It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but the Rider Raiders had no problem doing just that on Friday. They took their game at home with ease, bagging a 49-20 victory over the Falcons. Considering Rider has won ten games by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Kenji Johnson was his usual excellent self, rushing for 193 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 11.4 yards per carry, and also picking up 70 receiving yards.
When it comes to explaining why Lake Dallas lost, one person who can't be blamed is Cade Bortnem. Despite the final result, he threw for 67 yards and two touchdowns, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground.
The win (which was Rider's seventh in a row) raised their record to 10-2. Those good results were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 47.0 points per game. As for Lake Dallas, their defeat ended a five-game streak of away wins and brought them to 10-2.
Rider will square off against Emerson at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. Emerson has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 641 points over their last 12 contests. Lake Dallas does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
