Rebels yield 16 unanswered points in fourth quarter and drop 25-15 decision

MONROE — Ouachita Christian rallied for 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter en route to a 25-15 victory over visiting Riverside last night in second-round playoff action.

The Rebels of Riverside held a 15-9 lead entering the decisive fourth period, but Ouachita tallied a safety in the early going to make it a four-point game and later quarterback Matt Laird hit Chris Benjamin with a 20-yard strike to put the home team ahead.

Matt Turner added a 25-yard touchdown run with just over two minutes left in regulation to account for the final points of the night.

Turner was the leading rusher for Ouachita with 73 yards on nine carries.

Lee Haydel was the top rusher for Riverside as he gained 115 yards on eight attempts. Teammate A.J. Delaneuville followed with 80 yards rushing on 17 attempts and Jarid Caesar had 62 yards on 17 carries.

Riverside opened the scoring on the night when it marched 95 yards on 15 plays for a first-quarter touchdown. The impressive drive was capped off by a 16-yard scoring run by Caesar. Lance Simon booted the extra point to make it a 7-0 Riverside advantage.

Ouachita answered with a touchdown of its own in the second quarter but missed the extra point, making it a 7-6 contest at the intermission.

Ouachita regained the lead in the third quarter when Patrick Cutbirth booted a 23-yard field goal to give his club a 9-7 advantage, but that advantage was short-lived.

The Rebels started a third-quarter drive at their own 25-yard line, and on the first play, Haydel broke loose for a 71-yard run that brought the ball down to the Ouachita 4-yard line. From there, Caesar took a handoff and went the rest of the way for the score that put Riverside ahead. Caesar then ran in the two-point conversion for the Rebels.

Riverside’s ground attack was indeed an impressive one last night as the local squad finished the game with 264 yards rushing on 45 carries. Ouachita tallied 134 yards rushing as a team on a total of 36 attempts.