Riverview grinds out victory over Leechburg

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, September 1, 2017 | 11:45 PM

Riverview got the start and the finish it was looking for. What came in between fell a bit short.

The Raiders scored points on their first drive of the season, the only ones they needed in a 16-0 victory over host Leechburg in Class A Eastern Conference play Friday night.

“I think it showed that it was our first game. It's always tough in the conference, going on the road,” Riverview coach Matt Bonislawski said. “We were just sloppy. I knew there was a little bit of that to be expected, but we have some things to clean up because we weren't very good. We left a lot of points on the field tonight.”

Riverview opted not to play in Week Zero.

The Raiders (1-0, 1-0) took nine plays, spanning 66 yards for a score that consumed nearly the first five minutes of the opening quarter.

The drive was capped off with a 10-yard run from junior running back Devon Binz. He had six carries for 34 yards on the drive.

“We started fast, which is something we talked about,” Bonislawski said.

Riverview added another score late in the half on another run by Binz. He added the 2-point run for the final score of the game.

Binz finished with 17 carries for 70 yards. Junior running back J.D. Sykes led all runners with 110 yards on 16 carries.

While the majority of Riverview's production came on the ground, the Raiders are not losing sight of the weapons they have.

“We're going to run the ball. If teams start to stack the box on us, we have some plays downfield,” Bonislawski said. “(Tonight) we had a drop, we had a bad throw, but if teams stack the box, we have the guys out there that can make you pay. We're going to take what they give us.”

Leechburg could not muster much offense. The Blue Devils (0-2, 0-1) gained 47 yards on offense, but the defense did its best to take advantage of big moments.

“Offensively, we have a lot of work to do. That's the bottom line.” Leechburg coach Mark George said. “I thought the defense improved as the game went on. We got sturdier. We bent, but we didn't break. A couple times, close to the goal line, we made some plays when we had to.”

The Blue Devils preserved the shutout in the second half thanks to a pair of red-zone interceptions.

Dave Yohe is a freelance writer.

Tags: Leechburg, Riverview