and Tazewell threw the ball on about 80% of their plays and scored all three of its touchdowns through the air. Although the score might imply that the Big Red was in control from the start, that was not the case because a betting man would have put his money on the visiting Bulldogs about halfway through the first half, as they had a 14-7 lead and seemed to be the more confident team.
But Riverheads tied things up at 14, got one more possession before the break, and added a field goal for a 17-14 halftime lead. The Gladiators then poured it on with a five touchdown outburst in the second half, although if you had to pick one play of the game that may have been the biggest momentum swing, it actually came on defense.
Tazewell had received the second half kickoff and just like they say in any sport, the first few minutes of the second half can often determine the outcome. So on the Bulldogs' first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Carson Brooks shot through the line untouched and dropped Creasy like a sack of potatoes in the backfield. That ten-yard loss sent the message that Riverheads was the team that came out to play in the second half and they certainly did just that as they put up two scores in the third quarter to go up 31-14. At that point the Big Red had scored 24 unanswered points.
To their credit, Tazewell fought back and scored late in the third to trim the lead to 31-21 and even got the ball back with a chance to get within one score. But Riverheads slammed the door on them and scored three TDs in the fourth to make it look like more of a runaway than it really was.
As expected, Jonathan Talbott was the Big Red's leading rusher, despite playing with an injured wrist. He scored three of the Big Red touchdowns after Levi Dunlap got the party started with a one yard quarterback sneak to cap off the Gladiators' opening drive. Other home team touchdowns came from Brady Boehm and Jackson Fitzgerald but by far the biggest crowd pleaser came in the final minutes of the game, when junior running back Preston McCauley swept right end, turned on the afterburners, and outraced the Bulldog defense for a 73 yard score, the longest run of the year for RHS.
Also a big part of the Gladiator offense was the kicking game as senior Zac Brooks was a perfect 6 for 6 on PATs in addition to the 35 yard field goal that gave the Big Red the lead for good. Following the McCauley touchdown, we learned who the Big Red's placekicker will be the next two years as sophomore Bryan Lopez-Rojas booted the final point of the night for the home team with a kick as pretty as any of the ones Brooks had.
In addition to the players who scored, the Gladiators got quality runs from Brooks, meaning Carson Brooks, as well as Brody Phillips, Spencer Simpson, and Austin Roberts who was having a great two-way game until he went down shortly before the break with an ankle injury. The Gladiators also completed their first pass of the season as Dunlap connected over the middle to tight end Charles Glenn on the way to one of those second half scores.
On defense the heroes were many for the Big Red. As already mentioned, Brooks' sack of the quarterback was a key turning point. But almost everyone already mentioned as offensive contributors also had key defensive plays, along with solid efforts from the Dotson twins Jayden and Chris. I am sure I am leaving out some players that deserve recognition, but let's face it.........there was a LOT going on in this game!
Which leads into a discussion of the officiating. All you can ever ask of a crew is consistency and I guess tonight's gang did their best, but there was an incredible amount of flags in this one, and on more than one occasion, there were disputes about what the call was, which team it was on, how much should be marked off, you name it and it happened. Calls were sometimes delayed until well after the play was over, flags were picked up at least four or five times, and we even had one case in which a ref signaled an ineligible receiver on the DEFENSE, but you will be pleased to hear we got that one straightened out! With both teams having the potent offenses they did, the constant disruptions to the game kept it from having any real flow and it is a miracle the teams scored the points they did.
With the win, RHS is now 2-0 on the season and they will travel to Fort Defiance next week for the Shenandoah District opener for both teams. An announcement was made at our game that the Indian quarterback had been injured in their game tonight, so between his injury and the status of Riverheads' Roberts, both teams may have to make some adjustments for that one.
As for Tazewell, hopefully everyone had safe travels home. It has been an interesting five game series between these two and despite tonight's loss, you can tell that the Bulldogs will again be a playoff-caliber team by the end of the season. Now that they have this first game of the season behind them, they will fine-tune some things and make some serious noise down south.
But Riverheads tied things up at 14, got one more possession before the break, and added a field goal for a 17-14 halftime lead. The Gladiators then poured it on with a five touchdown outburst in the second half, although if you had to pick one play of the game that may have been the biggest momentum swing, it actually came on defense.
Tazewell had received the second half kickoff and just like they say in any sport, the first few minutes of the second half can often determine the outcome. So on the Bulldogs' first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Carson Brooks shot through the line untouched and dropped Creasy like a sack of potatoes in the backfield. That ten-yard loss sent the message that Riverheads was the team that came out to play in the second half and they certainly did just that as they put up two scores in the third quarter to go up 31-14. At that point the Big Red had scored 24 unanswered points.
To their credit, Tazewell fought back and scored late in the third to trim the lead to 31-21 and even got the ball back with a chance to get within one score. But Riverheads slammed the door on them and scored three TDs in the fourth to make it look like more of a runaway than it really was.
As expected, Jonathan Talbott was the Big Red's leading rusher, despite playing with an injured wrist. He scored three of the Big Red touchdowns after Levi Dunlap got the party started with a one yard quarterback sneak to cap off the Gladiators' opening drive. Other home team touchdowns came from Brady Boehm and Jackson Fitzgerald but by far the biggest crowd pleaser came in the final minutes of the game, when junior running back Preston McCauley swept right end, turned on the afterburners, and outraced the Bulldog defense for a 73 yard score, the longest run of the year for RHS.
Also a big part of the Gladiator offense was the kicking game as senior Zac Brooks was a perfect 6 for 6 on PATs in addition to the 35 yard field goal that gave the Big Red the lead for good. Following the McCauley touchdown, we learned who the Big Red's placekicker will be the next two years as sophomore Bryan Lopez-Rojas booted the final point of the night for the home team with a kick as pretty as any of the ones Brooks had.
In addition to the players who scored, the Gladiators got quality runs from Brooks, meaning Carson Brooks, as well as Brody Phillips, Spencer Simpson, and Austin Roberts who was having a great two-way game until he went down shortly before the break with an ankle injury. The Gladiators also completed their first pass of the season as Dunlap connected over the middle to tight end Charles Glenn on the way to one of those second half scores.
On defense the heroes were many for the Big Red. As already mentioned, Brooks' sack of the quarterback was a key turning point. But almost everyone already mentioned as offensive contributors also had key defensive plays, along with solid efforts from the Dotson twins Jayden and Chris. I am sure I am leaving out some players that deserve recognition, but let's face it.........there was a LOT going on in this game!
Which leads into a discussion of the officiating. All you can ever ask of a crew is consistency and I guess tonight's gang did their best, but there was an incredible amount of flags in this one, and on more than one occasion, there were disputes about what the call was, which team it was on, how much should be marked off, you name it and it happened. Calls were sometimes delayed until well after the play was over, flags were picked up at least four or five times, and we even had one case in which a ref signaled an ineligible receiver on the DEFENSE, but you will be pleased to hear we got that one straightened out! With both teams having the potent offenses they did, the constant disruptions to the game kept it from having any real flow and it is a miracle the teams scored the points they did.
With the win, RHS is now 2-0 on the season and they will travel to Fort Defiance next week for the Shenandoah District opener for both teams. An announcement was made at our game that the Indian quarterback had been injured in their game tonight, so between his injury and the status of Riverheads' Roberts, both teams may have to make some adjustments for that one.
As for Tazewell, hopefully everyone had safe travels home. It has been an interesting five game series between these two and despite tonight's loss, you can tell that the Bulldogs will again be a playoff-caliber team by the end of the season. Now that they have this first game of the season behind them, they will fine-tune some things and make some serious noise down south.
