Teams at opposite ends of Region 6AAAAAA will meet tonight when River Ridge travels to Allatoona.

 

The Knights (3-5, 0-5) were officially eliminated from playoff contention last week with their fifth straight loss. The Buccaneers (5-3, 4-1) clinched their playoff berth with their third straight win and are still in the hunt for the region championship.

 

“You want to be playing well at the end of the year,” Allatoona coach Gary Varner said. “We have a lot of young kids, and we’ve been struggling some offensively. When you get to the playoffs, that’s when it really matters, so we want to see some improvement in these last two games.”

In an effort to save its season, River Ridge scored 14 points in the fourth quarter of last week’s 17-14 loss to Sprayberry.

 

It was the first multi-score game for the Knights since quarterback Gino Portera was lost to a season-ending injury Aug. 25, and while coach Tyler Wynn said it was good to see, he knows his best hope still lies with his defense.

 

“It’s been tough enough for us just to score points,” he said. “To try to score a ton probably isn’t the answer. The biggest thing for us is going to be to limit the snaps they get on offense and have some sustained drives. We need some turnovers and not turn the ball over ourselves.”

 

Leading the River Ridge offense will be sophomore Chase Begin for the third straight week. Begin was 5-of-12 passing for 63 yards and an interception last week, and things will only get tougher this week.

 

Wake Forest-committed defensive end Royce Francis (six sacks) leads an Allatoona defense that has dropped its points-per-game average from 23.3 to 13 in region play.

 

“I think we’ve played good defense all year, but they’ve been improving all year long,” Varner said. “I think that’s what I like the most. They haven’t been satisfied, and each week, they’ve gotten a little bit better.”

 

Offensively, the Buccaneers have not evolved at the same pace.

 

They tied their season-low with 10 points last week, and it could be tough sledding again after Daniel Parsons left the game in the fourth quarter with an apparent lower-body injury following his 28th carry of the game.

 

“We hope he’ll be able to go,” Varner said of Parsons. “We’re getting some other guys ready just in case. He’s been hobbled a little bit, but he’s trying to get back in it.”

 

Daniel Uwoamah (seven tackles for loss) has led River Ridge’s efforts against the run this season. Relying on their size up front, the Knights have done well against the run this season, but stopping whoever gets the carries for Allatoona will be important.

 

“We need to wrap up,” Wynn said. “I’ve been impressed with all of their running backs. You can’t give them multiple opportunities with missed tackles.”

 

About the Game
Game: River Ridge (3-5, 0-5) at Allatoona (5-3, 4-1), 7:30 p.m. today
Last year: Allatoona 45, River Ridge 14
All-time series: Allatoona leads 1-0
Prediction: Allatoona 21, River Ridge 7