.gif)
RICE RAIDERS 23, BOLING BULLDOGS 16
The Rice Raiders are undefeated through five weeks of play after they defeated Boling 23-16 on Friday, Sept. 27, for their first district win of the year.
Yes, that is correct. The Rice Raiders currently hold an undefeated overall record and an undefeated district record.
The Raiders were led by their rushing attack that was spearheaded by Dyren Johnson, Kordae Johnson and RJ Myers who combined for 28 carries for 88 yards and three touchdowns.
The Raiders relied on their defense heavily and comparing the Raiders from last year to this year, it is plain to see why. With that being said let us go back and compare the two and where they stood five weeks into the season.
Traveling back to just one year ago the Raiders, at this point in the season they held onto a 3-2 record. Defensively they had given up 135 points and were struggling to find any sort of stability on either side of the ball.
This season there is a different feel on defense for the Raiders, they are a little bit meaner, tough and overall, just crave victories. Not just victories on the scoreboard that one goes without saying, they crave victories on every single snap of the ball.
The defensive line leads the charge in that manner by just completely and utterly dominating every single offensive line placed in front of them. They rip through the line and unapologetically throw the opposing quarterback, running back and any other position that dare come out of the back field to the ground.
They set the tone for this team, forcing multiple turnovers every game this season and Friday was no different. They forced and recovered two fumbles and helped provide the stability they so desperately sought after last season.
The defensive stability is huge for the Raiders because while the offense is loaded with talent, they still have a young quarterback that is still developing. There is no denying how good Kordae Johnson is and is going to be no one is denying that, well no one in their right mind anyway.
But to have a defense that goes out and can shift all the momentum in a game no matter what happens on offense is huge, especially for a young quarterback. It allows him to play as free and loose as he wants and just play his game.
Johnson’s playmaking ability shines through because they are not playing from behind like last season. The stability on defense is leading to plays being made on offense and in turn the Raiders have been rewarded with a 5-0 start and a 1-0 record in district.
The Raiders will be back in action on Friday, Oct. 4, when they travel to East Bernard looking to pick up their second district win of the year.
