On last Friday night in Jacksonville, when the Riverside Generals took on the Ribault Trojans, it marked a matchup of two teams searching for their identities. In a tail of two halves, both teams seemed to find theirs, but only one came out victorious in this thriller that went down to the one inch line.
At the start of the game, Ribault was especially competitive, jumping out on Riverside making tough key plays to jump out in front. These plays are what Ribault had been looking for all season, and in the first half the Trojans looked like the playmaking team that is indicative of their talented roster.
Particularly from freshman Simari Limehouse-Gillis, who rushed for 61 yards with one touchdown, and also threw for 163 yards and another score. His dual-threat showing gave Ribault some momentum and nearly turned the game in their favor.
Limehouse-Gillis guided them to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter on a short run. He used his scrambling ability to get them in scoring position. The Trojans defense would compliment their offense by making plays early as well. An interception flipped field position in their favor in the first quarter.
However, the Trojans offense couldn’t capitalize on the great field position, as Riverside turned them away keeping the score 6-0 in the first quarter. Yet that wouldn’t last for long. Ribault’s defense would stand tall again as Jalen Peters would sack Riverside’s quarterback for a safety making the score 8-0.
On the defensive side, Ribault made plays all night. They picked off four passes: Breon Bethea led with two interceptions, while Zayden Coleman and Ke’Wan Smith added one each. Smith also continued his strong tackling (9) presence in every game this season.
Their dynamic play helped Ribault build a 20-6 lead thanks to a hail marry touchdown pass by Limehouse-Gillis to Bethea at the end of the first half. Bethea finished with 34-yards receiving and a TD as the Trojans seemed to be on the verge of an upset.
However trailing 20-6, Riverside’s offense would finally get going. Derrick Bridges Jr caught balls from both quarterbacks Jaidan Delaune and Mitch Gaskins to get in rhythm. Gaskins began to make plays with his legs to get the Generals back into the game.
Riverside started to lean more on the running game as their identify Zion Hicks , Demetrice Hugger, and Keflyn Bryant eluded tacklers. They’d accumulate 131 yards rushing in the game. Bryant would get into the endzone for a second half touchdown. In total, Riverside’s offense would crank up in the second half totaling 248 yards total. Gaskins would lead the come back connecting with several receivers, then taking it himself for the score.
With 6:33 left in the fourth quarter, incredibly, Riverside had clawed their way all the way back into the game to take the lead 21-20. Finally, the General defense would get a goal line stand on the Trojans 1-yard line to prevent Ribault from scoring. Incredibly, Carl Kendrick, Xavier Harris and Riverside defensive line would stop the Trojans twice on the 1-yard line to seal the win.
Final, Riverside 21 Ribault 20 in a true thriller. Riverside (1-4) will return home to take on Raines in their next matchup. While Ribault (1-4) heads on the road to face Yulee, where they’ll aim to get back in the win column. Although only one team could win, both teams seemed to find out their true identities as a team.
Ribault’s playmaking potential, and Riverside’s ball control and bend but don’t break defense. This will help them navigate the second half of the season, in hopes of making possible playoff pushes.
