Wiregrass Ranch snaps 3-game losing skid, wins in double OT over River Ridge

WESLEY CHAPEL, FLORIDA- Down 15-0 at halftime versus River Ridge and facing the prospect of a 4-game losing streak in the face, something had to change for Wiregrass Ranch. 

Saturday morning at Bulls Stadium, the change was playing to the strength of their rushing attack and leaning on the offensive line. 

Wiregrass Ranch snapped a 3-game losing skid, defeating River Ridge 29-28 in a double overtime behind strong rushing efforts from Davion Brown and Kenny Walker. The Bulls improve to 2-4 and the Royal Knights fall to 3-4 on the season.

“We just had to come out and believe in ourselves and get the job done,” Wiregrass Ranch head coach Mark Kantor said. “We made a couple changes defensively. We made some great stops. They played fantastic today.” 

Kantor, who picked up career win No. 101, had to make changes across the board for the Bulls to reverse their fortunes against an improving Royal Knights team. Things started off shaky, however, for Wiregrass Ranch. 

River Ridge (3-4) opened up the scoring when quarterback Logan Howard (7-of-17, 91 yards) hit tight end Carson Cooley on a seven yard touchdown pass to put the Royal Knights up 8-0 in the first quarter. 

Finding consistency on the offensive end for River Ridge head coach Greg Miller and his group was difficult against an inspired Wiregrass Ranch defense. Howard ended up being sacked five times on the day. 

Wiregrass Ranch debuted sophomore Lincoln McManus as the team’s starting quarterback as the signal caller made some throws under pressure. McManus finished the day completing 7-of-16 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown. 

The Royal Knights increased their advantage to 15-0 late in the first quarter when Howard snuck it in from a yard out. Up by multiple scores, it seemed like River Ridge was in control of the game in all facets. 

The Bulls tried opening it up behind McManus, but the Royal Knights defense would prove difficult to unlock in the opening half. In the second half, Kantor and his staff switched up the approach and it worked wonders. 

Brown and Walker found running lanes throughout the second half, with the two combining for 100 yards rushing. The former rushed for a team-high 57 yards and scored twice along with catching three passes for 34. 

Down 15-7 in the fourth quarter, the Bulls mounted Their best drive of the game, ending in a 10-yard strike from McManus to Ohio State commit Bryson Rodgers and Walker scoring the 2-point made it 15-15. 

With 8:57 remaining in the game, both offenses somewhat sputtered the red of the game until the overtime periods. That’s when the offensive fireworks would begin. 

River Ridge started the first overtime period with a 6-yard touchdown pass from Howard to running back Sam Cheek (26 yards rushing; 32 yards receiving) to go up 22-15. Wiregrass Ranch answered with a 6-yard scoring run of its own from Walker to tie things up at 22-22. 

Starting off the second overtime period, Wiregrass Ranch scored on the first play on a 10-yard run by Brown. The Royal Knights scored on the ensuing possession but decided to go for the win on a 2-point try and it was stymied by the Bulls’ defense. 

“At halftime, we knew our mistakes,” Brown said. “We knew we needed to come out and capitalize. We came out and executed as a team.”

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.