David Grooms
Brooks O'Brien was handed the starting quarterback job for Riverside Friday night.
David Grooms
Tamir Martin intercepted a pass and ran it back for a Riverside touchdown.
Scott Higginbotham (8) and Charlie Wright of Greer sandwich the Mauldin runner.
MAULDIN – The Mauldin Mavericks defeated a hurting Riverside Warriors team 56-21 Friday night in a high school football game.
Riverside was missing its top two quarterbacks and some linemen who were hurt in last week’s overtime win over J.L. Mann. Thursday's jayvee game with Mauldin was cancelled by Riverside.
Malden is 5-1 overall and won its Class AAAAA Region II opener. Riverside is 3-3 and 0-1 in the region.
Mauldin didn’t waste any time scoring its first points nearly three minutes into the game on a touchdown pass from quarterback Dre Harris to Averius Blakely.
The next two TDs came from Maverick’s defensive back Holden Groce when he intercepted passes from Riverside quarterback Brooks O’Brien and ran them back for scores. O’Brien, the regular senior wide receiver for Riverside, took over at quarterback for Andrew Brown and Logan DiBenedetto.
Aldemar Jimenez kicked all three first quarter extra points after touchdowns for a 21-0 lead.
Mitch Norman recovered a Riverside fumble and scored a touchdown, to make it three scores off of Warriors mistakes.
Blakely would see the end one two more times before the end of the half and with the PATs from Jimenez built Mauldin’s lead to 35-0.
Riverside defensive back Tamir Martin intercepted a pass from Harris near midfield and scored. Antoine Kahaleh’s PAT with 9:10 left in the third quarter moved the Warriors to within 35-7.
Freshman quarterback Dawson Conrad, spelling O’Brian, connected with Kris White in the end zone for the Warriors’ second touchdown with 7:55 left in the third quarter. Kahaleh’s extra point made it 35-14.
Harris then added a touchdown near the end of the third quarter for a 42-14 Mauldin lead.
Norman scored Mauldin’s final two touchdowns.
Riverside used some chicanery for its final TD when Tamir Martin faked a pitch to Robert Morrow running it back for a touchdown.
Riverside’s Nathan Tullos had 12 total tackles and Tamir Martin had two interceptions for a total of 60 yards.
Mauldin intercepted Riverside quarterbacks five times.
Hillcrest, 2-4, 0-1, visits Riverside next Friday at the Reservation. It will be homecoming for the Warriors.