By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

RESERVE – If you’re looking for the most exciting game of the week in the River Parishes, heading over to Riverside on any given Friday night seems like a fairly strong bet.

Once again, the Rebels held off a high-scoring foe in the final minutes as Riverside edged Carver, 38-30, scoring the eventual game-winning points on Nate Williams’ 5-yard touchdown run with 1:36 left in the game.

That touchdown put RA ahead 38-24. Carver scored with nine seconds to go on Joey Louis’ 5-yard touchdown run. The two-point try failed, but Carver recovered an onside kick with four seconds left. The Riverside defense held firm on the final play.

“It took us awhile to get in sync offensively,” said Riverside coach Mickey Roussel. “They got us down early, and I’m proud of how we fought back. It was back and forth for most of the night.”

Williams had a big night, rushing 11 times for 65 yards and a touchdown and catching five passes for another 64 yards and a score. Williams also intercepted a pass, returning it for 53 yards.

Jonquial Sanders rushed 16 times for 131 yards and a touchdown. Tate Scioneaux completed 7 of 13 passes for 115 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.

Carver outgained Riverside, 502 yards to 312, as Louis threw 45 times and tallied 285 passing yards. Carver struck first in the scoring column when Eugene Brazely hit pay dirt on an eight-yard run and added the two-point conversion himself, putting Carver ahead 8-0.

Riverside answered with a big play, Sanders’ 71-yard touchdown run with 1:07 left in the first, making it 8-7 after C.J. Edler’s extra point kick was good.

Louis extended Carver’s lead late in the first half after both defenses held, dialing up Raheem Faulkins on a 12-yard pass. Brazley ran another conversion in to make it 16-7.

“We knew they could score,” said Roussel. “We could see the types of athletes they had on film. You can look at them going 0-10 last year, but they’ve improved tremendously. They scored 14 on John Curtis right off the bat, and people just don’t do that.”

Scioneaux tossed his first touchdown pass of the night to pull RA within a score at halftime, finding Brandon Millet for a 12-yard score with 18 seconds to go.

Riverside would trail until 2:32 left in the third quarter – then the floodgates opened. Scioneaux found Williams for a 32-yard scoring connection, then tossed a conversion pass to Millet to make it 22-16.

Carver answered after a Riverside fumble, scoring on Louis’s 41-yard touchdown run on a fourth quarter option read play. Brazely’s third conversion run of the night put Carver back ahead 24-22.

Riverside drove into Carver territory but faced a fourth and long midway through the fourth. Scioneaux and Javon Patterson combined for a sudden Rebel strike, a 38-yard score that made it 30-24 after a Williams’ 2-point run.

Williams scored again on his 5-yarder with just over a minute left, setting up an exciting finish.

“This football team, I love ‘em,” said Roussel. “They just find ways to win. They just get it done. It’s what winners do.”