(Oakland) With a 2nd half comeback against Tri-Center in Week 4, the Riverside football team has caught the attention of Class A District 9.
The Bulldogs went from nearly upending one potential district favorite (St. Albert) in Week 3, to finishing the job against another (Tri-Center) in Week 4. Coach Darrell Frain’s squad used a 14-0 advantage after halftime to snap Tri-Center’s five game district winning streak. “We got a pick six right before halftime that changed the momentum.” The tide turned in the 2nd half. “We did a lot of really good things and I was definitely impressed.”
The victory proved the Bulldogs belong among the contenders. “That was huge. We went into halftime and had to challenge the kids a little bit. Tri-Center smacked us in the mouth really good and we didn’t respond real well in the first half. We came out in the 2nd half and controlled the line of scrimmage and ran the ball right at them. That was a huge win for us.” He adds, “We are showing the composure of a winning team right now.”
Coach Darrell Frain gives us a look at Sidney. “Pretty big. They have a little bit of speed. They are a lot better than their record shows. They have kids that can make plays and that worries you a little bit.”
One of the biggest pluses from last week’s victory was their pass defense. Drake Woods intercepted two passes, Austin Kremkoski had a pick six, and Brogan Allensworth intercepted one pass. Eli Ryan had a sack and a half and Eddie Vlcek registered one sack. “They completed one pass in the 2nd half and that’s the only yards they had. We pressured them up front without blitzing them.” Frain says, “Our DB’s do a really good job and everyone is running to the ball. That’s the biggest thing in high school football especially defensively. If all 11 guys are going hard to the ball you have a chance and that’s what we did.”
The emergence of Rhett Bentley at running back has made a difference for the Bulldogs. He’s rushed for 382 yards and five scores with an average of better than six yards per attempt. “He’s stepped up. The last two weeks is probably the hardest I’ve seen him run. We’ve really ended up being a little more of a running team right now than we are a passing team and coming into the season I didn’t know if that would happen.”
Riverside’s big win over Tri-Center opens the door for several teams to factor into the district picture. St. Albert is 2-0 with AHSTW, SW Valley, Riverside, and Tri-Center all at 1-1.
