Riverview gets back on track with rout of Frazier
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Saturday, October 12, 2024 | 4:10 PM
Riverview’s Dom Williams (left) and Prince Govan run, holding imaginary swords, to celebrate Govan’s pick-6 in the first quarter against Frazier on Saturday.
Riverview linebacker Miles Duncan returns an interception 35 yards for a touchdown against Frazier on Saturday.
Riverview linebacker Lukas Duncan follows through with a hit on Frazier running back Derek Diamond after forcing an incomplete pass Saturday.
Alex Schultheis hauls in a 27-yard touchdown pass from Connor Kmetz in front of Frazier defensive back Andrew Bandish on Saturday.
Prince Govan (right) celebrates his touchdown during the first quarter against Frazier on Saturday.
Prince Govan saw a celebration on TikTok he liked and planned to employ it when he scored. The Riverview junior defensive back had his opportunity Saturday afternoon at Riverside Park against Frazier.
Teammate Dom Williams reminded Govan, and the pair ran across the field holding one arm above their shoulder, wielding imaginary swords. Following consecutive losses, the Raiders had a lot more fun during a 55-20 Eastern Conference win over Frazier.
“I actually forgot. I was a little tired,” Govan said. “My teammate, Dom, came up and reminded me. He said, ‘Let’s do it.’ ”
The Raiders’ defense tortured Commodores quarterback Brady Secrest. Riverview grabbed four interceptions, including on the first two passes Secrest threw.
“I think we only had one defensive turnover all season,” Riverview coach Trevor George said. “That was a big focal point of this week.”
Following Govan’s pick-6, Miles Duncan grabbed the first of his two interceptions. The Raiders cashed in Duncan’s interception with a 4-yard touchdown run by Dino Yario to put Riverview ahead 21-0 with 2 minutes, 39 seconds left in the first quarter.
“(Govan and Duncan) are communicating the whole time,” Duncan said. “Definitely verbal, a little bit non-verbal. We are talking all the time on the field, calling out where we think they are going to run, where we need to be and how we are supposed to guard them.”
Duncan also returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown before halftime. The Raiders (3-4, 2-3) opened the game with an eight-play, 65-yard scoring drive. Alex Schultheis capped the drive with a 27-yard touchdown catch from Connor Kmetz to give Riverview the lead for good with 7:40 left in the first quarter.
Following the two quick touchdowns, Frazier coach Mike Shannon was frustrated with how things unfolded.
“We made too many mistakes,” Shannon said. “It’s been the same story all year: We beat ourselves. I think these teams are closer than the score indicated. We made too many mistakes, and they didn’t.”
The Commodores assembled a pair of strong drives to cut the lead to 21-14 midway through the second quarter.
Derek Diamond scored on a pair of short runs to cut into the deficit. George said Riverview still needs to clean up some mistakes.
“You have to stay poised. You have to figure out how to win as much as you figure out how to lose,” George said. “The last three weeks have been tough. We need to stay mentally poised, even when things are going great.”
The Raiders halted Frazier’s momentum with a 13-yard touchdown run by Landon Johnson. Duncan then jumped a Secrest pass along the sideline and returned it for a score. It was one of three defensive touchdowns for the Raiders. Rio Stotts returned an interception for a touchdown in the fourth quarter as well.
The Raiders said they were prepared to make splash plays based on what they saw on film.
“We studied a lot and went through it in practice and all that,” Govan said. “Communication is what got us through it.”
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