By RYAN ARENA

L’Observateur

 

KENNER — With 7:24 remaining before halftime Friday, Riverside remained within striking distance of a foe few gave them a chance against: John Curtis, heavy Class 2A favorite and the country’s top-ranked team.

But Curtis showed exactly how it earned that ranking in an explosive six-minute stretch to close the half, scoring four consecutive touchdowns en route to a 62-10 quarterfinal victory.

Patrick Morton passed for three touchdowns and ran for another while Malachi Dupre, Tevin Horton and Sherman Badie each scored twice to lead Curtis, which moves on to face fourth-seeded Springfield in the state semifinals.

Riverside’s first season under coach Bill Stubbs ends after the Rebels became one of the state’s hottest teams over the second half, entering the night having won six of their last seven games.

Stubbs recognized the growth of his players after the game and noted how proud he was of the way his team improved.

All the same, he couldn’t mask his disappointment in the game’s result. Though Curtis defeated Riverside 59-0 in district play earlier this season, he felt a far better showing was in store.

“We’re a much better team than what we showed tonight,” said Stubbs. “I’m still scratching my head as to where I let them down. I don’t feel like I prepared them enough mentally for what was in store tonight.

“We worked extremely hard all week long to prevent something like this from happening.”

Riverside (6-6) trailed 19-3 in the second quarter when it landed a quick shot on Curtis (12-0) after the Rebels recovered a fumble deep in Patriots territory. On third-and-14 from the 19, Deuce Wallace found Von Julien for 13 yards, setting up a fourth-and-1 from the 5. The Rebels went for it all; Wallace rolled left and found Herb McGee running along the back of the endzone for a score to make it 19-10.

The Rebels looked primed to really swing momentum their way with a potential stop on Curtis’ next possession; two Patriot penalties left Curtis in a third-and-24 from its own 44. But Badie hauled in a pass from Morton on a screen and cut to the sideline, where he found plenty of daylight — he rumbled for a 56-yard score to make it 26-10.

“I think right there, we fell off a cliff,” said Stubbs.

Riverside elected to quick-kick via a Wallace punt on third and 12 on its next drive. Curtis drove 58 yards for its next score, a 7-yard Badie touchdown run. Morton and his brother, Jordan Morton, connected for plays of 32 and 26 through the air. A 2-point run made it 34-10.

Things fell apart for Riverside from there. Mattrell McGraw intercepted Wallace and returned it for an apparent touchdown; the score was called back due to an illegal block, but Morton dialed up Dupre on the next play for a 52-yard touchdown bomb.

“They loaded the box,” said Curtis. “Eight or nine guys up there, so that left some holes in the secondary. Patrick’s a heck of a quarterback. He manages the short game really well, but he can also make plays down the field. We’ve been throwing the ball well.”

Riverside went four-and-out on its final possession of the half, leaving Curtis enough time for one last score as it took over from the RA 23. Morton hit Dupre for 22 yards, then Morton crashed into the endzone for a 1-yard sneak, making it 48-10 at the half.

Curtis added scores by George Moreira and Myles Washington in the second half. Tevin Horton opened the game with a 51-yard touchdown run and added another later in the first quarter.

Richard Allen intercepted Wallace twice; as a team, Curtis hauled in four interceptions.

“Coming in, I know there’s going to be ebbs and flows. For us, I think once we came down (emotionally) a little bit, we stayed down,” said Stubbs.

“We made some mistakes … in some areas, youth can be tough to overcome. But I’m so proud of these kids. They fought their butts off all year and they deserve better.”