TOM KREAGER - Staff Writer

MURFREESBORO — Dave Thomas didn’t have one of his better games last night.

Thomas, a Riverdale junior, had one fumble on a punt and threw an interception late in the first half.

But with his team needing an insurance score, Thomas came through with the clutch play that propelled Riverdale to a 21-7 win over Oakland at the annual Battle of the ’Boro.

The win marked the fifth straight win over Oakland.

Facing fourth-and-1 at the Oakland 29 with his team clinging to a 13-7 lead, Thomas faked a handoff to a Riverdale tailback and took off toward the Riverdale sidelines. Thomas split two Oakland defenders and scampered free for the touchdown to clinch the win with 2:07 to play.

“You really don’t know what you’re going to get when you’ve got Dave,” Riverdale senior Spike McDaniel said. “Sometimes something will go wrong and he’ll end up busting it out. It was just ... he made a great play.”

Thomas’ score came on the Warriors’ only drive of the second half that gave the team a first down. Prior to the run, Thomas, the team’s punter, was forced to punt twice and the Warriors failed on one fourth down.

“They just got some momentum going,” Riverdale Coach Gary Rankin said of Oakland’s second-half defensive performance. “Momentum just got on their side a little bit. They were just playing hard and playing tough.”

Riverdale dominated the first half, keeping the Patriots to two first downs. Oakland’s only scoring threat came after Thomas fumbled a punt return at the Riverdale 18.

However, the Warriors’ defense picked it up a notch, holding running back Carlos Crawford to 5 yards on two carries. Jarden Ebalaroza’s fourth-down pass attempt went incomplete to end the Patriots’ drive.

“The defense was excellent early,” Rankin said. “We could have gotten in trouble if the defense hadn’t been strong. We made some mistakes that we have to cut out. But it was a good ballgame.”

With Oakland’s offense stagnant, the Warriors managed to put two successful offensive drives together. Sophomore tailback Derente Frazier capped a 78-yard drive with a 23-yard run up the middle. Frazier went virtually untouched for the score that opened the second quarter.

Riverdale added its second score late in the second quarter. The Warriors opened the drive at the Oakland 44. Riverdale capped the nine-play drive when Thomas found fullback Spike McDaniel near the left sideline and he dove into the end zone.