Riverdale Academy uses ground game, defense to roll past WCCA

Published 11:13 pm Friday, October 6, 2023

WOODVILLE — Riverdale Academy senior running back Kyle Guillory had almost as many rushing yards by himself as Wilkinson County Christian Academy had total yards as a team in the Rebels’ 40-14 win over the Rams last Friday night.

In an MAIS 8-Man District 3-1A game that was also WCCA’s Pink Out Game in which players wore pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Rams jumped out to a 6-0 lead at the 3:36 mark of the first quarter thanks to a nine-yard pass from Cole Partridge to Brayden Ready.

It was all Riverdale Academy (7-1, 2-0) after that. With 3:14 remaining in the second quarter, Ashton Almond scored on a one-yard run and Guillory’s two-point conversion run gave the Rebels an 8-6 lead. Then with just 29 seconds to go until halftime, Guillory scored on a 66-yard to give them a 16-6 lead at halftime.

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The Rebels’ running game continued to wear down an injury-riddled Rams team in the second half. Guillory scored on a 28-yard run early in the third quarter and Ryder Huddleston added a seven-yard touchdown run with 1:09 left in the same quarter for a commanding 32-6 advantage.

WCCA finally found the end zone again on a 28-yard TD pass from Partridge to Dax Doyle with 7:39 to go in the fourth quarter. Partridge’s two-point conversion pass to Jack Orgeron cut Riverdale’s lead to 32-14, but that would be as close as the Rams would get.

Guillory scored on a 22-yard touchdown run and Huddleston’s two-point conversion with 1:58 remaining in the game finished off the Rams.

Partridge went 9-for-9 passing with one interception for 73 yards and two touchdowns. Napoleon Howard was the leading rusher with nine carries for 47 yards while Charles Grezaffi had six carries for 21 yards.

Doyle had one catch for 36 yards while Ready had two catches for 21 yards and Easton Buteaux had six receptions but for only 16 yards. Grezaffi led the defense with 10 tackles and one sack while Orgeron had nine tackles. Doyle had five tackles while Gavin Davis had five tackles and one interception.

WCCA (3-5, 1-2) travels to Vicksburg to take on Porter’s Chapel Academy next Friday at 7 p.m.