By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

RESERVE – When Riverside coach Mickey Roussel looks at John Curtis, he sees a team that’s ranked first in the state in Class 2A. He sees a team that’s not just acknowledged as a state powerhouse, but one with national recognition. He sees the multitude of state titles, the veer, the size and the speed.

He also sees an opportunity.

When Riverside hosts Curtis Friday night in a Class 2A state quarterfinal game, it will be in a familiar setting. It was a year ago that the Patriots turned back the Rebels in this very round. And it was just last month that Curtis defeated Riverside 55-24 in a district showdown.

But Roussel came away with some positives from that game, despite the lopsided score. For the first time in a long time, the Rebel offense was able to move the ball down the field on Curtis. Defensively, Riverside played better football than the score would indicate—two special teams return scores, as well as a pair of fumbled kickoffs deep in RA territory doomed Riverside.

Certainly, there were encouraging signs that the Rebels could compete with the Patriots come time for a potential rematch. But once thing Roussel is certain of: the mistakes can’t happen again, because Curtis will take advantage in the same way if they do.

“We must eliminate the mistakes,” said Roussel. “Honestly, I felt like our offense against their defense and our defense against their offense, play was pretty even. I thought we played pretty well. But the two fumbles, the kick return, the punt return … you can’t do that against a good football team. We felt like if we’d have eliminated those mistakes, things are a lot closer, and that’s the focus today.”

Curtis brings the same cast of characters back to Reserve, with a little something extra. While wide receiver Josh Hanberry (two total touchdowns) and Brandon Bourgeois (three total touchdowns) return as top threats, Curtis will also boast tailback Torrey Pierce, who missed the first matchup with an injury.

“Obviously, Pierce is a guy you have to worry about,” said Roussel. “He’s been there a long time. We have to limit him. Bourgeois is a dual threat now … he can throw the ball and hurt you, and that’s a dimension that you haven’t always had to worry about with Curtis. They’re patient and methodical and run veer, run veer, run veer, and you have to be disciplined and ready for it.”

Defensively, Riverside will see a Curtis defense that Roussel said is “all about speed”.

“They make you dink and dunk.” he said. “They’re very well coached.”

The Rebels offense found some success last time out, however. Darnell Rachal rushed for 113 yards and two scores. Thomas Crouch broke a 55-yard scoring run. The Rebels moved the ball effectively, but it wasn’t enough to withstand a landslide of Curtis points in the second and third quarters – the Patriots scored 42 of their 55 points in that span.

The Patriots have lost once all season long, in week three to Salmen by a score of 28-21. Since then, JCC has snapped off eight straight wins, none by less than two scores. Curtis has failed to top 42 points only once in the last seven games, in a 34-20 win over St. Charles.