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Knights give Mitchell opportunities, still win

Up only 14-7 after a first half full of mistakes, River Ridge rises up to score 21 points in 14 minutes.

By JOHN C. COTEY

© St. Petersburg Times,
published September 29, 2001

TRINITY -- It tried to give it away. Dropped the ball on the 50. Dropped it again on the 45. Dropped it one more time on the 48. But when Mitchell decided not to do anything with these gifts from a fumbling River Ridge team, the Royal Knights decided enough was enough.

No upset for you.

Playing their best quarter of the season after halftime, and finally exerting their strength and speed over an outmanned Mitchell team, the Royal Knights pulled -- make that ran -- away from the Mustangs in a 35-21 victory in a Class 4A, District 6 contest.

River Ridge (2-3, 1-1) ran for 288 yards, threw for another 171 and dominated Mitchell in the second half. Adam Eberle and John Gilmore each ran for their second scores of the game, and Tim Dare added a touchdown pass as River Ridge turned a 14-7 halftime edge into a rout with 21 points in 14 minutes.

"Their size and strength just took it over in the second half," said Mitchell coach Scott Schmitz.

Coaching for the first time against a team he coached from its inception in 1991 through 1999, Schmitz had the Mustangs (1-4, 0-2) tied with River Ridge until Eberle's first touchdown with 1:51 remaining before halftime put the Royal Knights in front for good.

Mitchell recovered three fumbles in the first half, but scored just once as a result, squandering key opportunities.

"We made some mistakes," River Ridge coach Mike DeGennaro said. "But the defense played well. I was happy with their play. And we finally moved the ball."

On the first possession of the second half, Eberle scored again from three yards to make it 21-7. Three plays later, Mitchell fumbled the ball and on the next play Dare hooked up with Jarred Tzoucalis on a 30-yard touchdown pass.

Another Mitchell turnover gave the ball back to River Ridge but deep in its own territory. But thanks to a 40-yard run by Eberle, they drove 92 yards for the decisive score as Gilmore dashed in from 20 yards.

Gilmore, who had a 38-yard touchdown run -- his first of the year -- in the first quarter, finished with a game-high 147 yards on just 13 carries, eclipsing his season total. Same for Eberle, who finished with 125 yards.

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