Riverview rallies from early deficit against Frazier

By: Adam Brewer
Friday, September 23, 2022 | 10:31 PM

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After Frazier mounted an impressive 86-yard scoring drive in the first quarter, Riverview responded by controlling the time of possession, running the football at will and scoring the final three touchdowns in an 18-6 road victory Friday night in a Class A Eastern Conference matchup.

Riverview used a three-headed rushing attack as Rio Stotts, Carlo Buzzatto and Landon Johnson led the charge, and quarterback Rocco Cecere made strong throws for the Raiders (2-3, 1-1).

“We had the ball for a while in the first half, and our running game controlled things,” Riverview coach Trevor George said. “When we win the time of possession, we are going to win a lot of those games. I thought our line was tough, and we executed our offense. Kudos to our kids.”

Despite tallying 86 yards on its opening possession, the Commodores (0-5, 0-2) were limited to 50 yards after halftime. Bad snaps, penalties and an inconsistent running game stalled drives for the home team.

Frazier’s losing streak goes to 15 games, their last win coming against Beth-Center in 2020.

“We just couldn’t move the ball in the second half,” Frazier coach Mike Shannon said. “It was a one-score game, but we couldn’t punch it into the end zone. Riverview is a really good team. For us, in the second half, it was like Murphy’s Law. … Whatever could go wrong did go wrong for us.”

Riverview won the coin toss and took its opening drive to the 12-yard line after Cecere completed a 21-yard pass to Stotts on fourth down. But, on the next play, Stotts fumbled on a reverse, and Frazier’s Keyshaun Thompson scooped up the loose ball.

Frazier methodically marched down the field as quarterback Brennen Stewart was 5-for-5 on the nine-play, 86-yard drive. Stewart capped it with an 18-yard scoring toss to Austin Wilson. The extra point try failed.

“We were in sync, and the kids bought into our game plan on that opening drive,” Shannon said. “Our receivers made some nice catches and broke loose for some yards. That drive is what coaches dream of, and we executed very well on that drive. This was Brennan’s first varsity snaps at quarterback, and I liked what I saw out there.”

The Raiders knotted things up their first drive of the second quarter, as Cecere found Stotts in the back of the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown pass. Earlier in the drive, Buzzatto picked up a five-yard gain on fourth-and-four, and Stotts added a 20-yard run.

On the ensuing kickoff, Stotts recovered a fumble on a squib kick that was mishandled by the Commodores. The Raiders found paydirt 10 plays later, as Buzzato took an inside handoff for a five-yard score. Riverview led 12-6 at halftime, as Frazier only had two possessions in the first half.

“We like to play old-school, smash-mouth football,” George said. “Sure, it’s not flashy, and we didn’t light up the scoreboard, but it was very effective. We love keeping the defenses on their toes and putting a lot of misdirection in our offense.”

Frazier found a spark to start the second half and marched to the 14-yard line after picking up first downs on the ground and a pass interference call on Riverview. But the drive resulted in no points as a low snap led to a loss of 20 yards on fourth-and-two from the 14-yard line.

After Frazier was unable to get any points from a turnover, Riverview added to its lead when they marched 10 plays for 54 yards and Stotts took a reverse handoff for a 5-yard score with 5:44 left in the fourth quarter.

The Commodores tried to get back into the game, but Stewart was picked off by Johnny Bertucci near the goal line.

Riverview outgained Frazier 265-116.

“We buckled down on defense after letting up that opening score,” George said. “We made some adjustments after Frazier had an unbelievable opening drive. We started to run some blitzes and got into their backfield. We put pressure on their quarterback and tackled well in the open field.”

Stotts was the leading rusher with 93 yards on 17 carries for the Raiders. He had two catches for 34 yards, while Buzzatto totaled 48 rushing yards and 56 yards on three receptions.

Stewart ended his night for Frazier with 122 yards on 9 for 11 passing. Thompson hauled in six catches for 78 yards, and Phillips made three catches for 44 yards.

Both teams will resume Eastern Conference play next week as Frazier travels to Leechburg on Friday and Riverview hosts Jeannette on Saturday.

Tags: Frazier, Riverview