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The Rice Raiders showed their apperception for the teachers at Rice Consolidated High School by delivering a 63-0 victory over the Danbury Panthers on Friday, Oct. 6, on Teacher Appreciation Night.
The Raiders offense was frustrated last week after scoring only one touchdown in a tight defensive game so this week they decided to throw the ball around the yard.
Freshman quarterback Kordae Johnson would have his best showing under center for the Raiders this season, completing nine of his 15 pass attempts, which is a 60% completion percentage for the freshman. Johnson would stack up 219 yards through the air with his longest completion being 55 yards.
Johnson also an open receiver in the endzone to make his stat line that much more impressive with three touchdowns to his name. Malik Tolliver, Roger Gradney and D’Neriyan Fuller were the recipients of the three touchdown passes Johnson threw Friday night.
Tolliver led all receivers with four catches for 74 yards with Jon Woods right behind him with three catches for 50 yards. Gradney and Fuller would each catch on pass for 40 and 50 yards respectively.
The Raiders also ran the ball really well against the Panthers Friday night racking 208 total rushing yards on Friday. Braeden James and Fuller were tasked with manning the back field and they delivered.
James would carry the ball 10 times for 116 yards, finding the endzone one time, while Fuller carried the ball seven times for 42 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively the Raiders would post a shutout and it was thanks to the team tackling well and filling gaps in a hurry as well as taking the ball away. The Raiders effective tackle and ability to disrupt the line of scrimmage allowed for them to keep the Panthers offense to only 51 yards of total offense.
The Raiders would secure two turnovers in Friday’s game against the Panthers. The defense forced and recovered a fumble giving Johnson and the offense more time to put more points on the board.
Sophomore defensive back Keundric Pratt added to the stellar defense performance Friday by climbing the ladder and snatching the ball out of the air for an interception. A very strong defense coupled with a a high-flying offense helped the Raiders secure their first win of the district season.
The Raiders will look to build on this big district win as they prepare to travel to play the Boiling Bulldogs on Friday, Oct. 13, in Boiling, TX for their next district matchup.
