Matt Vines

EAST POINT – Riverdale fans will be encouraged by two things they see when the Rebels get back on the football field Friday.

The first is a relatively healthy team with the return of Ashton Almond, who played for the first time this past week in limited capacity in a loss to River Oaks.

The second is Friday’s opponent – Franklin Academy – which is still scrapping for its first win of the season.

Riverdale travels to Franklin (0-6) for a 7 p.m. kickoff as both teams start district play and attempt to end losing streaks.

While Franklin Academy certainly remains dangerous, it’s not the same as the most recent run of Riverdale (1-5) opponents, which included Porter’s Chapel (4-2), Claiborne Academy (5-1), and River Oaks (6-0).

And Riverdale aims to return to what this team was intended to look like with Almond, who was the leading rusher, passer and tackler in the Rebels season-opener.

Kaidyn Williams, who split time with Almond at quarterback and who missed the River Oaks game entirely, is expected to play Friday – giving the Rebels their two most dangerous offensive weapons on the field at the same time.

“I was overly pleased with Ashton’s effort this past week,” said Riverdale coach Nathan Edie. “It’ll be great to have both of these players back for district play.

“We should have our entire team active this week, so I am excited to see what we look like.”

A long Almond run set up a short Kaidyn Williams touchdown plunge to score on the first drive of the season against Prairie View. And while the Spartans did take command of the game in the subsequent quarters, the execution of that drive before the August heat (and the Spartans) took their toll could be what Riverdale aspires to look like for longer stretches now that temperatures have dipped.

Riverdale knew they’d have to learn on the fly after replacing eight seniors from a nine-win team this past season.

But now the Rebels have a chance to piece it together in the remaining three games of the regular season and a shot at a district title.

That stretch starts Friday at Franklin Academy.

“While Franklin Academy has struggled this year, they have some athletes, and I know they will play hard,” Edie said. “Our focus this week will be on tackling in space and being more aggressive up front.

“With our size on the line, we need to be able to move people out of the way.”

Outside of Franklin Academy scoring 28 points against a good Tallulah Academy bunch, Franklin has managed just 18 points in its five other games, which includes two shutouts (Briarfield and River Oaks).
They’ll face a Riverdale defense that’s allowed at least 42 points in four of its six games, although a healthy Almond and Williams should bolster that side of the ball as well.

MAIS District 3-1A is a four-team league (Riverdale, Franklin, Wilkinson Country Christian, and Tensas Academy).

Riverdale’s final three regular-season games will be against these foes.

Franklin (0-6) and Tensas (0-7) are still looking for its first wins while Wilkinson County (5-1) has had the most successful regular season so far, including a 48-6 win against Franklin this past week.