Raiders post first victory of season with 52-30 win
The Riverfield Academy Raiders were in action this past Friday night at Claiborne Academy in Homer where they defeated the Claiborne Rebels 52-30 and marked up their first win of the season.
The first half of the game was hard fought with the Raiders going into halftime holding a three-point lead of 21-18. Going into the second half, the Raiders were able to control the momentum of the game and outscore the Rebels 13-6 in the third quarter, something they had lacked in their first three games this year. They carried the momentum of the third quarter o into the final quarter, outscoring the Rebels 18-6.
The Raiders were still plagued with some costly penalties and had one first half touchdown called back. As a personal note, the penalty calls made for one of the longest high school football games I have ever been at with a the duration being well over three hours and 15 minutes.
All and all, the team played with great heart and spirit. The win will boost the morale of the team going into tomorrow night’s contest which will be the halfway point of the regular season.
Offensively, the Raiders scored five times with the run and twice with the pass.
One touchdown came while they were on defense with Nathan Barham’s fourth quarter 60-yard pick six.
The Raiders gained 320 yards rushing and 152 yards passing on the night. Special teams added another 92 yards. Cole Garrett was the lead rusher with 135 yards on 17 carries. Garrett scored two touchdowns. Zach Carnegie gained 101 yards on eight carries and also scored twice with the run. Turner Bridges, Zack Rocket and Garrett Brakefield gained 29, 14 and 15 yards respectively. Quarterback Nathan Barham rushed for 26 yards including one nine-yard touchdown run.
In the passing game, Barham was eight for 17 with two touchdown passes. Barham connected four times with Carnegie, good for 69 yards including one 28-yard touchdown. He threw to Rockett three times, good for 74 yards including a 36-yard touchdown. He connected once with Matthew Weems, good for nine yards.
A couple of defensive highlights included a pass interception by Cole Garrett late in the first half. Garrett’s interception came near the Raider goal line as the Rebels were driving and would have probably taken a 3-5 point lead into the half had they cored. Garrett ran the ball 38 yards before being brought down. A third quarter Rebel fumble was recovered by Riverfield’s John Michael Whatley, setting up a Raider touchdown on the very next play.
Caleb Clark was back in action Friday night after being sidelined with a knee injury in the Bayou game. Clark was four for eight on the one-point conversions.
The Raiders will enjoy the home field advantage for the next couple of weeks. Tomorrow night’s action will match them against the Glenbrook Apaches. Both teams come into the contest with a 1-3 record and it should prove to be a great match-up.
Coach Boyd Cole had these comments on Monday this week:
“It finally felt good after a football gam. The team played hard and was rewarded for the effort. We played a complete game on offense for the first time this year and we only had one turnover. We play Glenbrook this week and I hope everyone comes out to support us. The young men need your support more than ever. We had a great crowd Friday night and I expect an even bigger crowd this week. This year has not gone the way we wanted but the young men are working hard. Thanks for your continued support.”
Hey, Raiders fans, tomorrow night, Joe Meeks Field, kickoff 7 p.m. See ya there.