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Raiders pull away in second half for 42-14 win
November 16, 2007 11:33 PM

Andy Newberry
Times Record News

DENTON, Texas - Springtown was thinking upset for a half on Friday night. The 0-5 start to the year was a distant memory as the Porcupines battled No. 6 Rider toe-to-toe.

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The Porcupines tied the game at 7-7 as the second-quarter buzzer sounded on a 27-yard pass from Wilson to Rhett Ballard.

That may have turned out to be the best thing for the Raiders, who after that punch in the stomach came back with 35 second-half points to score a 42-14 Class 4A bi-district victory at C.H. Collins Athletic Complex.

The Raiders (10-1) will face Stephenville (10-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Justin Northwest.

"We obviously did not come to play at all and they did," Rider coach Scott Ponder said. "They let us know that we still got work to do and prepare every week."

The Rider coach felt the second-half turnaround "showed character. They are great kids and have had a great season, but we didn’t want it to end right now," Ponder added.

"Springtown came to play and it showed," he said. "They outplayed us (in the first half)."

Rider quarterback Shavodrick Beaver had to use patience and his legs to beat a scrappy Springtown defense that usually dropped seven players into pass coverage, denying the deep ball. Beaver eventually did win the battle, finishing with a season-high 95 yards and a touchdown rushing and another three touchdown passes.

Jurell Thompson rushed for a game-high 102 yards on 12 carries and he scored three touchdowns. The first was a 33-yard TD pass from Beaver for the only Rider score of the first half. He ended the night with 161 yards of total offense and for a brief moment he tied Eric Ward for the touchdown lead.

The Raiders' lead receiver had some missed opportunities early, but Ward finished with five catches for 41 yards, including a fourth-quarter touchdown and a two-point conversion.

The Raiders played the entire second half without Damien Washington, who was tackled at the goal line midway through the second quarter. After being brought down from behind, the senior back, who has 695 yards rushing on the year, did not return.

Springtown finished with 266 yards. It set the tone for the first half with a 12-play drive to open the game.

A sack by Boris Matthews, the Rider defensive star of the game with 3 1/2 sacks and a fumble recovery, kept the early Porcupine drive from putting any points on the board.

Assistant sports editor Andy Newberry may be reached after 4 p.m. weekdays by calling (940) 720-3470; or by e-mail at NewberryA(at)timesrecordnews.com.

Rider 42, Springtown 14
Rider Springtown
20 First Downs 16
30-207 Yards Rushing 39-131
246 Yards Passing 135
12-22-0 Comp/Att/Int 11-25-0
3-41 Punts-Average 5-32.3
1-0 Fumbles Lost 3-2
11-112 Yards Penalized 4-30
———
Rider 7 0 20 15 — 42
Springtown 0 7 7 0 — 14
———
Rider -- Jurell Thompson 33 pass from Shavodrick Beaver (Joey Neale kick)
Springtown -- Rhett Ballard 27 pass from Kyle Wilson (Montan Marsh kick)
Rider -- Thompson 55 run (Neale kick)
Rider -- Beaver 22 run (pass failed)
Rider -- Chris Edmond 66 pass from Beaver (Neale kick)
Springtown -- Raphael Kubrak 5 pass from Wilson (Marsh kick)
Rider -- Thompson 6 run (Eric Ward pass from Beaver)
Rider -- Eric Ward 16 pass from Beaver (Neale kick)
Individual stats
Rushing: (Ri) Jurell Thompson 12-102; Shavodrick Beaver 12-95; Damien Washington 5-22; Andre Inglis 1-3; Team 1-(minus-15); (Spr) Kyle WIlson 18-29; Raphael Kubrak 10-25; Al Owens 8-48; Taylor Kemp 3-29.
Passing: (Ri) Beaver 12-22-0, 246; (Spr) Wilson 11-25-0, 135.
Receiving: (Ri) Eric Ward 5-41; Thompson 2-59; Chris Edmond 1-66; Washington 1-12; Tim Carlson 1-6; Keyton Gibson 2-46; (Spr) Clayton Cooper 5-74; Owens 1-8; Danny Ferguson 1-5; Rhett Ballard 1-27; Andrew Haddock 1-6; Kubrak 1-5;Jonathan Wood 1-10.
Interceptions: None.
Fumble recoveries: (Ri) Boris Matthews 1, Jake Awtry 1.
Sacks: (Ri) Tyler Tackett 1/2; Boris Matthews 3 1/2; Ryan McDonald 1.
Next: Rider vs. Stephenville, 7:30 p.m. Friday, Justin Northwest.