The Backyard- When quarterback Isiah Teal hit tight end Deven Robinson for the games first score with ten minutes to play in the first quarter, it seemed as if Ed White might pull a big upset in the Westside championship game between the Commanders and the Riverside Generals. But Riverside would settle down and saddle up to running-back Alvin Gibson who rushed for three touchdowns, as Riverside rode to victory over Ed White 28-14.
Ed White (6-3) and Riverside (9-1) both came into the game as playoff bound teams. After falling short in their quest to capture district championships, the two old rivals had to settle for the so -called ” Westside Championship” dawned by the Duval County public school team who defeats all the other public schools on the Westside of Jacksonville. Riverside had already defeated Westside High School (2-8), and Ed White had already bested Paxon High School (2-8). All that remained was Ed White and Riverside.
Ed White caught the Generals off guard early on with an on-sides kick which was recovered by the Commanders. They quickly drove down the field utilizing their thousand yard rusher senior Christian Ellis who gained two first downs. With the Generals defense keying on Ellis, head coach Lawrence Johnson caught them off guard again with the play call dialing up the tight-end pop pass to a wide open Deven Robinson down the middle. The 6 foot 4 inch, 260 pound senior rumbled 20-yards for the touchdown. Robinson finished the game with two touchdowns in the game.
Riverside struggled to move the ball early on against Ed White. Linebacker Westley Madison and defensive tackle Jaquan Stepherson made key stops on early drives. It quickly became a game of field position as Riverside head coach O.J Small elected pin White deep in their own territory. Senior Bryce Capers hit soaring punts, making White start inside their own 20-yard line. Capers and company would then crank up the defense, as they made key stops on defense.
With a short field, Riverside’s offense woke up, handing the ball off to senior Alvin Gibson. Gibson would make a defender miss and follow the blocks of Justice Harvey and Freddy Crutchfield into the end-zone for the Generals touchdown. The extra point was successful giving Riverside a 7-6 lead going into halftime.
In the second half, Riverside again played field position, stopping Ed White deep in their own territory. Defensive tackles Masiah Wells and De’Avery Weeks stuffed the run forcing punts by Ed White.
The defensive stop would set up a short field again, and once again Gibson would make them pay. This time he followed the blocks on the right side of his mammoth offensive line to plow into the end-zone giving Riverside a 14-6 third quarter lead.
Riverside finally started to find some success in the passing game as senior Daniel Plummer III hit Rickie Shaw for a big gain heading into the fourth quarter. Till that point, both teams had struggle in the air due to the defense and soggy conditions.
The conditions seemed to trouble White as several fumbles, and dropped interceptions plagued them. The Commanders dropped a sure fire pick-6, and interception and suffered a costly fumble in the fourth, when a trick play back-fired giving Riverside the ball deep in White territory.
The mistake by Ed White set up the hat trick for Gibson. On senior night in front of family and friends the senior maneuvered his way into the end-zone for his third touchdown of the night. Giving Riverside a commanding 21-6 lead in the fourth.
Another costly fumble by White would result in another capitalized score for Riverside late in the fourth, as senior quarterback Cale Zarah tossed a back shoulder fade to fellow senior Jaheim Singletary for their final score of the night. Fittingly, two Riverside seniors who have contributed to the team’s success and been leaders for Coach Small.
Now, both teams await where they will fall in the playoff seedings to be released on Sunday. Currently, Riverside stands at #5 in Class 6A region 1, while Ed White sits at #6 in Class 5A region 1.
