Rider-Old High rivalry ends with another Raider victory
The 62nd and final edition of the Wichita Falls-Rider rivalry was a chance for the seniors to etch their name in history. It was also a chance for some new faces to make their mark on this storied rivalry.
In front of an estimated 15,000 people at Memorial Stadium, with 13,500 tickets sold, the Raiders sent their seniors out with a 41-13 victory. Rider ends the series with a 10-game win streak, and wins in 14 of the final 15 meetings.
Rider’s defensive line harassed Coyote quarterbacks all night, led by senior Jre Donell, who was playing in his only WFHS-Rider game after transferring from Archer City. The Raiders’ defense allowed 249 total yards – 165 of them with the game decided in the fourth quarter.
“Our defense gets disappointed if we give up a first down, and it’s like that in practice,” Rider coach Marc Bindel said. “We’ll do the ‘turkey challenge,’ where the offense has three downs to get a first down. I get nervous that somebody’s going to get hurt during that drill because it’s an all-out war in practice.”
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The Raiders’ special teams also played a role, pressuring the Coyotes punter on his first attempt of the game. The ball went straight into the air, resulting in a 5-yard punt that set Rider up at the WFHS 20-yard line. Kenji Johnson scored the first of his two first-quarter touchdowns five plays later.
“The (players) have really taken special teams seriously. They fly around all over the field,” Bindel said. “I noticed it last night that our JV team was locked in. They see the varsity guys playing special teams, and everyone wants to participate.”
Rider took advantage of early mistakes by the Coyotes to build a 20-point lead with 11:03 left in the second quarter. Eventually, Old High settled down and threatened to score before the half, but Ryan Jones intercepted a pass at the Raiders’ 3-yard line and returned it 50 yards to end the Coyotes’ best threat.
“We’re a young team. We have a lot of people that hadn’t played varsity football yet, much less in front of 15,000 people,” WFHS coach Grant Freeman said. “We settled in, and I’m proud of them. We will be better next week because of tonight. Our guys never quit and kept fighting. I promise you, this team’s going to play for a long time this season.”
One familiar face led the Raiders in yardage, with senior Tyrone Morgan gaining 92 yards on seven carries and a touchdown while adding 26 yards on four receptions. Sophomore quarterback Joe Castles, junior running back Kenji Johnson, and junior wide receiver Grey Johnson left a solid impression on the Rider faithful.
Many of these players will have a chance to etch their names in the record books of a new rivalry that is sure to begin next year. But Friday night belonged to the students and alums of Rider and Old High, who took advantage of one final opportunity to relish the rivalry.
More: Live updates: Wichita Falls area Week 1 high school football scores, schedule
RIDER 41, WFHS 13
WFHS 0 0 0 13 - 13
Rider 13 7 21 0 - 41
FIRST QUARTER
R – Kenji Johnson 7 run (run failed), 5:32
R – K. Johnson 11 run (K. Johnson kick), 0:08
SECOND QUARTER
R – Grey Johnson 31 pass from Joe Castles (Titus Blagg kick), 11:03
THIRD QUARTER
R – G. Johnson 50 pass from Castles (Ashton Paschall kick), 6:32
R – Tyrone Morgan 41 run (K. Johnson kick), 4:13
R – Elijah Jackson 2 run (K. Johnson kick), 0:16
FOURTH QUARTER
W – Cameron Jones 87 pass from Zage Gravitt (Kenton Evans kick), 7:15
W – Keo Fleeks 13 pass from Gravitt, 0:00
TEAM STATS
First downs: (W) 14; (R) 20
Rushing: (W) 25-53; (R) 33-269
Passing: (W) 17-30-2—196; (R) 13-19-0—144
Punts: (W) 6-26.2; (R) 4-27.8
Fumbles: (W) 1-1; (R) 0-0
Penalties: (W) 10-53; (R) 13-141
INDIVIDUAL STATS
RUSHING – (WFHS) Eric Powell 12-35, Ean Beasley 5-9, Cameron Jones 4-9, Jordan Mitchell 1-4, Zage Gravitt 3-(-4). (Rider) Tyrone Morgan 7-92, Kenji Johnson 13-90, Braelon Carey 4-54, Elijah Jackson 5-28, Steven Marrs 2-5, Hunter Talley 1-1, Kohen Maroney 1-(-1).
PASSING – (WFHS) Gravitt 16-26-2—192, Jones 1-4-0—4. (Rider) Joe Castles 12-16-0—143, Marrs 1-3-0—1.
RECEIVING – (WFHS) Jones 2-96, Keo Fleeks 7-56, Mitchell 2-31, Justyn Judie 3-23, Powell 2-(-4), Jaxxon Mitchell 1-(-6). (Rider) Grey Johnson 4-102, Morgan 4-26, Maroney 1-7, Talley 1-7, Johnson 2-1, Alex Argenal 1-1.
RECORDS – WFHS 0-1, Rider 1-0
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Kenji Johnson, Joe Castles leads Rider past WFHS in final rivalry game
