Leader sportswriter
It didn’t take long for Carlisle to establish complete momentum over Riverview.
Bison sophomore Deron Ricks’ 87-yard touchdown return on the opening kickoff got Carlisle’s season off to a great start, and was a sign of things to come against a stunned Raiders team in a 42-6 mercy-ruled victory at Fred C. Hardke Stadium on Friday.
The Bison moved the ball and Riverview’s defensive line at will on their way to five touchdowns and 276 yards offense in the first half, while holding the Raiders to 112 yards and no score in that time. Sophomore running back Bo Weddle did the most damage to the Raiders’ defense in only six touches, as he ran for 109 yards and three touchdowns in the first half.
Ricks took the opening kick at the 13-yard line near the right sideline and weaved his way through Riverview defenders until he had clear field in front of him near the 45.
“That’s always a tone setter to take the opening kickoff back,” Carlisle coach Scott Waymire said. “He did a good job – read his blocks and kind of set the tone. And we came out defensively got it, so that’s always a good thing.”
The Bison also controlled the clock with long, sustained drives, but had their share of short drives that produced scores, including their first drive in the opening quarter that went just three plays and ended with a 65-yard touchdown dash by Weddle to put Carlisle up 14-0 following a two-point conversion pass from senior quarterback Zac King to Weddle.
“There’s been some question marks about our lines,” Waymire said. “We’ve got some great kids – high character kids that do the right things. I’m very proud of those guys. They’re very well deserving of everything they did tonight.”
Seniors Braxton Petrus and Ty Vaughn also had their share of productive touches with the aid of Carlisle’s big, physical offensive line in the first half. Petrus carried nine times for 65 yards and Vaughn had 10 totes for 80 yards and a touchdown.
“We feel real fortunate,” Waymire said. “We’ve got senior backs in Braxton Petrus and Ty Vaughn, and Deric Herring and Cade Madar, and we had some of the younger backs came in and did a tremendous job in Bo Weddle and Deron Ricks. And Zac King, he’s our leader, and Chris Hart did a good job when he came in.
“We’re fortunate there to have some depth, and we know that, because most 2A schools don’t. If we can stay healthy, we’re looking forward to the season.”
Riverview had its moments moving the ball, but turned it over twice on downs and fumbled another promising possession away when Desmond Pettis put it on the ground on first down at the Bison 36-yard line and Hart pounced on it for Carlisle.
That led to a six-play, 64-yard drive that was mostly Vaughn, including a 34-yard rush that set the Bison up with first and goal at the Raiders’ 2-yard line.
Vaughn finished it off on the following play by going over the top at the 4:22 mark of the second quarter. Ricks added the point-after kick to increase Carlisle’s lead to 21-0.
Weddle took in the next two scores for Carlisle with runs of eight yards and four yards, the latter increasing the Bison’s lead to 35-0 with 3:09 left in the half.
McKenzie Jones prevented a shutout against the Raiders when he returned the second-half kickoff back 85 yards for a touchdown.
With a continuous clock, the Bison marched down for one more scoring drive with 7:41 left to play when Herring broke free for a 22-yard touchdown and also added the point-after kick.
The Bison added another 99 yards to their offensive total in the second half for 375 yards, while the Raiders, who saw only seven offensive plays from scrimmage in the last two quarters, were held to four yards in the second half.
“It’s always good to get a W, and to come out and play the way they did and execute the way they did is what I was happy about,” Waymire said. “Penalties, we didn’t have them, turnovers, we didn’t have them. So I was excited about that.”
The Bison will play on the road at Bauxite next Friday. The Miners opened their season with a 26-7 victory over Glen Rose.
