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Raiders roll past Coyotes, 56-13
November 10, 2007 12:24 AM

Andy Newberry
Times Record News

The Rider Raiders didn't score first or last on Friday night. They just dominated everywhere in between with 56 consecutive points.

Rider used four interceptions on defense and four Damien Washington touchdowns to blast Wichita Falls High School, 56-13, before more than 13,000 fans at Memorial Stadium.

The No. 6 Raiders won their first undisputed district championship under Scott Ponder with a 6-0 record in District 5-4A. They will face Springtown at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Collins Athletic Complex in Denton.

The Coyotes (7-3, 4-2) had a three-game winning streak snapped, but will start at home in the playoffs on Friday night against Birdville, a rematch of last year’s bi-district playoff.

WFHS opened the game by scoring on an 88-yard drive. Ben Henderson read the option perfectly on a 64-yard run to the Rider 7-yard line and Ryan Robison scored on the next play.

The next eight touchdowns belonged to Rider, which set a series record for points scored in a game. The Raiders lead the series 26-16-3.

Four of the touchdowns were by Washington, who gained a game-high 100 yards on 11 carries. Chris Edmond caught two touchdowns (42, 6) from Shavodrick Beaver, while receiver Eric Ward and offensive linemen Tanner French scored rushing TDs to cap it off.

Rider substituted liberally and didn’t score in the fourth quarter.

The Coyotes moved the ball some throughout the game, finishing with 296 yards. But after Henderson's 64-yard run, there were no more big plays against the Rider defense. And 114 of the yards came in the fourth quarter.

"They make it hard on you," WFHS coach Travis Pride said. "They're physical and if you make mistakes or turn the ball over then that happens. And we played tentative."

The Raiders didn't have to double cover Isaiah Anderson the whole game like some teams did. That’s because they trusted Dorian Petty to cover and their pass rush to keep Henderson from having too much time.

The first key defensive play of the game belonged to Zach Shaver, who stopped Antwone Moore on fourth-and-one from their own 15 on the first play of the second quarter.

That set up a 13-yard touchdown by Washington to give Rider a 14-6 lead.

Washington's second score, a 4-yard run, was set up by a couple of spectacular defensive plays by Petty. First, the Rider cornerback stuffed Robison in the backfield to turn second-and-one into third-and-five. Next, Petty picked off Henderson and returned the ball 54 yards to the WFHS 4.
Markelle Martin, John Fisher and Tim Carlson also had interceptions against Henderson before the night was done.

"The kids were very anxious and we're anxious as coaches," Rider coach Scott Ponder said. "Not only did they take it away, but they did something with it. And they put us in a position to score."

Ponder said his team never found an offensive rhythm despite the 56 points and the 371 yards. Beaver passed for only 94 yards, hitting 9 of 13 passes. His biggest play came on the final possession of the first half.

Rider, starting at its own 14, nearly gave away a score when the ball was snapped by Beaver toward the end zone, but the Raiders quarterback picked up the ball and a few blocks and turned a potential disaster into a 39-yard game. Jurell Thompson gained 36 on the next play, leading to a 6-yard TD pass from Beaver to Edmond.

The Coyotes, who had a 17:09 to 6:51 first-half edge in time of possession, followed with a 12-play drive, but a sack by Boris Matthews ended the threat.

Rider led 28-6 at the half and made it 35-6 just 68 seconds into the third period on a 39-yard run by Washington.

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.