Riverview defense lights up Jefferson-Morgan

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, October 5, 2018 | 11:15 PM

The annual night game at Riverside Park always packs the stands. It was also homecoming, and Riverview didn’t disappoint as it defeated Jefferson-Morgan, 19-8, in a Class A nonconference matchup.

Riverview (1-5) set the tone early on defense and didn’t let up as it held the Rockets (2-5) to 143 yards while racking up six sacks, including three by junior Isaac Murphy.

“We moved some people around,” Riverview coach Todd Massack said. “We put Isaac Murphy at defensive end. He is a tough kid. He is a hard-nosed kid. He’s a wrestler. We thought, ‘Hey, let’s give him a shot at defensive end.’ ”

Riverview led 6-0 at halftime on a 52-yard touchdown pass by sophomore Ryan Aber to senior receiver Ben Blacksmith late in the first quarter.

Jefferson-Morgan began the second half with a first-and-10 from their own 20. It took one play for the Riverview defense to strike as it recovered a fumble at the J-M 31.

The Raiders offense seemed poised to capitalize. Facing a fourth-and-4 from the Rockets 14, senior quarterback Jared Massack connected with senior Nick Palmiere for a touchdown and a 12-0 lead.

“We talked about finishing the game,” Massack said. “We’ve been in some of these situations before where it’s been close at halftime, and we weren’t able to finish the game. Fortunately tonight, we were able to finish the game.

Jared Massack added a 1-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach for Jefferson-Morgan.

While the defense provided endless energy throughout the night, the Riverview running game racked up 162 yards and helped keep the defense off the field. Senior running back Devon Binz rushed 20 times for 83 yards, and senior running back J.D. Sykes added 56 yards rushing on 13 carries.

“I kept telling these guys be patient with what we’re doing, be patient,” Massack said. “That’s exactly what was happening. We would get a yard, then we would get 10 yards and then we would lose a yard. I said just keep pounding, keep pounding away.”

Jefferson-Morgan ended Riverview’s shutout bid late in the fourth quarter when senior quarterback Jacob Broadwater ran for a 27-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-11. Austin Foreman tacked on a two-point run.

“We always preach to the kids don’t quit, and keep fighting, and play on and the kids kept fighting until the end,” Jefferson-Morgan coach Aaron Giorgi said. “I was proud of my boys for that. They kept fighting until the end and they didn’t give up. We ended up punching one in at the end there.”

D.J. Vasil is a freelance writer.

Tags: Jefferson-Morgan, Riverview