LA VERGNE — It’s one thing
knowing what an opponent will do. It’s another thing trying to stop it.
Riverdale came into Friday’s Region
4-5A contest getting 89 percent of its offense (1,337 of 1,499 yards) on
the ground.
La Vergne knew it, but couldn’t
stop it.
Riverdale (4-1, 3-0) rushed for a
season-high 475 yards, 246 in the first half alone and won its 73rd
region/district game in a row with a 49-14 victory over the Wolverines
(2-3, 0-3) at Freedom Field.
The Warriors are 10-0 all-time
against the Wolverines.
“Our line is blocking extremely
well,” said Riverdale senior quarterback Scott Thomas, who finished with
171 rushing yards and a touchdown. He had 143 yards in the first half.
“They’re opening up pretty big holes for our running backs to run
through. Our line is where it starts, and they’re doing a great job.”
Riverdale scored touchdowns on its
first seven possessions and took advantage of an early La Vergne mistake.
“They were very sound in what they
were doing, and we didn’t do a very good job of stopping them,” said
La Vergne coach Don Thomas.
On the game’s first series, Jeremy
McClain intercepted an Andrew Rodriguez pass and two plays later Scott
Thomas rambled 63 yards for a 7-0 lead. After a Wolverine three-and-out,
Riverdale, from the La Vergne 49, called seven straight running plays,
finalizing the drive with a Monty Newsom 5-yard touchdown run.
Down 14-0, La Vergne mounted an
impressive drive. Starting from its own 25, the Wolverines needed just
seven plays — the final five all went for 12 yards or more — before
running back Markus Ramsey cut the margin in half on a 12-yard run. But
the Wolverines had two more drives inside the Warrior 15 end without
points.
McClain finished with two touchdowns
and 124 yards, while fullback Newsom added two scores. Halfback Marques
Locke rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown.
“Our O-line coaches do a great job
and our O-line kids work hard,” said Riverdale Coach Ron Aydelott.