2003 Season

Riverdale Banquet of Champions Award Winners

4-16-04 The Riverdale Warriors held their annual Banquet of Champions on Wednesday night and celebrated the accomplishments of the 2003 Warrior football team. Dinner was served in the school cafeteria and an awards ceremony followed in the auditorium. Spike McDaniel and Jay Carter were named Captains for the 2003 squad. Dave Thomas and Spike McDaniel were named 2003 Warriors of the Year. Click here to see a complete list of award winners.

Jay Carter

Captain

Dave Thomas

Warrior of the Year

Spike McDaniel

Captain

Warrior of the Year

Reading is Fundamental To Warriors

3-17-04 The Riverdale Warriors traveled to Smyrna and read to the students at the Head Start program. Football players along with Lady Warrior basketball players enjoyed a day of reading to the young fans. Click here for photos.

Riverdale's Spike McDaniel Honored at Hall of Fame Banquet

3-15-04 The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame honored Riverdale's Spike McDaniel as one of their High School Scholar Athletes earlier this month. The Foundation is dedicated to promoting and developing the sport of amateur football. Through its 119 chapters throughout the US, the foundation serves youth football organizations by conducting coaching clinics, honoring exceptional performances in the sport, and encouraging scholastic achievement by players by offering scholarship opportunities. Congratulations Spike.

Riverdale's Jean Paul Gadie Picked for East-West Shrine Bowl

2-17-04 Senior, all state, linebacker Jean Paul Gadie will play in the annual East-West Shrine Bowl this June. Gadie finished the 2003 season as the Warriors leading tackler with 136 tackles, 4 tackles for loss and 5 sacks. He rushed for 62 yards on 11 carries and one touchdown.

Riverdale's Spike McDaniel to Play in Tennessee - Kentucky All Star Game

2-2-04 Senior fullback/linebacker Spike McDaniel was selected by a committee of Tennessee Athletic Coaches Association members to play in the annual Tennessee-Kentucky All Star game. Spike finished the year with 90 carries for 458 yards and 9 touchdowns rushing and had 7 receptions for 79 yards and 1 touchdown on offense. On defense McDaniel contributed with 91 tackles, 5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. Spike has played in 60 games since his freshmen year, the most anyone in high school football can play. This years all star game will be played in Knoxville at Neyland Stadium on Friday, June 18th at 7:00 p.m.. Tennessee holds a 14-6 lead in the series but has lost 3 of the last 4, including back to back losses the past two years. Click here for a complete roster of the Tennessee squad.

Warriors Earn Post Season Honors

1-4-04 The Riverdale Warriors placed several players on many of the post season honors teams. Though the Warriors did not have any players make first or second team in the Associated Press All-State team, 9 were elected honorable mention. Four Warriors were placed on the Tennessee Sports Writers Association 5A All-State team. The Daily News Journal Named 18 Warriors to their first or second All-County Teams. Senior Spike McDaniel was the only Riverdale player to make the Tennesseans All-Midstate Team. For a complete list of post season honors click here.

Riverdale Has 8 Players Named All-Region

12-10-03 Riverdale placed 8 players on the Region 4-5A All-Region team. Sophomore running back Gaston Miller, junior center Justin Jones, junior defensive tackle Jermaine Alsup, junior defensive back Terrence Savannah, junior wide receiver-defensive back Keaton Anderson, and senior fullback-linebacker Spike McDaniel were named All Region. Senior linebacker Jean Paul Gadie was named defensive MVP of the region and junior quarterback Dave Thomas was named Region MVP. Coach Gary Rankin earned Region Coach of the Year honors voted on by his peers. Click here for a complete list of the 2003 region 4-5A All-Region team.

Region 4-5A

Defensive MVP

Jean Paul Gadie

2003 Stats

Region 4-5A

Region MVP

Dave Thomas

2003 Stats

Region 4-5A

Coach of the Year

Gary Rankin

Warrior Highlight Video on Sale Now

12-8-03 The 2003 Riverdale Football highlight video is now on sale. Follow the Riverdale Warriors through a season in which they were supposed to rebuild. See the incredible runs and long "Bombs", along with the big hits and dominating defense, that the Warriors used to earn their fourth trip in a row to the Blue Cross Bowl. This video provides footage of the Warriors 15 game March to Murfreesboro for Riverdale's eighth State Championship appearance in 11 years.

This highlight video was produced by Neal Watson. You can purchase your own copy of the 2003 Warrior Highlight video for only $20.00. Just call Neal Watson at 615-895-4622 for your memory of a lifetime.

