Davenport scores four TDs in Riverdale victory

BY TOM KREAGER • This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it • October 3, 2009

SMYRNA — Riverdale gave county-rival Smyrna a 20-point head start Friday night.

Sophomore Adam Davenport caught, then ran past the Bulldogs with a career-rushing performance. Davenport scored four times to lead the fourth-ranked Warriors to a 30-27 win at Robert L. Raikes Stadium.

“That’s a sophomore that played his butt off (Friday night),” Riverdale coach Ron Aydelott said. “That’s just a great individual performance.”

Davenport finished the game with 259 yards on 17 carries. Davenport had touchdown runs of 14, 35, 76 and 80 yards in the contest.

“That’s pretty amazing,” said Davenport of his final stats. “I was just trying to win. I lost twice to them last year (on the freshman team). I didn’t want to lose again.”

Davenport had just two carries before he broke an 80-yard TD run for his first score.

His second score — a 76-yard run — was much like the first one. Davenport burst through the line of scrimmage, then simply outran the Smyrna secondary.

Davenport said he didn’t think anyone would catch him once he broke free of the defensive front.

“(Defenders) usually take a bad angle,” he said.

Davenport’s final TD of the night gave Riverdale a 30-20 lead with 5:34 left.

Smyrna answered to cut the deficit to a field goal after P.J. Whittaker’s 10-yard TD catch from quarterback Steve Wilson with 2:14 left. However, Riverdale’s David Miles-Peppers recovered the onside kick, and Riverdale ran out the clock.

“We knew they weren’t going to go away,” Smyrna coach Matt Williams said. “They’ve been behind the last couple of weeks and came back.”

Smyrna scored 20 unanswered points in the first quarter, taking advantage of one of two Riverdale fumbles.

Smyrna junior Jeremiah Bryson capped a seven-play, 53-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead with 6:30 left in the first quarter.

Receiver E.J. Majors laid out defender B.J. Nowlin inside the 5-yard line to allow Bryson to get into the end zone untouched.

Three Riverdale offensive snaps later, Jesse Savage recovered Miles-Peppers’ fumble at the Riverdale 28. Smyrna wasted no time adding to its lead.

Wilson hit Jeremiah Bryson near the middle of the field for a 19-yard TD reception on the second play of the drive. Bryson beat Riverdale’s defense to the corner of the end zone.

Smyrna added its final score of the quarter on its next series when Wilson capped a 60-yard drive by tossing a 7-yard strike to sophomore tight end T-Ray Malone.

“We did play well there (in the first quarter),” Williams said. “We took advantage of mistakes they made. You’ve got to capitalize when something bad happens.”

— Tom Kreager, 615-726-8917