By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

RESERVE — After a brief stumble against Newman, Riverside’s explosive offense snapped back into form Saturday afternoon in a 48-12 win over host Clark. It couldn’t have come at a better time, as the Rebels prepare to open the postseason Friday night at home against DeQuincy, a team Riverside has not faced in recent years, but one coach Mickey Roussel has become quickly acquainted with.

“I’m certainly familiar with them now, after about 20 hours of seeing them on film,” he said. “They’re 6-4 and from that southwestern district, where they’re all kind of clones of one another. Hard-nosed football teams.”

Like many of the teams Riverside (7-3) has faced this season, DeQuincy (6-4) boasts a diverse and often explosive offense The Tigers average 29.8 points per game and finished third in District 5-2A, behind Kinder and Welsh. It was a big step up for a team that finished with just three wins a year prior.

Roussel said that he expects to see multiple looks, from the spread to multiple tight end, power sets.

“The quarterback is a good athlete and the tailback can make some things happen. The good thing for us is that we’ve faced some real good quarterbacks and offensive football teams this year. So the hope is our district and our schedule this season prepares us,” said Roussel.

He said that as of now, it’s something of a guessing game as to how the Tigers will approach their attempt to slow the Rebels’ spread.

Not many teams have been able to. Riverside started slowly this season offensively after losing nine offensive starters to graduation, including the 2010 Class 2A Outstanding Player, quarterback Darnell Rachal.

But after downing Salmen 15-9 in the season’s second game, Riverside has been on fire. The Rebels topped 30 points six times in their final eight games, only struggling to score against powerhouse John Curtis and district rival Newman. Its 48-point effort against Clark was it’s fourth game topping 40 this season.

Much of that has to do with the depth of weaponry Riverside boasts. While there is no Rachal at the center of the offensive attack, quarterback Tate Scioneaux (1,007 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, six interceptions), tailbacks Nate Williams and Jonquial Sanders (1350 combined yards and 16 total touchdowns) have consistently put up big numbers this year. Brandon Millet and Sanders have been key parts of the passing game, and Williams has been a matchup nightmare, leading the team in receiving with 30 catches for 566 yards.

“I’ve been pleased with our offense. We’ve spread the wealth and we need to do that in order to succeed,” said Roussel. “We don’t have a Darnell, but we’ve got a real good mix that allows us to move it on the ground or through the air.”

Saturday’s kickoff was delayed 45 minutes due to an issue with officiating personnel, but once it came, it did not take long for the Rebels to get to work. The Rebels outscored Clark 20-6 in the opening quarter and scored 28 unanswered before halftime to lead 41-6.

Williams rushed seven times for 58 yards and two scores and caught three passes for 44 yards. Brandon Hymel scored on both of his rush attempts, netting two touchdowns and 23 yards. Sanders also rushed for a score.

Scioneaux completed 10 of 18 pass attempts for 150 yards and two touchdowns, spreading the ball around to seven different receivers. Brandon Millet caught three of those for 32 yards and a score. Jeremiah Berteau also scored for Riverside, on a 30-yard reception.

“Your routine isn’t there when you play on Saturday, but I thought the kids did well all week in dealing with it,” said Roussel. “Then you had the delay … there were a few distractions, but they fought them off. I’d have liked to execute a bit better, but we took care of business in the first half, and we were able to play a lot of kids after that.”