Smith paces Panthers to win
Riverside quarterback Drake Smith seemed to do it all on Friday as the Panthers grabbed a big lead and stopped a late rally to beat Trinity Christian Academy 28-21.
Smith tossed three touchdown passes and ran for another as Riverside mounted a 28-7 lead with over seven-and-a-half minutes left in the game.
But equally as impressive might have been Smith’s nine straight runs totaling over 50 yards at the end to deny the Lions a chance at any last-minute heroics
“Drake really took over at the end,” said Riverside coach Johnnie Frost. “We were in the huddle during one of the late timeouts near the end, and I was talking to the offensive coordinator about a certain play that I think would have worked well.”
Smith said he wanted the ball at the end.
“At the end, I told the coach I wanted to ball to finish the game off,” Smith said. “The linemen know that I trust them, and that I will run hard behind them. We did good as a whole.”
On the game's first play from scrimmage, Smith hooked up with Kyle Roach for an 80-yard pass play down the right sideline and a quick lead.
The Lions answered, putting together a drive of Viktor Horton runs that ended with a 22-yard run around the left side to tie ti up 7-7 with 7:12 left in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Smith engineered a 75-yard drive that capped with his three-yard keeper dragging tacklers into the end zone for a 14-7 halftime Riverside lead.
Smith added a 40-yard touchdown pass play to Roach with 4:38 left in the third quarter and a 26-yard TD pass to Roach – his third touchdown grab of the game – at 7:40 in the fourth for the Panthers' 28-7 lead.
Trinity's comeback started just 18 seconds later when freshman quarterback Lane Forsythe connected with Keith Davis over the middle for a 40-yard TCA score. At 3:31, Forsythe connected with Lane Lamberth for an 18-yard touchdown score making it 28-21.
Frost said that both teams had some turnovers and penalties that could have changed the game's outlook.
TCA head coach Blake Butler said his team gave its opponent too many opportunities.
“We didn't play very well and you can't give a talented team like Riverside that many chances,” Butler said. “They have a talented kid at quarterback. Running the ball, throwing the ball, he was making plays for them left and right.
“We got a little momentum in the first half, and then we would have a turnover or a penalty. You can't do that against a good team and expect to win.”