OAKLEY, CA - Freedom running back Ronnie Rivers led the way for an explosive Falcons offense in the second half, as he finished with a school-record 387 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns to lift Freedom to a 65-28 victory over Antioch.
"We rose to the occasion and played pretty well in the second half," said Freedom coach Kevin Hartwig.
Antioch (3-3, 0-1 BVAL) led 22-17 at halftime, but Freedom (6-0, 1-0) has been a second half team all season long, and Friday night was no exception. The Falcons scored 34 straight points to finish the game.
"We said that we were gonna run the ball in the second half and we came out and did a pretty good job of doing that," said Hartwig.
Najee Harris led Antioch's offense with 198 yards rushing on 23 carries, and three touchdowns, including a 32-yard run which gave the Panthers their halftime advantage. He was limited to just 64 second-half yards, however.
Rivers got things going for the Falcons in the third quarter. His four-yard score gave Freedom a lead it would never relinquish, and his two-yard score made it 31-22 with 6:15 left in the third quarter. Harris' 12-yard run cut the lead to 31-28 on Antioch's next possession, but Rivers broke loose for a 61-yarder, a mere 38 seconds later, starting the string of 34 unanswered points. Rivers' 18-yard run made it 45-28 by the end of the third quarter.
Rivers added two more scores in the fourth quarter, before Elijah Jackson capped things with a 12-yard scoring run.
The Freedom defense also played big, forcing six turnovers, including four interceptions. Senior safety Cory Cox had two interceptions in the game.
Antioch started the game off fast, scoring with 10:24 left in the first quarter, on a three-yard touchdown by Harris. Freedom answered back with 7:47 left in the first quarter on a 14-yard touchdown throw by quarterback Jonathan Pierce to wide receiver Giles Jackson. Antioch scored with five seconds left in the first on a 10-yard pass from quarterback Willem Karnthong to wide receiver Issac Freytes to give Antioch a 16-7 lead. Rivers answered right back, scoring 12 seconds later on a 60-yard run for a touchdown.
Rivers' seven rushing touchdowns tied a school record previously only held by current Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon.
Freedom hosts Deer Valley next week, while Antioch will look to bounce back against Liberty.
