Scouting Notebook: Riverdale rolls past Blackman

<p>Rutherford County has been home to the best public school region in the entire state lately and the depth keeps improving every year. On Friday night, an exciting matchup was scheduled between Blackman and Riverdale, a game that would be a measuring stick for both programs.</p>   <p>The Blaze reached the state semifinals last season, but are brand new with both coaches and players. The Warriors were beat up in the second round, but have improved the size on the team this season. This game would go a long way for the outlook of this specific 6A region.</p>   <p>Several players for both programs stepped up and stood out as Riverdale claimed a 38-14 road victory.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Riverdale 2027 QB [player_tooltip player_id='1287058' first='Gavin' last='Hampton']</h2>   <p>The passing game took a little bit to get going, but the quarterback's ability to escape sacks by stepping up into the pocket and scrambling proved to be vital, extending the drive on multiple occasions on an opening drive that ended in a touchdown.</p>   <p>Once the passing game got going, it was hard to stop as the Mississippi State commit continues to thrive hitting receivers over the middle of the field, connecting with his receivers in that part of the field for three straight touchdowns to put the game away.</p>   <p>He did throw an interception late in the game from trying to force the issue, but overall a strong night from the signal caller.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/TheScoutingSpot/status/2096036619740426599?s=20 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Blackman 2028 QB [player_tooltip player_id='1217665' first='Chase' last='Bell']</h2>   <p>The final statline for the Blackman quarterback was likely not too great, but he had a strong outing in his one half of play. He has legit arm talent that helps him deliver throws with excellent velocity.</p>   <p>He was under duress during the entirety of his outing as a strong Riverdale front wreaked havoc, but he showed an innate ability to evade initial pressure and extend plays while keeping his eyes downfield. The pressure eventually pushed the offense to adjust their focus to quicker passes where his arm talent was evident as he could hit passes to both the boundary and field side with ease.</p>   <p>He showed his grit and winning nature to put his team on the scoreboard during the final play of the first half. On this play, he would not be denied and ran in a touchdown and taking a massive hit that ultimately kept him out during the second half.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/2096053257768411425?s=20 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Riverdale 2029 RB [player_tooltip player_id='1641069' first='Jordan' last='Turner']</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1641069' first='Jordan' last='Turner'] played a large role in the second half as everyone got an extended look at the future of the Riverdale offense.</p>   <p>The sophomore tailback impressed with his play between the tackles, showing the ability to cut through the mess at the line of scrimmage as well as keep his legs churning and pick up the tough yards once wrapped up.</p>   <p>He is a young running back prospect that could earn a large role as the season progresses and could be tough to keep off the field for the Riverdale offense.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Riverdale 2027 WR [player_tooltip player_id='1103038' first='Brylan' last='Oduor']</h2>   <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1103038' first='Brylan' last='Oduor'] is starting his senior season in dominant fashion and that continued to the third game of the season, where he hauled in a pair of touchdown receptions over the middle of the field.</p>   <p>With his strong frame plus hands, natural movement ability and change of direction, he is nearly impossible to cover across the middle of the field, something that will translate strongly to the SEC level for the Auburn commit. As a runner after the catch, the strong frame was evident as it consistently took multiple defenders to bring him down.</p>   <p>Overall, he has rounded out his game and has every trait to be a successful receiver in this game for a very long time.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/shaynep_media/status/2096048516099387433?s=20 </div></figure>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Blackman 2027 WR Max Wilcox</h2>   <p>Blackman was in need of offensive playmakers to step up and deliver this season and the Blaze have received strong returns from a couple of players. One of those players has been senior Max Wilcox and he delivered again against Riverdale.</p>   <p>He quickly became the top target for Bell during the final drive of the first half that resulted in a touchdown run. He consistently was able to pick up yardage after the catch, which proved crucial for the offense's ability to move the ball down the field.</p>   <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" />   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Riverdale 2027 IDL [player_tooltip player_id='1648682' first='James' last='Stewart']</h2>   <p>Riverdale was dominant up front from start to finish and that all began with defensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1648682' first='James' last='Stewart'], fi</p>   <p>He held a constant presence in the backfield and was a massive reason why Blackman was not able to establish their strong rushing attack in this game. His provided some splash plays in this aspect, recording a tackle for loss on 4th-and-short to force a turnover on downs and practically seal the win.</p>   <p>He showed his pass rushing upside from a couple of interior alignments as well, finishing with a sack and a handful of hurries.</p>   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/TheScoutingSpot/status/2096068830841733581?s=20 </div></figure>

Rutherford County has been home to the best public school region in the entire state lately and the depth keeps improving every year. On Friday night, an exciting matchup was scheduled between Blackman and Riverdale, a game that would be a measuring stick for both programs.