It’s back this year.
Well, the Riverbank High School football program already got its start for the season, last Saturday, over in Oakland.
What’s back is the return of Trans-Valley League schools to the Bruins’ football season lineup. Those games will come later in the season.
The varsity team played the Trojan-Warriors of Madison Park Academy in a rare, afternoon pre-season game on Aug. 18. And they rolled to an impressive 51-7 victory.
The line score shows Riverbank scoring 22 points in the first quarter, 13 in the second, six in the third and 10 points in the fourth frame. Madison’s lone score came in the fourth quarter.
According to coach Kit Jory, “the only thing we lost at this game was the coin toss.”
He credited his kickoff teams’ deep kick into the “coffin corner,” sticking Madison Park’s offense back inside the five-yard line. And he said the Bruins’ initial defensive effort, including team tackling on that first snap, provided a fumble recovery inside that Trojan-Warrior five yard line.
“The offense took the field,” he said, “and on a single play, scored, with junior DeOndre Davis running up the middle, followed by senior Igor Ventreschi’s successful extra point kick in his first varsity football game ever.”
On the ensuing kickoff, the Madison receiver was hit by “a Riverbank cruise missile wearing the number four,” Jory noted. “DeOndre Davis took him off his feet midfield, causing the ball to launch out of his hands and land perfectly in a Bruin player’s arms.”
For the rest of the day the offense took kept the Knights at bay and lengthened the lead with “score after score,” the proud coach reported.
“First, junior Bryce Martin connected with senior Brian Porter on a 20-yard touchdown pass. Then Nate Alanis finessed his way into the end zone on a 12-yard run.” Jory explained. “After a defensive penalty moved the ball within a yard and a half of the goal line, Martin wandered into the end zone for a successful two point conversion.”
Jory said the defense represented the heart of Riverbank throughout the game by limiting Madison Park to only 13 yards rushing and holding them scoreless until late in the fourth quarter, when the host team was finally able to take advantage of some personnel mismatches when the Bruins went to their bench.
The head coach made a point of giving credit to the rest of his staff:
“We went in with a game plan and executed it safely. The team accomplished everything that we wanted to do as well as working well together and displaying professionalism, representing Riverbank’s athletic programs extremely well,” said Jory.
The JV Bruins have a road game set for Thursday, Aug. 23 at Ripon Christian High School in Ripon at 7 p.m.
The next game for the varsity Bruins has them traveling to Clarksburg to play Delta High School on Friday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m.
Lady Bruin Volleyball
Girls varsity volleyball was set to begin with the Foundation Game on Monday, Aug. 20, hosting Johansen High from Modesto. Tuesday, they were scheduled to go to Jackson to take on Argonaut High School. Thursday, Aug. 23, they’re set to go to Downey High, also in Modesto, continuing the preseason schedule.
Their first home game is on the schedule for Monday, Aug. 27, when Gustine comes to town.
Girls Golf
The Lady Bruin linksters were to travel to Ripon Christian this past Monday and to Hilmar yesterday.
They’re to host Livingston at the Escalon Golf Course on Thursday, Aug. 23.
Cross Country
Both boys and girls cross country teams are to begin their season on Friday, Aug. 24 at the Lodi Flame Invitational.
