By Molly Seales

On Friday, August 26, the Riverdale Rebels traveled to Farmerville, LA, to take on the UCA Lions. After scoring just one touchdown in the first quarter, the Rebels began to come alive. As time expired in the first half, quarterback Ryder Huddleston found senior James Wagoner in the corner of the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown pass. This gave the Rebels a 30-6 lead going into the half, and they continued to dominate in the second half, coming away with a 50-6 win.

The Rebels looked solid on offense with several players in on the action. They had a total of 321 offensive yards with six touchdowns. They had 253 rushing yards for 4 touchdowns and 88 passing yards for 2 touchdowns. Huddleston was 4 for 9 in passing, and he had 3 carries for four yards. In addition to Wagoner’s 25-yard reception, Ben Almond had 3 receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown. Ben also had a punt return for 37 yards and 11 carries for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns. Kyle Guillory had a kickoff return for 21 yards and 14 carries for 96 yards. Kaidyn Williams had 5 carries for 27 yards and a touchdown. Landen Barrett had one carry for a 45-yard touchdown.

Defensively, the Rebels shut down the Lions, allowing only one touchdown the entire game. Freshman Ashton Almond proved himself again Friday night. He had 3 tackles, including one TFL, an assist, broke up 2 passes, and had an interception that he turned into a 30-yard run for his first varsity touchdown. Ben Almond added an interception of his own. Jace Wilhite was in on the action with 4 tackles, including one TFL, and broke up 3 passes. Big man Hayden Hillman had 2 tackles, including 1 TFL, an assist, and recovered a fumble on a bad snap by the Lions. Kaidyn Williams had a tackle that was a TFL and 3 assists, while Tyler Parker had a tackle for a loss. Guillory had an assist, broke up a pass, and had an interception.

On Thursday morning at 9:30 we will have our first pep rally, which is Hawaiian themed-“Lei” Down The Trojans The Rebels head into their first home game Friday night at Marston Stadium, and fans will be in for a treat as they arrive to brand new home team bleachers! The Rebels will take on class 2A Tallulah, and kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. Keep it up Rebels!