12-7-03 The Riverdale Warriors could not overcome the mistakes they made to pull out the win against Germantown. With third down and goal late in the 4th quarter, Riverdale was called for illegal procedure and was forced to attempt a field goal, that was wide right, on the next play. The Riverdale Defense held it's own against a huge Red Devil offense, holding Germantown to 227 yards total offense. Riverdale ends the 2003 season 12-3 and runner-up for the second straight year.

12-2-03 The Riverdale Warriors will play in their 8th state championship in 11 years and their fourth in a row. Riverdale will face a big Germantown team that finished 1st in region 8-5A and bring a 13-1 overall record into the the Blue Cross Bowl. Riverdale hold a 1-0 all time record against the Red Devils with the last meeting being a 14-10 win in the 1994 Clinic Bowl. Click here for some quick facts about the game.

11-29-03 With 25 seconds to go in the game, Spike McDaniel blitzed off the left side and got a hand on the Scott McMahon pass, the deflected pass landed in junior defensive end Jonathan Gooch's hands to secure a 17-13 TSSAA semi-final win for the Warriors. The Riverdale defense came up big in the fourth quarter, stopping the Wildcat offense three times deep in Warrior territory. The win over Oak Ridge puts the Warriors in their 8th state championship game in 11 years and their fourth in a row. Riverdale will face the Germantown Red Devils, the team Riverdale beat in 1994 to win their first state championship.

11-25-03 With a 19-13 quarter-final win over the Lincoln County Falcons last Friday night, the Riverdale Warriors have posted the most wins in the history of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County football. According to Jeff Jordan, long time Rutherford County sports man, the Riverdale Warriors have won 260 football games in their 31 years of existence. The 260 wins surpasses the old mark of 259 set by the former Central High School, which was split 1972 to form Riverdale and Oakland High Schools. Coach Gary Rankin and his teams are responsible for 165 of the 260 wins over the last 14 years. For schedules and scores over the last 31 years click here.

11-22-03 Great weather, 9,000 fans, #1 in region 3-5A versus #1 in region 4-5A, the #1 team in the state versus the team that has been #1 in years past, all the ingredients for a classic 5A high school football game were at the "Pit" last night when Riverdale and Lincoln County mixed it up. The Warrior defense put a halt to Mr. Football nominee Michael Edmiston's dominance of teams this season by holding him to only 37 yards on 20 carries. Riverdale held the Falcons to 202 yards total offense on their way to a 19-13 quarter final win. With the win, the Warriors earn their eighth trip to a semi-final play-off game, the fourth in as many years. Riverdale will travel to Oak Ridge next Friday to play the Wildcats at Blankenship Stadium at 7:00 EST.

11-15-03 The Riverdale defense got stingy against the Rebels last night. The Warriors allowed only 123 yards total offense and 5 first downs, with most of that coming late in the fourth quarter. Junior Austin Kusch had an interception returned 27 yards for a touchdown and Junior Keaton Anderson sealed the shout-out when he returned an interception from 8 yards deep in the Franklin County end zone to the Rebel 45 yard line. Riverdale forced 6 turnovers en route to their 5th shout-out of the season. The win forces the much anticipated rematch with Lincoln County (12-0) next week in the "Pit".

11-8-03 The Riverdale Warriors rolled up 333 yards on the ground on the way to a 28-10 win over the visiting Cavaliers of Cookeville. Sophomore Gaston Miller led the way with 7 carries for 136 yards and Junior Spike McDaniel had 86 yards on 11 carries. The Warrior defense allowed only 216 yards on the ground to a strong Cavalier running attack. Next week Riverdale will host the Franklin County Rebels at Tomahawk Stadium for the second round of the TSSAA play-offs. Kick-off is at 7:00.

11-5-03 Check out our new photo gallery. Pat Smith, mother of Trey Smith, has spent hours of her own time and money to see that Riverdale Football has pictures to capture the memories of the 2003 season. The pictures are distributed to the players the week after they are displayed in the weight room. Thanks Pat for your time and effort.

10-31-03 With the region championship already wrapped up for the 2003 season, the only thing to play for last night was pride, oh, and a 56-game league winning streak. Riverdale's 41-20 win over LaVergne gave the Warriors their 56th straight league win. Their last loss came in 1995 against Mt. Juliet. Riverdale racked up over 500 yards total offense against the Wolverines which started on the first play of the game. Dave Thomas connected with Keaton Anderson for a 80 yard bomb that took only 7 seconds to get the Warriors on the scoreboard. Gaston Miller had 7 carries for 195 yards and 2 touchdowns. Two of Millers runs were from 75 yards or more. Riverdale will host Cookeville in the first round of the TSSAA play-offs at Tomahawk Stadium. All play-off games start at 7:00 local time.

