By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

Riverside gave a valiant effort through much of the first half of its Class 2A bi-district playoff game at Springhill. Playing without injured running back Jarid Caesar, the Rebels found themselves locked up in a 14-14 tie in the second quarter.

But some key Rebel turnovers near the end of the half cost Riverside dearly. Springhill scored three touchdowns in the second quarter, two near the end of the half, and Riverside trailed 35-14 at halftime. The Rebels could not recover, as Springhill notched a 49-20 victory to advance to the regional round.

Springhill (8-3), the no. 11 seed in the bracket, will now travel to face No. 6 Clinton.

“The turnovers before the half really hurt us,” said Roussel. “It’s 14-14, then we give up three touchdowns, a interception for a touchdown. We knew we’d have to play a clean game, and we gave up 14 points off of turnovers. It was too much for us to overcome.”

Springhill outrushed Riverside (6-5) 363-146 and outgained the Rebels 432 to 272 in total offense.

Caesar was lost for the season last Monday after undergoing surgery on his thumb.

Riverside’s Jade Falgoust rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Remi Poirrier ran six times for 30 yards and caught two passes for 33 yards and a score. Bobby Smith caught three passes for 93 yards.

Springhill’s Keodre Frazier rushed for 105 yards to lead his team.

Springhill opened up the scoring with a huge play, a 94-yard touchdown run by Charkandrich West that made it 7-0.

But Riverside would draw even after capitalizing on a blocked punt, which set the ball up on the Lumberjack 31-yard line. Falgoust would cap the drive off on an 8-yard run to tie the game at 7.

West struck again to put Springhill on top again, this time scoring on a 46-yard run to make it 14-7. But Poirrier and Falgoust combined for a tying 13-yard score through the air, making it 14-14.

But then the Lumberjacks pulled away. First, quarterback Jaren Williams found Carlos Glover for a 30-yard touchdown to make it 21-14.

Williams now had the hot hand for Springhill, his next score coming on a 50-yard dash on a keeper to make it 28-14.

Finally, with Riverside desperately trying to claw back into the game, Springhill’s Demekus Cook intercepted a Falgoust pass and brought it in from the Rebels 19-yard line.

Roussel was disappointed to be eliminated, but was pleased with the progress of his team over the course of the season.

“I thought with the tough district we played in, this was a pretty good year for us,” said Roussel. “By and large, I felt like we played quality football all year.”