Raiders coach Quintin Lewis earns statement victory over his former coach and mentor, Leon’s Ricky Bell, in a Tallahassee showdown.
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Rickards dominates Leon 41-7 in long-awaited cross-town rivalry renewal six years in the making
Four miles separate Leon and Rickards high schools but it had been six years since the two Tallahassee programs met on the gridiron. After a storm forced their original matchup to be postponed, the wait was finally over and Rickards made it one to remember, taking down Leon 41-7.
The game carried extra meaning, with Rickards head coach Quintin Lewis taking on his former coach and mentor, Leon’s Ricky Bell.
The Lions entered the night at 7-2, while the Raiders came in at 4-5. Despite the difference in records, both teams were looking to claim bragging rights in a cross-town matchup that hadn’t been seen in six years.
The action started immediately. On the first play from scrimmage, Leon’s Kayden Ray came down with an interception, giving the Lions an early spark. But after Leon was forced to punt, Rickards’ Davion Crumitie fielded it and took it all the way back to the house. The Raiders struck first, taking a 7-0 lead.
Rickards was just getting started. With the score 14-0, Caleb Knipple dropped back, looked deep, and Malik Salters jumped the pass and took it to the house for six. The Raiders continued to pour it on early, extending their lead to 28-0 after the first quarter.
Rickards picked up right where it left off to start the second quarter. Adyn Grant broke free and took it 61 yards to the house. The extra point was no good, and Rickards extended its lead to 34-0.
Into the second half, the Raiders continued their dominance. Grant found the end zone once again for his second rushing touchdown of the night. After six years without this cross-town matchup, the Raiders made quite the statement.
“It’s amazing man, it’s kinda surreal. The guy that was kinda instrumental in raising me to where I am now, I know it was Rickards vs Leon right there but it’s kinda bittersweet causes he’s on the other sideline right there, he’s still a Rickards Redskins Raider in my heartthey just really played hard tonight, it’s probably the best collection of effort that we got all season right now, we’re starting to gel at the right time and hopefully we can take that momentum into the playoffs next week,” Lewis said.
Rickards entered at 4-5 but walked away with a 34-point win over their cross-town rivals, a night six years in the making and one the Raiders won’t soon forget.
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