Cavaliers too much for the Diamond Hornets
Lower Richland 0
Richland Northeast 52 Story and photos
by Mike Maddock
Mike@TheColumbiaStar.com

Dog pile! RNE defensemen Zach Jenkins (76), Jacory Page (72), Leonard Paulk (25), Derrick Steele (44), Chris Farris (51), and Chris Mines (33) welcome first-time-starter Nic Smith (bottom of pile) to varsity football.

Coach J.W. Montgomery is trying to change the culture of Lower Richland football, and by all accounts he is succeeding. Just about every coach in the area says the Diamond Hornets are a much more disciplined team, and they fight hard to the final whistle. That was evident Friday, October 6, 2006, when Lower Richland traveled to Harry Parone Stadium to face the Richland Northeast Cavaliers.

Unfortunately for the Diamond Hornets, when good teams know their opponents are going to play hard on every down, they tend not to overlook them.

The only thing that stopped the Cavaliers Friday night was the clock. They scored four touchdowns and a field goal on their first five possessions of the game and were in Lower Richland territory when time expired in the first half. Meanwhile, the Diamond Hornets turned the ball over on downs, fumbled twice, and punted twice. The Cavaliers took a 31-0 lead into the locker room.

RNE homecoming queen Kendra Josey (c) with first runner-up Tawana Lovick (r) and second runner-up Tatianna Summers (l).

Richland Northeast superstar quarterback Gary Gray had a restful night. After Gray led the Cavaliers to two scores in the first quarter, Head Coach Jay Frye gave freshman Kersean Wilson, the majority of the snaps for the rest of the night. Wilson responded with 133 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

Offensive guard Jeff Antolik graded out at 93% for the Cavaliers with four pancake blocks and three knock-downs. Defensive tackle Zach Jenkins had 11 tackles (three for loss) and caused a fumble, and linebacker Chris Farris had 14 tackles (three for loss) for the Cavaliers.

The Diamond Hornets were forced to start JV quarterback Nic Smith who performed admirably despite spending the night staring at a relentless Cavalier pass rush. Smith completed eight passes for 64 yards and no interceptions. Wide receiver Toby Goodson caught three passes for 36 yards, and Harold Poole rushed for 47 yards. Lewis Gunter continues to lead the Lower Richland defense with 53 tackles for the year.

After the Cavaliers took a 45-0 lead in the fourth quarter, third string quarterback Derrick Frost entered the game. He scored on a one-yard run with 37 seconds remaining to give the Cavaliers a 52-0 victory. It was the first region game of the season for both teams.

The Cavaliers improve to 4-3 (1-0) and will travel to District Two Stadium to face the aerial assault of the Ridge View Blazers next. Lower Richland falls to 0-7 (0-1) and will host South Florence next for homecoming.