Riverfield opens regular season with loss to Colts

By Jimmy Pelley
Special Report
The Riverfield Academy Raiders opened their regular season of play this past Friday night with a home game against the Bayou Academy Colts.
In a game played out in very hot and humid conditions, the Raiders came up short at the end of the 48-minute contest. The Colts went home with the victory by a score of 28-20.
With just a little over three minutes left in the first quarter, the Raiders struck first when sophomore quarterback Garrett Brakefield connected with junior receiver Zach Rockett on a 30-yard touchdown pass. The PAT failed by the Raiders had an early lead of 6-0.
The Colts, however, answered the Raider touchdown aith one of their own. On their next possession the Colts drove the ball 71 yards to the Raider end zone for a touchdown. They added one on the PAT to go ahead of the Raiders 7-6 as the first quarter ended.
The Colts then outscored the Raiders 8-0 in the second quarter, sending the Raiders into halftime trailing 15-6.
The Raiders came out of the halftime, however, and pretty much dominated the third quarter, outscoring the Colts 14-0. Their first drive of the second half featured good, solid rushing by Cole Garrett and Nicholas Heath. The drive ended with a 14-yard completion from Garrett Brakefield to Travis Rawls for a Raider touchdown. Hudson Brakefield added two on the PAT and cut the Colt lead to 15-14.
The Raiders then kicked off and Nicholas Heath took possession of the ball for the Raiders as the Colts failed to take possession of the kickoff. Two plays later, Garrett Brakefield connected with John Michael Whatley on an 11-yard touchdown pass. They failed on the PAT but the third quarter ended with the Raiders leading 20-15.
The Colts scored early in the fourth quarter on a 28-yard passing play. One point on the PAT put them back in the lead by a score of 22-20. The Raiders then sputter on their next two possessions and were forced to punt twice.
With 3:13 left in the game, the Colts scored again, bringing the score to 28-20 in their favor. The next Riverfield possession ended abrubtly as they turned the ball over on a fumble and from there time simply ran out on them.
It was a hard fought contest and the Raiders never game up. The hot and humid weather conditions took their toll on players from both teams as several suffered from leg cramps as the night wore on.
The Raiders are looking forward to experiencing their first victory of the season tomorrow night as they host the Porter’s Chapel Eagles.
Head coach Boyd Cole had these comments early this week:
“We lost a hard fought game last Friday night. The kids really played hard but we did not play well. What I mean by that is that we did not execute very well. Usually the biggest improvement is from game one to game two of the season. I look for the kids to play really well this week.
“I hope the Raider Nation gets behind these kids because they are needing everyone’s support.
“Thanks for all of the positive support from the Raider Nation. Come out and support the Raiders. Our JV plays Claiborne Thursday night at 6 p.m. at Joe Meeks Field.”
Raider fans, come out to Joe Meeks Field this week to support the 2017 Raider Football team. Kick off is at 7 p.m.