Riverton offensive line, defense grind up Hillcrest

MIDVALE— It may be a lost art, a forgotten philosophy, a dying breed, but Riverton proved that the old philosophy of "3 yards and a cloud of dust" can still be a successful formula to winning a football game. The Silverwolves used a ball-control offense and a stingy defense to beat Hillcrest 21-7.

"I can't say enough about our defense and our offensive line," said Silverwolves' coach Mike Miller. "Our defensive coordinator Brent Hawkins did a great job preparing the guys to shut down a potent offense, and the line opened up enough holes for us to get the 'W'".

The final score was deceiving as Riverton scored two touchdowns in the final 2:04 of the game. For most of the game it was a defensive battle with Hillcrest doing most of its damage through the air, and Riverton content to pound it out on the ground.

The Silverwolves struck first with a 13-play, 99-yard drive that was capped off with a 13-yard Weston Ellis run to the endzone. The drive featured 13 running plays and one incomplete pass attempt. It was typical of the Riverton offense.

Hillcrest answered the score with a nine-play drive that covered 84 yards and was finished as Gavin Young hauled in a 14-yard pass from quarterback Chris Harris. The Huskies covered 87 yards — they had 15 yards in penalties — through the air. The teams traded punts the rest of the half and entered the locker room tied at 7-7.

Riverton continued grinding it out in the second half. Jordan Marshall kept making big runs following the blocks of his linemen Jake Gorringe, Patrick Weiss, Chris Julkenen, Alex Rigby, Matt Milkanan and tight end Corbin Farnsworth. Marshall finished with 200 yards on 23 carries. The Silverwolves finished with 360 yards rushing on 53 carries.

"Our linemen really stepped up," added Miller. "They are not the biggest line, but they kept fighting hard and got the job done."

Riverton controlled the ball by running, but it was quarterback Joe Schrader's only completion of the second half that turned the game. The Riverton defense forced a punt from the Hillcrest endzone and took over on the Huskies' 23-yard line. After moving it to the 10 on two runs, Schrader used a play-action fake to find Tyler Young wide open in the endzone with only 2:04 left in the game. Remington Russel returned an interception 37 yards for the final score.