By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

Backed by a largely new offensive gameplan, Riverside racked up 340 total yards, the Rebels best output all season. But those yards only added up to 14 points, and host Newman took advantage to notch a 27-14 victory in a District 10-2A game Friday night.

Quarterback Wes Luquette led the Greenies, completing 16-of-21 passes for 180 yards and rushing 13 times for 90 yards and two touchdowns.

Riverside (3-4, 0-3) moved the ball well thanks in part to a spread package recently installed by the Rebels. But a bevy of errors and lost opportunities did Riverside in. The Rebels turned the ball over four times, including a lost fumble at the Newman 2-yard line. A punt was blocked, leading to a Newman score. A dropped touchdown pass further set them back.

“We made too many mistakes offensively,” said Riverside Coach Tim Taffi. “On one hand, we run a new package and we have our best output of the year. On the flip side, we only score 14.

“We’ve just been trying to jumpstart the offense, to take some of the pressure off our offensive line. Teams were loading up the box to take away the run. We wanted to get our playmakers in space.”

Newman (6-1, 1-1) forced a Riverside three and out to begin the game, and the result was costlier than a simple change of possession for Riverside. Newman blocked the punt, and recovered at the Rebels’ 25. Greenies’ quarterback Wes Luquette cashed in soon after, finding Will Lagenstein for a 10-yard touchdown to put Newman ahead 7-0.

Riverside answered on its next possession with a methodical drive, going 77 yards in 12 plays. Quarterback Darnell Rachal hit Remi Poirrier for a 21-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7 at the end of the first quarter

But Newman seized control of the game in the second. Luquette’s 2-yard score on a sneak put Newman ahead. He’d find Hampton for a 29-yard score before the half, and the Greenies would lead 21-7 at the half.

Thomas Crouch drew Riverside within a touchdown when he scored from the Newman 12 in the third quarter, making it 21-14.

But Luquette put things away with his second rushing touchdown of the day, scoring a 27-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-three play in the fourth quarter.

Newman was balanced, rushing for 179 yards and passing for 180. Jeffery Hampton hauled in eight catches for 96 yards and a touchdown, and added two interceptions on defense.

Taffi says he expects more from a defense that began the year on fire, but has lost its way recently.

“We didn’t do a good job tackling (Newman running back Ronnie) Vinson,” said Taffi. “They were beating us with short passes, bubble screens. We didn’t attack, we were too passive.

“We need to get back to the kind of defense we played a few weeks ago. Spirited defense, getting after people.”

Rachal was 8-of-16 for 83 yards. He ran 12 times for 71 yards.Croutch ran 13 times for 82 yards to lead Riverside. Poirrier ran five times for 44 yards.