By Matt Vines, Journal Sports

In a classic matchup of speed vs. size, Lee Academy’s interior size won the day Friday as they knocked Riverdale from the Class 1A MAIS playoffs.

The No. 2 seed Cougars controlled the lines of scrimmage as they raced to a 64-22 win against the No. 7 Rebels (5-6) in a second-round playoff matchup in Marianna, Ark.

“Usually when a team runs a double tight formation, it’s because they have some big boys in there, and Lee was no different,” said Riverdale coach Nathan Edie. “Their interior lineman controlled the line of scrimmage most of the night.

“We just didn’t match their physicality.”

Lee Academy (6-4) built a large lead early and answered any and all Riverdale touchdowns and attempts to swing the momentum.

Similar to Riverdale Academy playing without key players for stretches of the season, Lee Academy returned one of their top guys in lineman/tight end Sam Gerrard on Friday.

“He hadn’t played most of the season, and we weren’t prepared for his return,” Edie said. “He was definitely a game changer.”

Riverdale senior running back Kaidyn Williams had all three of the Rebels touchdowns, two via the ground and one through the air.

“Our successful drives happened when we were able to get past their big front line, which was also aggressive,” Edie said. “We just couldn’t build enough momentum to catch up.”

While Riverdale has just four seniors on what was a young and inexperienced team, Williams and linemen Logan Gryder will certainly be missed as the Rebels try and rebuild for next season.

“We do have a great core group coming back, but replacing players like Kaidyn Williams and Logan Gryder will be a tall order,” Edie said. “The offseason will be a huge factor for the success of next season.

“We have to replace one of the best running backs in the league, and a lineman who was a two-way starter for two years. I challenged the returning boys to push themselves during the offseason, get in the weight room, and get stronger. We will be back, and we will compete again.

The Rebels appeared to be peaking with three wins in their last four games, which included a first-round playoff rout of Union Christian (44-0).

Riverdale started 1-5 due in part to injuries to players like quarterback/linebacker Ashton Almond and at one point Williams himself, who had shifted under center to take direct snaps in Almond’s absence.

But when healthy, the Rebels began to put the pieces together as they won those three games by a combined 128-42.

That competition didn’t approach the level of a Lee Academy, who posted a 2022 comeback playoff win against Riverdale in the semifinals on their way to a Class 1A championship.

Almond will return to lead the offense and defense with key pieces like Tanner Carlisle, Tyler Wilhite and Ben Moseley back. The Rebels will need to develop game-ready players from a host of their younger guys (seventh grade-sophomores), who made up the majority of the roster.

So Riverdale will take the lessons learned from adversity this season and work on forging a group that can better stand with the league’s best.

“We didn’t know what kind of team we would be when the season started,” Edie said. “When Ashton went down, it really limited our ability to be more versatile.

“I feel like the boys grew a lot during the season but it didn’t necessarily build their confidence because it didn’t always show up on the scoreboard. When Ashton came back, I think it boosted our confidence and allowed us to be more aggressive.

“To say that I’m proud of the growth of this team is an understatement. We went from a team that wasn’t expected to compete, to a team that I felt would battle with anyone.”