Smyrna's season still alive; Riverdale playoff hopes dashed
For so many years Riverdale could count on being a playoff team.
This fall, when a postseason appearance has been anything but a sure thing, the Warriors at least had the luxury of knowing they had not lost at home.
Friday night, all of that changed. Smyrna jumped out to a lead almost from the moment it stepped onto the playing surface at Tomahawk Stadium, held on through a frentic fourth quarter, and dealt the Warriors' playoff hopes a critical blow with a 31-25 triumph. With the loss, the Warriors were doomed to miss the postseason for the first time since 1990.
The Bulldogs (5-4, 4-2), on the other hand, not only guaranteed themselves the opportunity to pursue a third straight Class 5A crown, but also left open the possibility that they could finish as high as second place in Region 4-5A.
They did so only after Riverdale (4-5, 2-4) scored 15 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and got the ball back with 2:38 to play. Only when Cody West's fourth-down pass with just under one minute remaining sailed too high for Trey Oliver was the outcome secured.
"They're still a championship program," Smyrna coach Matt Williams said. "Those kids have been around championships and been around good teams. We knew they would fight hard to the very end. ... We didn't expect anything different."
Aaron Ebalaroza (eight rushes, 31 yards) highlighted Riverdale's rally when he scored touchdowns 1:59 apart in the fourth quarter, the second on a 5-yard run with 7:28 to play. Both were followed by successful two-point conversions, and the two were separated by a successful onside kick.
Still, it was not enough to overcome Corey Cammon's 86-yard kickoff return at the start of the second half, four field goals by kicker Chris Yoder and the bruising running of Jarvis Hicks (30 carries, 168 yards, one touchdown), who filled in more than capably for the injured Jeremiah Bryson for the second consecutive game.
Yoder kicked three first-half field goals, all from beyond 40 yards, as the Bulldogs built a 22-9 halftime lead. The third of those kicks (from 46 yards) came as time expired in the first half. The fourth, from 29 yards with 26 seconds remaining in the third quarter, put Smyrna on top 31-9.
"I'm sure there's a lot variables and some other things that could go into play (for playoff seeding)," Williams said. "I know it was pretty much a must-win game for us."
Given the importance of the contest, things could not have gone better for Smyrna — or worse for Riverdale — at the start.
The Bulldogs took the opening kickoff and drove 64 yards in six plays (all runs by Hicks) for a touchdown. They scored again just over three minutes later (and capitalized on good field position after a short punt) with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Steve Wilson to Cody Hagar.
The first of two fumbles lost by Riverdale led to Yoder's first field goal (from 41 yards) and a 16-0 lead.
Joey Lee got Riverdale back in the game with a 13-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter after his 57-yard punt return set up the Warriors with their best field position of the half.
Scoreboard - November 25, 2011
| Teams | Score | |
|
|
||
| Riverdale Maryville |
14 42 |
Final |
|
|
||
Blue Cross Bowl Fan Face Off
Click Here for further details.