Early season games at Thomas Field on the North Cross campus usually present challenges for teams and fans alike.
With no lights, the Raiders play their games on Saturday afternoon, typically leading to leg cramps for the combatants, plenty of water bottles and sweltering conditions for fans.
Saturday afternoon in the season home opener, North Cross found a way to spell relief: R-O-M-P.
Taking advantage of an early Virginia Episcopal strategy call that fell short, North Cross never looked back in routing the Bishops from Lynchburg 54-0.
It was a measure of revenge for North Cross, who had fallen to VES by two touchdowns in last November’s VIS Division III state championship played in the Hill City.
“We felt like we wanted to settle the score,” North Cross head coach Stephen Alexander said afterward.
It was a stunning turnaround from the 66 points the Raider defense surrendered last week in their season-opening loss at Nansemond-Suffolk.
“It was a 4 1/2 hour trip to a tough, hostile environment last Friday night,” Alexander noted. “Today, we showed we’re growing up.”
The Raiders wasted no time in turning on the burners from both sides of the ball.
VES took the opening kickoff and after three plays decided to go for it on fourth-and-four near midfield rather than punt to control field position.
The Bishops came up short and North Cross found the end zone two plays later when senior quarterback Max Revercomb connected with junior Jordan Lowery on a 44-yard toss.
On their next possession, Revercomb hit Dre Colston for a 2-yard TD pass that made it 14-0 with 2:58 left in the first quarter.
Things only got worse for VES on their next possession when the Raider defense got in the act. Starting deep in Bishop territory, It only took 36 seconds for Raider sophomore Lucas Arnold to pick off an errant Paddy Cotter pass and return it 8 yards for the third Raider score. 21-0 with 2:22 remaining.
In the second quarter, Revercomb hit Justin Wright on a 7-yard TD pass before Mo Garrison went pick-six on a 49 interception of a Cotter toss. Garrison put the dagger in deeper with eight seconds left in the half when he took it in on a 2-yard yard run that sent the teams to the halftime break with the Raiders comfortably ahead 41-0.
By rule, with the point differential over 35, the clock ran continuously in the second half, much to the delight of fans, the refs and a number of legs.
North Cross added a score in the third frame on a Revercomb pass to freshman Nariq Bailey. Raider freshman backup QB Cameron Ford finished the damage midway through the fourth when he threw a 60-yard bomb to Justin Jensen that put the exclamation point on the victory.
“Max had a great day,”Alexander added. “We’re starting to expect it. And, Arnold had two interceptions. Now, we need a great week to prepare for next Saturday. You can’t just show up.”
Things don’t get easier for the Raiders as Blessed Sacrament-Huguenot visits Thomas Field this Saturday for another mid-afternoon showdown.
Bill Turner
