Warriors rush past Wade Hampton, 49-7
Riverside running back Alvin Martin (No. 25) put together his best performance of the season against Wade Hampton on Friday. The junior rushed for 92 yards on just seven carries and opened up the game’s scoring with a 46-yard touchdown burst.
Riverside overcame a sluggish start and finally got its running game going on Friday night, hammering Wade Hampton 49-7.
“After the rough two weeks that we’ve had, we talked with the team about how it’s a new season. It’s region season now,” said Riverside head coach Matt Rochester. “The first one is always the most important one.”
The win brought the Warriors to 4-3 on the season and helped the Warriors begin region play on the right foot.
After the Warriors stalled on both of their opening two drives against Wade Hampton, junior Jacob Medlin entered the game and took over at quarterback. But it was the Warriors’ rushing attack that propelled Riverside throughout the first half.
Warriors running back Alvin Martin took a 46-yard dash to the end zone to open the game’s scoring. Martin broke a tackle in the backfield before finding space at the second level and weaving his way through Wade Hampton defensive backs for a touchdown.
“Every time I touch the ball, I’m trying to get into the end zone,” said Martin. “Our coaches put a lot of trust in the running backs this week.”
Once Rochester and offensive coordinator Mario Cusano saw how effective the Warriors could be on the ground, they kept pounding away at the Generals. The Warriors closed the half up 21-0 following two touchdown rushes added on by running back Zyrell Abercrombie.
“We definitely wanted to get a running game established,” said Rochester. “And we feel good about all three of the running backs we have in the backfield. They all feed off each other.”
The third running back referred to by Rochester is Ronnie Cortez, and he joined the party himself in the third quarter. Cortez plunged in from one yard out to push the Warriors’ lead to 28-0.
By the time the game finished, the three Warrior running backs combined for 168 yards and four touchdowns.
“Having that trio definitely helps us, and keeping those three guys healthy is going to be a big thing for us moving forward in the region,” said Rochester.
Back at quarterback, Medlin was dependable for the Warriors. He saw his most action in any game so far this season, even getting on the board in the third quarter.
Medlin swung a quick pass out to wide receiver Mikkel Skinner, and Skinner raced down the left sideline past several outstretched General defenders for a 43-yard score. It was Medlin’s first touchdown pass of the season.
“I like to keep it simple,” said Medlin. “We have a bunch of good playmakers at receiver, so I just tried to get it to them and let them do the hard stuff for us.
“If I get it in their hands early, they’re going to go out and make plays.”
A 80-yard interception return by Robbie Robertson extended the Warrior lead to 42-0 early in the fourth quarter. The Generals managed to finally get on the board late with a one-yard touchdown rush, but Riverside capped the scoring with quarterback Ty Breeze’s pop pass touchdown to Noah Smith near the goal line.
For Smith, a senior and leader for the Warrior receiving core, it was his first touchdown of the season, too.
“It felt amazing to finally get one, especially in our first region game,” said Smith. “It was especially nice, because at the beginning of the game, I had a jet sweep that went for maybe 10 or 15 yards. I reached for the goal line, but the referee said I wasn’t over, which I thought was a little debatable.
“But that made it feel even better when I did get in.”
While not a perfect performance, Rochester said he was proud of the bounce back from the Warriors’ two recent lopsided losses to Spartanburg and Daniel.
They’ll look to build even further with a showdown against Laurens approaching this week. The Raiders are coming off a 49-7 dismantling at the hands of Greer on Friday.
“They’re going to be ready to play,” said Rochester. “Coming off that first region loss, they’re going to be looking to get one back. They’ve got to travel to us, which is good. But we’re going to get to work this week and hopefully get to 2-0 in the region.”
GAME SUMMARY
Riverside 14 7 14 14 - 49
W. Hampton 0 0 0 7 - 7
RIVERSIDE STAT LEADERS
Passing: Jacob Medlin 11/14/145 yds/1 TD | Ty Breeze 4/5/52 yds/1 TD
Rushing: Alvin Martin 7/92 yds/1 TD | Ronnie Cortez 4/62 yds/1 TD | Zyrell Abercrombie 4/14 yds/ 2 TDs
Receiving: Jaiden “Speedy” Taylor 6/81 yds | Mikkel Skinner 4/66 yds/1 TD | Israel Leamon 2/27 yds | Noah Smith 3/23 yds/ 1 TD