Riverside earns first win over Rocky since 2011

Riverside earned its first win over Rocky Mountain since 2011 on Friday night, topping the Grizzlies 30-26 to move into third place in the conference standings.
Riverside’s main quarterback, Josh Wildman, had to sit out to rest an injury so Avery Clifford stepped into the quarterback position. Clifford had only taken a few snaps as quarterback this year and the coaches had to fill his spot on the offensive line.
Coach Jason Mitchell said, “It was a game in which both teams came up with big plays in big situations, but also managed to commit significant mistakes in costly moments.”
Rocky kicked off to Riverside. Riverside started their first offensive drive at their own 29-yard line.  On a fourth-down play, Strohschein rushed for a 46-yard touchdown.  Clifford found Haydon Paxton in the endzone for the conversion.
Rocky responded by scoring a touchdown but failed on the conversion try, which made the score 8-6.
Riverside scored once more with 3 seconds left Avery Clifford tossed the ball to Strohschein who ran into the endzone.  A Reece Whisenant run made the score 16-6.
There was only 42 seconds left in the 2nd quarter, Strohschein broke three tackles to get the touchdown.  Clifford completed the pass to Reece Whisenant for the extra two. Rocky responded and scored a touchdown with 23 seconds left.  At the end of the half, it was 24-12.
With the start of the third quarter Rocky made a long drive and scored a touchdown and the extra two, making the score 24-20.  Rocky adjusted their defense to four-man front, making it harder for Riverside to move the ball down the field. But with 16 seconds left on the clock Strohschein punched it in for the touchdown.  Rocky fumbled the kick-off and Zack Kuntz jumped on the ball.  After three, the Rebels led 30-20.
The fourth quarter, Rocky gave it one last push getting a touchdown.  Riverside kept them from getting the extra two. That was the ballgame.
“We should be proud of the team we’ve become,” said Mitchell. “We found a way to win a game in which we still didn’t play exceptionally well.”
Offensively Avery Clifford completed 4 passes for 109 yards; his longest pass was 51 yards. Ty Strohschein had 249 yards rushing, three rushing touchdowns and one catch that he ran in for 51-yard touchdown. The top scoring defensive players were Hyson Hill with 19 points, Ryder Kozisek 13 points, Ty Strohschein 21 points and Reece Whisenant 18 points.
Riverside next game is Friday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. against Greybull.  Greybull is fifth in the conference standings but being 7 miles apart can add a layer of competition.  This win moved Riverside up a notch in the West Conference, placing them in third behind Big Piney and Wind River. Riverside still needs the next two wins to get home-field advantage for playoffs.
Coach Mitchell’s final comment,
“If we want to compete as a highly ranked team, we still need to understand the importance of detail in each and every play,” said Mitchell. “With that and a better understanding of situational football, we have a chance to truly see where our abilities and potential can lead us. “