The Riverside Academy Rebels fell to the Ascension Catholic Bulldogs with a score of 38-31 on Friday, Nov. 18 in the second round of playoffs to end their 2022 season.

The Rebels fought to the last minute as they trailed in the first  quarter, 17-7. But the Rebels scored 22 points in the third quarter and even tied the game at 31 with about 6:00 remaining. But the Bulldogs scored on a long play with 4:35 remaining to take the win. While it was a tough loss, the Rebels made a statement by going 9-2 this season following a 2-8 season last year.

Senior defensive back Cade Middleton had a little to say about the loss.

“I feel good about the outcome of the season,” he said. “It was a big turnaround from last year going 2-8 and this year going 9-2. It was a sad loss but we could have done things better as a team to have the outcome that we wanted.”

“I would say we definitely underachieved,” senior running back Elijah “Bill” Davis said. “We came out really flat as a team. But I would say, as a whole, I’m proud of what we did in the regular season. We just came up short in the post-season. I think we definitely put everyone on notice and I just hope everybody, from all he freshman that are coming up to the seniors next year, I hope they take account for what we did and build on it and hopefully they can make a run at it next year.”

“We definitely underachieved,” said senior quarterback Luke Hymel. “We didn’t play to our full ability and the outcome showed that. It feels good to set a standard, but I feel like we could have done more for the program.”

Coach Lee Roussel wrapped up up the season saying, “When I first got here I was more focused on establishing a new culture for the team and the locker room and just laying down a foundation for the future. When you go 9-1 (in the regular season) you want more and you want to see those seniors keep playing. I’m proud of the outcome and of the seniors making a 2-8 team a 9-1 team in one year and setting a standard.”

The Rebels will lose nine seniors including Elijah Davis, Charles Floyd, Emmanuel Franklin, Terrell Hillard, Luke Hymel, Thomas Mazzella, Cade Middleton, Alex Ross, and Scott White.