Riverdale is on a seven-game streak of home wins, while Oakland is on a five-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Riverdale Warriors will take on the Oakland Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Riverdale had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They put the hurt on Cookeville with a sharp 42-21 win on Friday. Given Riverdale's advantage in MaxPreps' Tennessee football rankings (they are ranked ninth, while Cookeville is ranked 62nd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Riverdale's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Braden Graham, who threw for 292 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75.9% of his passes. The team also got some help courtesy of Brock Montgomery, who picked up 119 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, you can't lose the matchup if you win every quarter, and that was precisely Oakland's strategy against Mount Juliet on Friday. Oakland was the clear victor by a 24-2 margin over Mount Juliet.
Daune Morris continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 145 yards and three touchdowns on only 15 carries. Morris' longest rush was for an incredible 75 yards.
Their wins lifted both teams to an identical 10-2.
Riverdale won a match that couldn't have been any closer when the teams last played back in October, slipping by Oakland 25-24. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Oakland's Morris, who rushed for 249 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.2 yards per carry. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Riverdale still be able to contain him? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
