Riverheads punched their ticket to the state playoffs for the seventh consecutive season by knocking off Buffalo Gap decisively on Friday night. The Gladiators jumped ahead early offensively and pitched their third shutout of the season to win handily against their Shenandoah district counterpart while extending their win streak to 48 consecutive games.
Now Riverheads looks to return to the championship game for the same number of seasons. In their way is Essex, a team that Riverheads faced and bested in the state semifinals in each season from 2017 to 2019. The Gladiators are currently the five time defending Class 1 State Champions. Riverheads will host the Trojans next Saturday at 1 p.m.. Before we begin to look ahead to the final four for each class, let’s review the action from yesterday.
GAME RECAP
Returning to the gridiron after three weeks off, Riverheads did not show any signs of rust when their contest with Buffalo Gap got underway. On their first offensive play from scrimmage, sophomore running back Cayden Cook-Cash reached the endzone on a 41 yard scamper to set the tone for the evening. Cook-Cash would reach paydirt three times in the opening quarter as the Gladiators offense physically overpowered Buffalo Gap’s defense.
The Bison managed to slow their opponents rushing attack for much of the second and third quarters but struggled to reach the endzone offensively. Senior running back Bryce Hildebrand managed to have some success against the Gladiators defense but was ushered off the field due to injury early in the contest. Junior Dylan Alphin filled in admirably and helped the Bison march into Gladiator territory after converting a pair of third down opportunities for his team.
As Buffalo Gap began to near the redzone, the Riverheads defense stiffened, forcing a turnover on downs midway through the second quarter. Luke Bryant was able to disrupt the Bison offense with pressure in the backfield as he did throughout the night. On several opportunities, the visitors were able to sustain drives on third and fourth down conversions but found difficulty completing drives which ultimately kept the Bison from clawing back into the contest.
Following the explosive opening quarter, it wasn’t until the final play of the third that Riverheads found the scoreboard again. Following a three-and-out offensive series deep in Gladiator territory, Buffalo Gap’s offense setup to punt. A swarm of Gladiators sprinted into the backfield and Randy Cash managed to block the kick, sending the ball through the back of the end zone for a safety.
On the ensuing free kick, Riverheads return man Aidan Miller caught the ball in the air and ran to his right across the field before cutting through a gap and turning upfield to score on a 53 yard return. Late in the quarter, Cook-Cash reached the end zone on a 26 yard scamper for his fourth touchdown of the night setting the final result.
The Riverheads victory extended the Gladiators win streak in the series to 15 games. Despite the loss, the Bison's season was a positive with Buffalo Gap being one of three Shenandoah district squads to be playing in the region finals on Friday. While the Bison will have to reload under head coach Brad Wygant, the future looks bright for the Buffalo Gap football program.
SCORING SUMMARY
Buffalo Gap—0 0 0 0—0
Riverheads—21 0 2 14—37
FIRST QUARTER
R—Cayden Cook-Cash 41 yard run (Cooper Robson kick), 11:40
R—Cook-Cash 17 run (Robson kick), 2:17
R—Cook-Cash 14 run (Robson kick), 0:30
THIRD QUARTER
R—Randy Cash Safety, 0:00
FOURTH QUARTER
R—Aidan Miller 53 yard free kick return (Robson kick), 11:50
R—Cook-Cash 26 run (Robson kick), 7:47
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Cayden Cook-Cash, Riverheads…The Gladiators sophomore scored four rushing touchdowns in his performance against Buffalo Gap in the Class 1B region final. Three of the four scores came in the first quarter while racking up 90 yards during the frame. Cook-Cash was selected the Shenandoah District Offensive Player of the Year for the fall 2021 season and the 6-foot-2, 182 pounder continues to impress. His name will likely be echoed routinely during the course of the next couple of years for Riverheads.
Robert lives in Gordonsville and has been contributing to VirginiaPreps.com since 2013. He also provides freelance contributions to the Daily Progress. Robert began working in the sports sector in 2006 and covers public and private schools throughout the state of Virginia.
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