Riverfield wins against Canton
The Riverfield Raiders were in Canton, Miss., this past Friday night to play the Canton Academy Panthers.
The Raiders came out on top after 48 minutes of battle by a score of 43-21.
The Panthers were a tough opponent but the Raiders stuck to their game plan of playing consistently tough football both offensively and defensively all night.
The Raiders scored twice in the first quarter. A two-yard run by Trent Ginn and a one-point PAT by Ginn gave the Raiders seven points with just 436 left on the clock. Then with just 39 seconds left, the Raiders scored again on a 13-yard run by Brett Whorton. The PAT failed. The Raiders ended the first quarter with 13 points on the board. The quarter, however, belonged to the Panthers as they scored twice and had the lead 14-13.
The Raiders gained momentum in the second quarter, outscoring the Panthers 15-0. A five-yard touchdown by Hudson Brakefield put the Raiders in the lead 21-14 with 8:21 remaining in the quarter. The Raiders increased their lead to 28-14 on a 20-yard run and one-point PAT by Trent Ginn with just 2:52 left in the first half.
The Panthers, who proved to be an explosive football team and were moving the ball well just before the quarter ended, came up short on their drive as Raider defender Addison Shelton picked off a Panther pass somewhere close to the 10 yard line. It looked like Shelton might run the ball all the way back, but he was finally brought down a little past midfield, ending the half with the Raiders in the lead by 14 points.
The third quarter was even as far as scoring goes with both teams putting seven point on the board for a score of 35-21 at the end of the quarter. The Raiders score in the quarter came on a seven-yard run by Brett Whorton and a one-point PAT by Evan Bickford.
The Raiders went on to win the game by outscoring the Panthers 8-0 in the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter score was a two-yard touchdown run and two-point PAT by Ginn.
The Raiders totaled up 412 yards offense on the night to Canton’s 237. Offensive stats included Hudson Brakefield with 125 yards on 23 carries, Trent Ginn with 124 yards on 15 carries, Brett Whorton with 140 yards on 19 carries and Barnes Williamson with five yards on one carry.
Ginn was four for five and 21 yards in the passing game. He threw one interception. On the receiving end, Brier Williamson was two for two gaining 14 yards, Colton Williams was one for one gaining eight yards and Brakefield was one for one.
It was a great team effort by every Raider on the field in bringing home a hard fought win. The Raiders are now 8-1 on the season and should enter the playoffs with one of the top seed positions.
They have just one more game on the regular schedule. It will be against Clinton Christian Academy at home this Friday. This will be the Raider homecoming game. For a schedule of homecoming activities, check the school’s website. Kick off for the game is set for 7 p.m.