Winless just a few years ago, Two Rivers moves to 7-0

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sometimes, I just feel like I need to check out what is going on with a team. Going into Thursday night's game, I knew I might not be in for a close game. However, the Two Rivers Warriors were off to a 6-0 start. Just three years ago, they suffered through a winless season. So, I settled in to watch the Warriors take on the 3-3 St. Paul Central Minutemen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Minutemen were riding a three-game winning streak of their own, but it didn't take long for the host Warriors to take control. Central was moving the ball on their opening drive, but they dialed up a deep ball down the middle of the field. Warriors' defensive back <strong>Lamont Michaels</strong> picked off the pass and weaved sixty yards down the field for a pick-six for the home team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the defense right back on the field, the defensive backs continued to control the game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1120548' first='Johnny' last='Laugerman']</strong> broke on a deep out and got his hands on the pass, forcing an incompletion. Michaels got involved again, undercutting a route and knocking away a pass – forcing a punt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Warriors' offensive line took control of the game from the first drive. <strong>Nathan O'Brien</strong> registered a pancake block on the first set of downs, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1272765' first='Ramzi' last='Rislove']</strong> got the corner for a thirty-yard gain. That set up a short touchdown run for Rislove and a 15-0 lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"The big guys – those guys are my dogs," Rislove said. "It was really all up to them."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Central hit a deep ball to get into the red zone, but another turnover kept the Minutemen off the scoreboard. The Central running back gave up on a pass into the flat. The problem was that it was a backward pass. The Warriors' <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1257444' first='Cole' last='Altavilla']</strong> jumped on the ball just before it rolled out of bounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rislove ripped off a twenty-yard run to start the drive. <strong>Rory Shuler</strong> grabbed back-to-back balls from quarterback <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1257234' first='Drew' last='Altavilla']</strong>. The second was low and well out in front of him, but he showed great hands, bringing in the ball for a first down. Altavilla then changed the play at the line of scrimmage because he saw a blitz coming. The adjustment paid off. The junior quarterback threw a quick pass into the flat to <strong>Lonnie West</strong>. He made a pair of Minutemen miss in the open field and raced into the end zone for a 46-yard touchdown catch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We just came out with energy, Rislove said. "The last few games, we came out slow. It all started with practice this week. We brought more energy and came together as a family."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1525258,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/10/Ramzi-crop-1383x908-1728620754.jpg?w=800" alt="" class="wp-image-1525258" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">[player_tooltip player_id='1272765' first='Ramzi' last='Rislove']</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The route was on. After <strong>Mason Krupenny</strong> stuffed a run for a short loss and Ryder Harahan knocked down another pass, Central lined up to punt. The snap was low, and <strong>Charles Ruchlicki</strong> was able to tackle the punter inside the ten-yard line. Central's <strong>Lavonte Cox</strong>, who might have been the most impressive player on the field despite his team's defeat, made two outstanding plays on the goal line to force a field goal. The kick made the score 25-0.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The undefeated Warriors kept pouring it on. The defensive line was just as dominant for the Warriors as the offensive line was. They were too big and too physical for the Minutemen to handle. A sack by Krupenny forced another punt. Then, on offense, Krupenny ran between the tackles and bounced the run outside once he got to the second level. He wouldn't stop running until he capped off a 30-yard touchdown run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We had a young team last year," Rislove said about this year's success. "Now, we have built on that. We are all connected and have put in the work.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rislove found the end zone again for his second touchdown of the half, pushing the Warriors' lead to 39-0 at the half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The offensive fireworks would stop in the second half. Both teams would find the end zone one time – the Warriors' touchdown was set up by a spectacular diving catch by Laugerman. Two Rivers stayed undefeated with a final score of Two Rivers 45 St. Paul Central 7.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->