Cyclones Roll Past Neodesha, Advance to Sectional Round
The Riverside Cyclones made the trip down to Southeast Kansas on Friday night for a 2A regional playoff matchup against the Neodesha Blue Streaks.
When it was all said and done, it was Riverside heading home with a convincing 50-24 victory and another trip to the sectional round.
Once again, freshman running back Charles Hewins stole the show, continuing what is shaping up to be one of the best rushing seasons by a freshman in Kansas high school football history.
Unofficially, Hewins finished the night against Neodesha with 280 rushing yards and six touchdowns. That puts him well over 2,200 yards and 37 touchdowns on the season, both of which are single-season school records.
Riverside jumped out to a 14-6 lead after the first quarter, with Hewins providing touchdown runs of 11 and 18 yards. Neodesha scored on their first play on offense after the first Hewins touchdown on a 69-yard run by Camryn White to get within 8-6 early.
Hewins provided the lone score of the second quarter with a seven-yard touchdown run, giving the Cyclones a 22-6 halftime advantage. The Riverside defense also made its presence felt, coming up with two interceptions in the quarter. Grady Sigrist recorded the first, followed by Keagan Hughes.
Neodesha had an opportunity to put some points on the board before halftime but missed wide left on a 39-yard field goal attempt.
The Blue Streaks opened the third quarter with another touchdown run from White, this one covering 20 yards, to cut the Riverside lead to 22-12. However, that would be as close as Neodesha would get the rest of the night.
Hewins answered with two more touchdown runs in the third quarter, breaking loose for 41 yards before adding another from one yard out. The Cyclones carried a 36-18 lead into the final quarter.
Hewins put the exclamation point on his incredible night early in the fourth quarter, breaking free for a 68-yard touchdown run. Neodesha simply had no answer for the freshman, who continued to find running room regardless of what the Blue Streaks threw his way.
Kobe Koehler and Brooks Griffin also got in on the scoring late, connecting on Riverside's final touchdown of the night with a 34-yard pass right down the middle of the field.
In the first-ever meeting between the two schools, Riverside made it pretty clear which team was setting the pace. The Cyclones took care of business on the field, and the scoreboard left little room for debate.
Riverside advances to the sectional round for the second consecutive season and will hit the road next Friday night to take on No. 2-ranked Silver Lake.
That broadcast will be available live and free on the Silver Lake Channel, courtesy of MSC Sports.
