By Molly Seales

On Friday, September 17, the Riverdale Rebels traveled to St. Joseph, LA, to take on the Tensas Chiefs. They looked a little distracted the first quarter, possibly because of their change in routine last week. Head Coach Jared Smelser was off on Wednesday and Tuesday as he and his wife, Cymantha, who teaches and coaches at Red River High School, welcomed their first child. Cybastian Smelser was born on Wednesday, September 15, and the football boys were all excited about their new “baby brother.”

After a scoreless first quarter, the Rebels came alive, making the halftime score 30-0 in favor of the Rebels. When the last seconds ticked off the clock, the Rebels got the victory with a score of 52-0.

Sophomore quarterback Ryder Huddleston was 5 for in passing for 38 yards and one touchdown. Junior Ben Almond had 2 receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown. Senior Ty “Bones” Jones had 1 reception for 2 yards, and senior Monroe McCarty had 2 receptions for 1 yard.  The Rebels did most of their damage with their running game.  The team rushed for 262 yards and 5 touchdowns. McCarty had 9 carries for 176 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Senior Jake Messenger had 5 carries for 48 yards and a touchdown.  Huddleston had 3 carries for 38 yards and a touchdown. In addition to the touchdowns, Huddleston made things happened on the 2-point conversions.  He ran one in himself, while Messenger caught one and carried in a handoff. Sophomore Kyle Guillory was his target for 2 more conversions.

The Rebel defense stood strong another week, holding Tensas to 1 for 3 in passing for -24 yards, an interception, and 5 sacks. They also forced 3 fumbles. Messenger led the defensive stand with 3 solo tackles, 5 assists, 1 sack (-3 yards), 2 TFL, and 2 forced fumbles.  Jones had 4 solo tackles, 2 assists (2 TFL), 1 fumble recovery, and an interception that he turned into a 51-yard touchdown. McCarty had 1 solo tackle and 3 assists (1 TFL.)  Huddleston had 1 solo tackle, 2 assists (1 TFL), a fumble recovery and a PBU.  Guillory had 1 solo tackle, 1 assist, ½ sack for           -3 yards, 2 TFL, and 1 fumble recovery. Senior Denver Williams came up big on the line again with a solo tackle, 6 assists (4 TFL), and 2 sacks for -11 yards. Junior Tyler Parker had 4 assists (1TFL), while sophomore Hayden Hillman had 1 solo tackle, 1 assist, 1 ½ sacks for -7 yards, 2 TFL, and one forced fumble. Freshman Logan Gryder made his presence known with 2 assists, both of which were tackles for a loss of yardage.

The Rebels will be back on the road for the second district game this Friday as they travel to  West Monroe to take on Northeast Baptist School.  Kickoff for the game is 7:00.