By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

 

HAMMOND — Riverside coach Bill Stubbs came away from Thursday night’s scrimmage against St. Thomas at Southeastern with that he deemed a mixed bag of results.

“There were some bright spots, certainly. There were also some dark spots,” said Stubbs. “It was about what I expected to see.”

The Rebel first team was outscored three touchdowns to one by STA’s in what was the three-time state champion coach’s first scrimmage with the Rebels — and his first in over 10 years.

Stubbs said that running back Jonquial Sanders, Riverside’s leading rusher last season, ran the ball well and was a bright spot. He also said freshman quarterback Deuce Wallace “controlled the offense pretty well.”

“He’s where I thought he would be at this stage,” Stubbs said.

In general, Stubbs said that the Rebels got off to a slow start, but that he felt the team improved as the day went on.

“We didn’t catch the ball extremely well,” said Stubbs. “We had a few defensive breakdowns, and those led to the scores we gave up. A lot of those things can be fixed, and this is the only way you learn.”

He said wide receivers Von Julien and Herb McGee were both inconsistent at times, but continued to show promise. He noted that receiver Peyton Falgoust had a good, productive day.

The Rebels’ Xavier Ray and Andre Faucheux each intercepted passes, providing defensive highlights as the team converts to a 3-4 defense from the 3-3-5 alignment of past season.

Stubbs continued to stress the importance of his players embracing the right attitude. He said that things aren’t yet where they need to be, but that he’s seeing glimpses.

“The biggest question mark for us continues to be whether our guys learn to be football players,” said Stubbs. “Some guys are buying in. Maybe not 100 percent, but you see them moving in that direction.”