Matt Vines
MONROE – Coming off its best performance of the season, Riverdale football now faces its toughest test in a trip to River Oaks (4-0).

The Rebels (0-5) weren’t able to come away with a win in a 36-30 loss to Tensas Academy this past week.
Five turnovers and a penalty on what would have been a game-tying touchdown pass from Tanner Carlisle to Ashton Almond stymied the Rebels comeback attempt.

“I think we showed that we are understanding the plays better and executing better,” said Riverdale coach Nathan Edie. “Defensively, we showed improvement in some areas, but we’re still missing too many tackles.”

Carlisle and Almond appear to be getting healthier each week, but Edie said linemen Ed York is lost for the “foreseeable future.”

“He’s our starting center, so that hurts,” Edie said. “All the other players are getting a little better, but no one is 100% at this point in the season.”

River Oaks is the top-ranked team in the MAIS 8-man division.

Long a MAIS stalwart of 11-man football before giving the LHSAA a whirl, veteran coach Bo Barton has resuscitated the program in the 8-man version by attracting athletes from across Monroe.

“What River Oaks does best is recruit from all the schools around Monroe,” Edie said. “Bo gets some great athletes, and on the field, they are fast and aggressive.

“They like to spread the field and use their athleticism. If they have a weakness, no one has found it yet.”
Briarfield Academy is the only team to close to River Oaks as the Mustangs pulled out a 22-14 win. The three other wins have come by at least 20 points.

River Oaks forfeited their 52-0 win against Riverdale this past season, part of eight forfeited wins for playing an ineligible player.

The Mustangs have made headlines for other reasons, too.

River Oaks was announced as a Top 25 finalist in T-Mobile’s Friday Night 5G lights program with the winner receiving a $1 million prize to upgrade their football stadium.

The Mustangs have already won $25,000 as a finalist in the competition, which will be used to repair damage from the 2016 flood.