Someone was winning their first ever state title in the 2A state championship game Saturday afternoon. The only question was , would it be Riverside or East Robertson?
Riverside opened the game with the ball and so it was up to them to overcome the steady rain that had been coming down in Chattanooga all day. The Panthers mounted a very impressive opening drive capped off by a touchdown run by Desmond Thomas, and then stopped East Robertson on fourth down. Riverside couldn’t have asked for a better start.
The weather started to become more of a factor a teams traded miscues and fumbles as the game slowed significantly. East Robertson’s Isaiah Groves broke the game out of the lull with a long run that pushed him over 3,000 yards on the season and then finished the drive with a touchdown.
Both teams headed to the locker rooms tied up at seven all.
It was more if the same in the third quarter as the game continued to be a defensive back-and-forth. Desmond Thomas added another score to his stat sheet with a strong run as he played through injury. With the PAT missing, Riverside left East Robertson an opening to take the lead. As we reached the 7:00 mark in the fourth quarter East Robertson was driving to try to move in front late but were turned over on downs.
Riverside converted their first first down, leaving East Robertson with just one last timeout. An encroachment penalty gave the Panthers the last first down they needed and all that was left was to kneel out the clock and collect their first golden football, as Riverside took the 2A championship with a final score of 13-7
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