Junior Varsity Game #2

The Sharks opened the game with the ball, as it appears that the visiting team starts the game with the ball at the 14 yard line. Riverview couldn't get much going on offense, throwing several incomplete passes mixed in with a few short passes and a run. Unfortunately they couldn't sustain the drive, and ended it with a punt. Bloomingdale took over and completed a couple of passes, but their drive came to an end when Riverview picked off a pass for their first interception of the season. With Riverview back in possession of the ball, they once again struggled to gain any momentum. They completed a single pass, but a couple of interceptions and a penalty ended yet another drive for the Sharks, as they were forced to settle with another punt. The opening quarter would come to a close with the Bulls in possession of the ball and the score tied at 0-0.

The second period saw Bloomingdale miss all of their passes, and they too would be forced to punt the ball away. As has been the case all season so far, the Sharks would struggle on offense once they took possession of the ball. They would punt once more after a three and out. Bloomingdale again seemed to be able to make some progress once they went on offense once again, with a couple of nice long passes, but they would throw yet another interception, one that Riverview was able to run back all the way to the end zone for a touchdown, giving them a 6-0 lead! They miss on their extra point play, which kept them at 6 points. On the ensuing possession Bloomingdale would manage a first down on their third down pass after two incompletions, but they would follow that up with three straight missed passes, and would once again have to punt the ball away. Jay would check in for the first time on the final drive of the half, and started things off with her first catch of the season! I was caught off guard by the play and missed getting a picture of the play, so I am pretty bummed out by that! The Sharks would make one more nice pass, but then the quarter came to a close before they could get off another play, ending their drive early.

The home team gets the ball to start the second half, so Bloomingdale got their chance to get on the board. They had a couple of nice passes, but their drive would once again come to an end following their third interception of the game, giving Riverview the ball once again. Jay was on the field to start the second half on offense, but she was not targeted on this drive. After a couple of missed passes and a couple of completed short passes, this drive came to an end with the Sharks second thrown interception of the day. The Bloomingdale drive would wrap up the third quarter and continue on into the fourth.

Bloomingdale had a long pass wiped out by an offensive penalty, but they kept going. Riverview almost came away with their fourth interception of the day, but a Bulls player managed to corral the ball that tipped off of a Sharks players fingertips, catching it in the end zone for their first touchdown of the game. They successfully converted their extra point attempt on a running play, making it a 7-6 game with Bloomingdale in the lead. Riverview would complete a couple of passes during their comeback attempt on their next drive, but a sack forced them to have to punt the ball away. Bloomingdale completed a couple of passes on what would turn out to be their final drive of the game, but they couldn't manage a first down and they too would have to punt the ball away. Riverview got the ball back with time on the clock, and they mounted their longest drive of the season with the game on the line. A couple of Bloomingdale penalties helped put them in better field position, and they then completed  a couple of passes that put them at the 2 yard line looking to take the lead. Unfortunately a false start penalty pushed them back to the 7 yard line, and that proved to be too much for them to gain. Four straight incompletions would effectively end the game, as Bloomingdale just had to run out the clock to seal the victory.

Although it wasn't the end result that the Sharks were looking for, this game was definitely more competitive that the previous contest. If they can gain some consistency on offense, this team will be in the win column soon!