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Riverdale overwhelms Warren County 39-6




Riverdale overwhelms Warren County 39-6

Riverdale overwhelms Warren County 39-6

Riverdale didn’t just end the undefeated Cinderella season for the Warren County Pioneers. The Warriors grabbed the glass slipper and shattered it into 1,000 pieces.

Behind a dominant defensive display and a three-touchdown night from backup quarterback Kade Hewitt, Riverdale (7-2, 5-1) thumped Warren County (8-1, 5-1) 39-6.

The victory vaults Riverdale into a tie with the Pioneers for second in Region 3-6A and gets the team one win away from a home playoff game.

Hewitt threw for 156 yards and two scores and added a 4-yard scoring scamper to spark the Warrior offense. Brandon Connard added 99 yards on nine carries, including a 75-yard sprint for a touchdown on the first play of the third quarter.

On the other side, the Warriors held the Pioneers – who came into the game averaging over 300 yards rushing a game – to just 111 total yards. Riverdale secured a pair of safeties, with Elijah Herring blocking a punt through the back of the end zone to start the scoring and the second coming when the Warriors swarmed Warren County in the back field after a bobbled snap.

It was a dominant all-around performance, which came on the heels of the team’s best week of work, according to coach Will Kriesky.

“I told the team this was the best week of practice we’ve had all year and it showed tonight,” Kriesky said. “I would love to take the credit, but it starts with the assistants and No. 1, it started with the seniors. They came to work Sunday. They shut their mouth, watched film and knew they made mistakes.

“They wanted to get better and saw an opportunity for a home playoff game and rose to the occasion.”

Friday’s contest lived up to its billing of two top defenses through two quarters, with Riverdale leading 2-0 deep into the second quarter. The Warriors were able to break the ice when Hewitt hit Xaylyn McKinnie streaking down the sideline for a 35-yard score with 1:52 left in the first half.

The next time the Warriors touched the ball, Connard followed a wall of blockers to make reservations for six.

“I saw a hole. Warren County was getting some momentum and we needed a touchdown, so that’s what I provided,” said Connard. “We know Warren County is a great team. They were 8-0 and on a roll. We knew we needed this game and we came out with the dub. We worked really hard and we’re a strong team.”

The Pioneers answered back when CJ Taylor, last year’s Region 3-6A Athlete of the Year and a Mr. Football candidate, capped a long drive with a 3-yard run. Warren County missed the extra point, though, and Taylor was bottled up the rest of the way. Taylor, who came into the matchup averaging over 160 yards rushing a game, was held to 30 yards on the ground.

Riverdale scored nine points in matter of 11 seconds late in the third, getting its second safety and a 50-yard scoring connection from Hewitt to CJ Johnson, who is the nephew of former Pioneer head coach Tommy Johnson.

Hewitt made it 32-6 in the fourth when he scrambled untouched for a three-yard score with 9:42 left. Tyler Horsley wrapped up the scoring with a 1-yard plunge late in the fourth.

Riverdale is set to finish the regular season with a matchup against Coffee County, which fell to Oakland 22-3 Friday. Warren County will battle the Patriots next Friday with the Region 3-6A title on the line.

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