Riverdale outlasts Grace King to win The Rag

Two teams desperate for a victory played like it Thursday night at Joe Yenni Stadium in Metairie.

In the end, Riverdale outlasted Grace King 34-32 for its first win of the season in the annual rivalry battle for The Rag, which goes to the winner of the game annually.

Grace King jumped out to a 26-14 lead at halftime but Riverdale coach Kyle Walker was not phased.

“We started out a little slow on offense but we just couldn’t score,” Walker said. “We gave up some big plays in the first half and fell down by two scores. We remained calm, told the kids we could win. We came out in the second half and scored, they fumbled the kickoff and we scored again to take the lead.”

Grace King responded with a score to recapture the lead but Riverdale came back and recaptured the lead. The Fighting Irish then had a chance but muffed a punt and Riverdale recovered to clinch the win.

Dax Boesch scored three touchdowns in the second half to pace the Riverdale attack.

“Dax is just a freshman and I relied on him,” Walker said. “We rushed for over 400 yards tonight. We had two freshman running backs and a freshman quarterback starting. The offensive line stayed tough.”

Byron Perrilate scored one touchdown and Luis Enriquez added the other touchdown for the Rebels.

“It’s huge, it was Homecoming Week and we had lost The Rag last year,” Walker said. “That’s the largest student section I’ve ever seen at any school I’ve ever been at. They get to celebrate at the Homecoming Dance tomorrow now. It was great for alumni and it is great to get that first win.”

Riverdale punished the Fighting Irish on the ground, amassing 432 yards rushing.

Tyler Pascua punished the Rebels in the air as a force for Grace King, throwing five touchdown passes, two each to Eric Nicholas and Malcolm Jones while passing for 380 yards.

The Rebels (1-3) will now travel to Albany next Thursday night. The game had been scheduled for Saturday as a home game for Riverdale but Walker made the change to avoid any potential weather issues with the potential for a storm in the gulf later next week.

The Fighting Irish (1-3) will host Northlake Christian next Thursday night.

Louisiana Scores from Thursday, Sept. 22
Acadiana 55, Lafayette 6
Byrd 25, Captain Shreve 20
Capitol 14, The Willow School 12
Central Catholic 48, Covenant Christian 12
Denham Springs 28, Franklinton 20
Dunham 20, Ascension Catholic 19
Grand Lake 26, Oakdale 20 (OT)
Hanson Memorial at Highland Baptist
Huntington 28, Northwood 20
Jeanerette 8, Centerville 0
Kenner Discovery 27, Patrick Taylor 20
Madison Prep 26, Parkview Baptist 7
North Vermilion 35, Loreauville 21
Pearl River 46, Independence 14
Pope John Paul II 35, Ben Franklin 16
Riverdale 34, Grace King 32
Rosepine 43, Vinton 6
Sophie B. Wright 36, Higgins 8
St. John 41, West St. Mary 0
St. Louis Catholic 45, Kinder 14
Winnfield 41, Jena 26