It may have been listed as a junior varsity game on the schedule, but for the River Ridge Knights, it was so much more.
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Brandon Michea | Ledger-News
River Ridge sophomore Chris Robinson (24) turns upfield after hauling in his first of two interceptions against Berkmar in the Knights’ first home football game, Aug. 26 in Woodstock. River Ridge won the junior varsity battle 20-2, and begins varsity play on Friday with a trip to Mount Pisgah.
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Hosting Berkmar in a JV affair, the Knights christened their home field in fine fashion, defeating the Patriots, 20-2, behind a 209-yard, three-touchdown performance from freshman fullback E.J. Ellis.
“This is a huge momentum push for our kids going into the rest of the year because they finally don’t have the wonder when they’re finally going to get their first win,” Knights coach Robert Braucht said of the victory. “We went 0-10 last year and struggled offensively the other night in our scrimmage, but we came out (Aug. 26), put 20 points on the board and probably should have put another 14 or 21 points up there.
“You can just see there are bright things ahead for these kids, we just have to keep working toward that.”
After taking a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard touchdown run by Ellis on its first series, River Ridge missed out on a golden opportunity to extend its lead early in second quarter when Devantae McIntosh recovered a Berkmar fumble on the Patriots’ 6 yard line and the Knights’ offense was forced to settle for a missed field goal attempt.
Berkmar then looked primed to even the score on the ensuing drive, as a quarterback keeper went for a 64-yard gain to the Knights’ 27.
But after being caught off guard by a previous pass attempt down field, River Ridge sophomore corner back Chris Robinson righted his earlier miscue with an interception on the 5 yard line to end the threat.
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Brandon Michea | Ledger-News
River Ridge freshman Steven Spears extends in an attempt to grab a reception during his Knights’ first home game, Aug. 26 against Berkmar High School’s junior varsity squad. The pass went incomplete, but Spears and the Knights defeated Berkmar, 20-2.
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“We’re so young from the standpoint of making adjustments that when an opponent does something new, it takes us a few series to get the kids to understand
the adjustment,” Braucht said. “Chris is one of those kids we’re hanging our hat on for doing the right things. He got mixed up a play or two before, but he came back and did the right thing.
“That kind of adjustment is huge for our program because it shows the kids that what we’re teaching them is right, and if they do it our way, they’ll be OK. They just have to learn to have that confidence that no matter what’s happening, do it the way they’ve been coached and everything will take care of itself.”
Unfortunately for the Knights, the offense could not get rolling and, following a three-and-out series, sent the punt snap out of the back of the end zone for Berkmar safety and a 7-2 count.
Reversing the momentum, though, the Knights made quick work of the Patriots’ possession following the safety, as sophomore Raymond Stephenson sacked Berkmar’s quarterback for an 8-yard loss on first down and Robinson hauled in his second interception in less than 2 minutes.
Just as it did to start the first half, the River Ridge offense came out clicking in the third quarter, as Ellis found the end zone for a second time on a 34-yard gallop with 3:29 left in the frame. Then, after sophomore corner Jeremy Mims thwarted a Patriots’ fourth-quarter charge inside the Knights’ 25, the freshman back put the game away with a 68-yard touchdown run.
Highlighted by Ellis’ effort, River Ridge totaled 286 yards of offense, as quarterback Jackson Weeg contributed 27 yards on the ground and 21 through the air.
Looking to build off their win, the Knights travel to Johns Creek to face Mount Pisgah Christian (1-0) at 7:30 p.m. for their first varsity game in program history.