10-29-03 Riverdale head football coach Gary Rankin was named the Tennessee Titans High School Football Coach of the Week.
The Warriors clinched their 13th consecutive league title under Rankin with a 52-0 win over Wilson Central Friday. The Titans foundation will make a $1,000 contribution to the Riverdale High School football program in coach Rankin’s honor.
“The NFL realizes the importance of high school coaches to the game of football,” NFL director of football operations Gene Washington says. “A good coach does more than just Xs and Os. He teaches and counsels his players about issues both on and off the field that will help them throughout their lives.”
Rankin will receive a framed certificate signed by NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, as well as a custom embroidered Titans hat at the Titans game versus Buffalo Dec. 14 in a special pregame ceremony.

10-28-03 The following is a list of play-off possibilities for region 4-5A and 3-5A.

Lincoln County is first.
If Franklin County wins, Franklin County is second, Coffee County is third, and Cookeville is fourth.
If Franklin County loses and Coffee County wins, Coffee County is second, Cookeville is third, and Franklin County is third.
If Franklin County loses and Coffee County loses, Cookeville is second, Franklin County is third, and Coffee County is fourth.

Riverdale is first.
Smyrna is second, Lebanon is third, and Oakland is fourth unless Oakland wins and Lebanon loses, in which case Oakland is second, Smyrna is third, and Lebanon is fourth.

10-25-03 For the 13th time in as many years, the Riverdale Warriors are region champions. The 52-0 win over Wilson Central was also the 55th consecutive region win for the Warriors. The Riverdale offense ran up 423 total yards and 45 points, and that was just the first half. Riverdale finished the game with 536 yards total offense; 387 on the ground and 146 through the air. The stingy Warrior defense did not give up a first down until the 4th quarter and held the wildcats to only 95 yards total offense. Riverdale finishes the regular season at LaVergne next week before hosting a first round play-off game at Tomahawk Stadium.

10-18-03 The only flames at "The Inferno" last night were coming from the Warrior's shoes running up and down the field. The Riverdale Fire Department put out any hopes of Blackman making the play-offs. The Warriors run their winning streak to 5-0 over the Blaze. Dave Thomas went 9-13 for 107 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions. Seven different receivers caught passes with Austin Kush and Jervell Ford catching touchdown passes from Dave Thomas. Spike McDaniel also threw a touchdown to Chris Perkins. Gaston Miller had 9 rushes for 118 yards and a 37 yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Next week the Warriors host Wilson Central for Senior Night at Tomahawk Stadium. The Warriors can clinch their 18th district or region championship in 31 years of playing football with a win over Wilson Central. More...

10-17-03 The Riverdale Warrior freshmen capped off their season with a win against Blackman last night at Tomahawk Stadium. With the 36-14 romp over the Blaze, the freshmen squad finish the season at 4-3.

10-11-03 The Warriors could not put the final nail in the coffin on the Patriots until 2:07 left in the fourth quarter. On fourth and two at the Oakland 24 yard line, junior quarterback Dave Thomas faked a hand-off to Derente' Frazier off left tackle and then eluded two Patriot defenders to score. That touchdown gave Riverdale a 21-7 lead and its 24th win over Oakland in the city's oldest and most-storied rivalry, The Battle of the 'Boro. The Warrior defense did a tremendous job keeping the Oakland offense in check by allowing the Patriots only 120 yards total offense and forcing three turnovers. With the win, Riverdale is atop region 4-5A standings and is in the drivers seat for the region championship. Next week the Warriors travel to Blackman. Game time is 7:30. More...

10-10-03 Led by Scott Thomas' 3 interceptions, the Riverdale Freshmen ran their record to 3-3 with a 28-16 win versus cross-town rival Oakland. Chad Hunter scored two rushing touchdowns and was the leading rusher for the Warriors. Monte Newsome added a score with a 17-yard run in the third quarter. The freshmen finish their regular season next Thursday by hosting Blackman at Tomahawk Stadium.

10-4-03 Tre' Dalton shined like a star last night for homecoming in a 56-0 route of the Siegel Stars. Dalton had three carries for 68 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a 27 yard interception return for a touchdown. The Warriors rushed for nearly 10 yards a carry with 223 yards on 26 carries. Antwone Smith and Keaton Anderson both got into the action with 56 and 52 yard punt returns for touchdowns in the second half. With the 56-0 win the Warriors run their region winning streak to 52 games in a row and are tied with Oakland (3-3, 3-0) in the region. Next week Riverdale host Oakland for the 33rd meeting of "The Battle of the 'Boro". The winner next week will be in the driver's seat for the region 4-5A championship.

10-3-03 After starting the season 1-3, an off week is just what the Warriors needed. The Freshmen got back on the winning track last night against Siegel with a 34-6 victory. Next week the Warriors go on the road, for the first time this season, to Oakland for a mini Battle of the 'Boro.

