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RIVERVIEW 12, HAINES CITY 7: Sharks limit Hornets to 167 total yards and hold off late rally with a fourth-down stop.
By BRANDON WRIGHT
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 19, 2002
TAMPA -- Riverview coach Dustin Almeida was concerned entering Friday's game against Haines City that the Sharks might be a bit off-kilter. There was no school Friday, and it was Riverview's Senior Night.
He was right.
Despite his team's lethargic effort most of the night, the Sharks scored on a pair of fourth-down plays and the defense held off a late Hornets' rally with a key fourth-down stop to defeat Haines City 12-7 at J. Vince Thompson Stadium.
"I felt like we were sluggish all night and didn't execute at all offensively," Almeida said.
Riverview's 211 offensive yards came on the ground, but only two of 54 plays went more than 10 yards. But the Sharks controlled the clock and relied on a defense that allowed only 63 yards in the first half and 167 total.
"Methodical was probably a good term to describe (the offense)," Almeida said. "But that was probably the best our defense has played all season."
Riverview's Dwayne Sanders opened scoring and capped an 11-play drive with a 20-yard touchdown on fourth and 5 one minute into the second. The kick failed, but the Sharks again converted on fourth down two possessions later when Terrance Reaves punched in a 1-yard TD. The Sharks failed to convert the extra point, giving Riverview a 12-0 halftime lead.
"I gave them a gut check (at halftime)," coach Pat Herrington said. "I put it to them bluntly: either do what you're capable of, or you're going to lose."
Neither scored in the third, but Haines City's offense began to show life in the fourth. Alston Edmond's 39-yard run keyed Haines City's only scoring drive, and Marcus Johnson cut the deficit to 12-7 with a 4-yard TD.
Haines City had a chance to take the lead midway through the fourth with first and goal from the 6. But the Sharks foiled a fourth-down option from the 5, preserving the win and improving to 4-3.