Freshmen rule over Riverdale – Thrower in on six TDs
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Thursday night, on the Nunley Stadium gridiron, Warren County High School rolled to victory ‘ over Riverdale.
Granted, it was a freshman game. But the 47-20 Pioneer victory also marked the first win ever for the WCHS ninth-graders against their Murfreesboro counterparts, and the first win on any level against a Warrior squad since the Pioneer varsity downed RHS back in 1990.
‘This was a really great win for this team,’ said head coach Andy Evans, whose Pioneers improved to 4-2 on the year. ‘They came out and gave a great effort, worked as a team, and the defense answered the challenge we gave them at halftime and shut (Riverdale) out for the second half. I’m really proud of the way we came out and worked tonight.’
While just hearing the name ‘Riverdale’ is enough to intimidate many football fans around the state, the Pioneers’ Michael Thrower certainly didn’t believe the hype. Thrower was in on six of the Pioneers’ seven touchdowns, including a 31-yard fumble recovery after the Warriors coughed up the ball on their first offensive play of the night.
Thrower would go on to pass for three more touchdowns, including a pair to Caleb Northcutt, and run for two more has he led the Pioneers to victory.
‘Michael had a tremendous game,’ Evans noted. ‘He did everything we asked him to do, on both sides of the ball, and really took charge out there.’
Riverdale answered the Pioneers’ first score with a bit of a trick play, as tailback Robert Dumas hit Doyle Devion for a 56-yard halfback pass for a touchdown.
The first two of several offsides calls against the Warriors helped the Pioneers move back downfield, however, and on third-and-3 from their own 46, Caleb Northcutt found a hole and streaked 54 yards to give his team back the lead.
Thrower added a 2-point run to put WCHS on top 14-7, but the Warriors answered on an 18-yard run by Dumas and a game-tying PAT from Brandon Heath to end the first quarter knotted at 14-all.
Early in the second, Christian Gonzalez leapt up to intercept a Joey Ebalarosa pass, setting the stage for a four-play drive that ended when Thrower floated a bomb to a streaking Tylan Martin, who completed the 59-yard play with a go-ahead TD. Ivan Barrera added the kick, but the Pioneers were only up by a touchdown for a few moments before Rodney Parker answered for the Warriors on a 10-yard run.
WCHS blocked the Riverdale kick, however, and after the teams exchanged fumbles, Thrower found Northcutt on a middle screen which turned into a 70-yard TD. Barrera was on the mark once again, and the Pioneers took a 28-20 lead into halftime.
Midway through the third, the Pioneers were stopped short on a third-and-6 try, but an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Riverdale gave them a new set of downs. Stalling again at the Warrior 36, WCHS elected to go for it on fourth-and-6, and Thrower connected with Northcutt again for a touchdown pass, allowing the Pioneers to start the game’s final quarter ahead 35-20.
Thrower converted on fourth-and-1 early in the fourth, then scored one play later on a 36-yard option to put his club up 41-20.
The frustrated Warriors let their emotions get the better of them on their next drive. After a 51-yard run from Tony Roper was wiped off on an illegal block, a Warrior assistant coach ‘ who was crossing the field on his way to the visitors’ sideline from the press box ‘ was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after arguing with one of the game’s officials. The two penalties moved the Warriors well back into their own territory, and three plays later the Pioneers took over on downs at the RHS 45.
A 15-yard thrower run and four pounding drives up the middle by Robert Harris helped move WCHS toward the goal line, and on first-and-goal from the 3 Thrower struck for what would prove to be the final points of the game.
Riverdale had one last chance to pull close, but fumbled the ball away to Warren County’s Casey Burch on fourth down, allowing the Pioneers to close out the win in the ‘victory’ formation.
Thrower rushed for 46 yards and threw for 172 more, while Northcutt had 83 rushing yards on seven attempts and Harris had 50 on 13 tries.
The Warriors turned the ball over five times, but were led by Parker’s 87 yards on nine carries while Kendall Sherrill had 78 yards on eight tries.
After taking this week off, the Pioneer freshmen will be back in action at home against Soddy Daisy Oct. 8. That game is scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m.