The Riverside-Brookfield football team didn’t necessarily need to play lights out to earn a win against Raby at Hanson Stadium on Saturday night. The Bulldogs did play well enough though to cruise past the Raiders 28-0 to notch their first win of the season.
The Bulldogs (1-2) actually saw “Saturday Night Lights,” literally and figuratively, twice against Raby when play resumed after a half-hour delay due to a problem with the stadium lights. RB quarterback Dylan Beketic tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to Alex Huffhines (5 catches, 56 yards) about a minute after play resumed at the 8:20 mark of the second quarter. The score capped off an impressive 18-play drive. Nick Callahan threw a pass to Ken Castle for a successful 2-point conversion, giving RB an 8-0 lead.
“After the bank of lights went out, I told our kids we’re going to face some adversity,” said RB coach Jason Rech. “We were in the middle of a great drive so it was important to finish it when we started playing again. Our players responded well and were very focused.”
With less than two minutes left before halftime, the Bulldogs scored 12 points to seize a 20-0 advantage. RB had a pair of safeties and Louis Verdin also raced 57 yards on a kickoff for a touchdown. Callahan consolidated Verdin’s special teams score with a successful 2-point conversion run into the end zone.
In the third quarter, the ubiquitous Callahan scored again on a 2-yard scamper and Andy Suzuki added a 2-point run to make the score 28-0.
The Bulldogs moved the ball well offensively, amassing 335 yards of total offense (250 rushing, 85 passing). Brad Bednar led the defense with seven tackles and two sacks, while Blake Beck, Mark Swift and Suzuki each had six tackles apiece.
Quarterback Chris Covington rushed for 72 yards on eight carries to lead Raby (2-1). The Raiders had a chance to score first with a first-and-goal at the RB 6; however, Callahan keyed the Bulldogs’ strong defensive stand when he batted down a pass.
RB faces host Rich East on Saturday at 1 p.m. Rich East beat Glenbard South 23-19 last week.
“Rich East has two really good running backs and they’re well-coached,” Rech said. “It’s going to be a challenge. Going on the road on a Saturday is something kind of new for us, but I like our chances.”