9-27-03 Riverdale and Dickson County met for their annual slug-fest, but this time the game was anything but defensive. The usually run-orientated offense took advantage of poor play in the Warrior secondary. The Cougars threw for 196 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-29 score-fest. The loss against Dickson County was only the second time since 1991 that the Warriors have lost two regular season games. The last time was 1995 when the Warriors lost two in a row to Baylor and Mt. Juliet. Riverdale is back in region action next week as the Warriors host Siegel for Homecoming 2003. Kick-off is at 7:30 with homecoming ceremonies occurring before the game starts.

9-20-03 The Warrior defense pitched its first shutout of the year against the Lebanon Blue Devils at Nokes-Lassiter field last night. Riverdale forced the Blue Devils to turn the ball over 5 times. Riverdale grounded the Lebanon aerial attack by giving up only 42 passing yards and intercepting 3 Blue Devil passes. Lebanon could manage only 170 yards total offense. The Warrior offense rolled up yardage on the ground with 319 yards rushing. Spike McDaniel had another stand out performance against the Blue Devils. Last year McDaniel scored four touchdowns against the Blue Devils and added three more this year with 56 yards rushing. Next week the Warriors host a 4-0 Dickson County team at Tomahawk Stadium in their last non-region game of the year. More...

9-18-03 The Warrior Freshmen fought back from a 20-14 deficit with only 3 minutes left in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime against the Blue Devils of Lebanon. The Blue Devils scored first in overtime on third down and rushed over left tackle for the 2 point conversion. On fourth and goal from the 8 yard line, Scott Thomas completed a bootleg pass to Chad Hunter to run the score to 28-26. The 2 point conversion came up inches short from sending the game into a second overtime. The Freshmen Warriors drop to 1-3 on the year and will have a week to regroup before hosting Siegel at Tomahawk Stadium on October 2nd.

9-16-03 Despite a 26-20 loss to Lincoln County, Riverdale remains in the top 5 in the Tennessee AP Poll. Kingsport Dobbyns-Bennett jumped from fourth to first, while previously un ranked Lincoln County moves in to the number 3 slot. More...

9-15-03 It took overtime for the Warrior JV to come out on top of LaVergne 14-12. A 70 yard pass from Matt Forrest to Antwaun Smith were the only points the Warriors could manage in regulation. With the scored tied at 6-6 at the end of regulation LaVergne won the toss, took the ball, and scored on three plays. The ensuing two point attempt failed. Riverdale's Phillip Stevenson scored over right tackle on Riverdale's second play from scrimmage. On the two point conversion, Stevenson again rushed over right tackle to give the Warriors the 14-12 victory.

9-12-03 A blocked punt, two interceptions, and giving up 257 yards on the ground will not win very many 5A football games. A young Warrior football team found out that against the top teams in the state you can not make mistakes. Lincoln County took advantage of the Riverdale miscues and turned them into points. The Falcons gave Coach Louis Thompson his 200th win of his carrier in a hard fought 26-21 win in front of the largest crowd to see a game at Tomahawk Stadium, and put an end to the Warriors 23 game home winning streak. Next week the warriors are back in action as they travel to Lebanon for a region 4-5A showdown with the Blue Devils. Game time is 7:30 at Nokes-Lassiter Field. More...

9-11-03 The Riverdale Freshmen got defensive in their first win of the season last night against LaVergne. The Warriors scored twice on defense, one interception returned 36 yards by Ben Atakpu, and a LaVergne fumble recovered in the end zone by Kirk Willis. Scott Thomas added to the Riverdale takeaways with a second interception. The Freshmen host Lebanon next week on Thursday, 7:00, at Tomahawk Stadium.

9-9-03 In the first poll of the season the Associated Press has Riverdale ranked number 2 in the state. The Warriors finish just one point behind Germantown in the poll. (109-108). Riverdale has been in the top ten of the AP poll every year since 1993. Click here to see complete list of AP poll.

9-9-03 Dave Thomas has been honored as the Associated Press' 5A player of the week. Thomas had a hand in all three of Riverdale's touchdowns against Smyrna. Thomas ran for a touchdown, returned a punt 49 yards for his second, and hit Rahmel Oliver on a 31pass for his third. Click here for more.

9-6-03 Riverdale's Dave Thomas had a huge night in every facet of the 20-7 win over the Smyrna Bulldogs. Thomas was involved in all three Warrior scores, he ran for one, returned a punt for the second, threw a strike to Rahmel Oliver for the third Riverdale score and picked off a David Wolke pass. All in the first half. Riverdale was flat and did not produce very much offense in the second half. The defense held a potent Smyrna offense to only 7 points. Riverdale will have the biggest test of the young season next Friday night when the Falcons of Lincoln County roll into Tomahawk Stadium. more...