MARION — The renewed rivalry game served its purpose.
Played on a Thursday night as the only high school football game in Marion County, there was a big crowd to see River Valley go to Elgin and return home on Aug. 21 with a 42-15 Week 1 victory.
“Offensively, I thought we did a good job of running the ball. We threw the ball well,” RV coach Matt Waddle said as the two programs met for the first time since RV won 62-7 in 2013. “Defensively, I thought we struggled a little bit and more than I expected to in stopping the run, but the kids played hard all night.”
Elgin coach Zack Winslow felt much the same way.
“It’s something for us to build on. I think we’ll be OK moving down the road. This is probably the best, most athletic and complete team we will face all season long,” Winslow said.
Early plays set tone
On the first play of the season, River Valley converted 79-yard hook-and-ladder for a touchdown from freshman Nolan Bailey. The defense forced a fumble two minutes later, then quarterback Carter Smith found receiver Carter Myers — a pair of basketball players playing football for the first time — for a 33-yard touchdown and a 14-0 lead.
“For the first time out under the lights, I thought we looked pretty sharp on offense,” Waddle said. “We wanted to start off the game with some fireworks and get the crowd excited and the kids excited and send a message to them. We worked that play a couple times in practice and did a good job of executing it.”
The Vikings nearly scored on their third series, but lost a fumble at the 1. They got a subsequent stop and then finished off their fourth drive with a J.J. Walton 1-yard run for a 21-8 lead late in the first half.
In the second half, the Vikes scored on their first three possessions to put the game away.
Eli Snyder caught a 27-yard rope from Smith, then Myers added a second TD with a 17-yard grab. RV made it a rolling clock midway through the fourth period when backup QB Owen Collins hit Logan Creps over the middle for a 25-yard score.
“It was good to get an early turnover and get a two-score lead and have that momentum,” Waddle said of his team’s start.
Elgin had its moments
The Comets responded to RV’s 14-0 spurt to start the game. Elgin built a 19-play drive that ate 11 minutes off the clock, culminating with a Jack VanGundy 2-yard TD run.
“Credit to Elgin. Their kids played hard and ran the ball well,” Waddle said. “They did what they needed to do to try to win the game and that’s control the clock and keep us off the field.”
In the series, four different players — VanGundy, Nate Freshour, Brennon Luikart and freshman QB Josh Harmon — all ran for first downs to keep it rolling.
“We had chances in the first half to be more efficient. We had a chance before halftime to maybe score and couldn’t finish. We played sloppy at times and there’s probably a dozen reasons for it, but at the end of the day we didn’t play good enough to have a chance,” Winslow said. “We’re going to highlight what we are capable of. We can’t do it once a game. It’s got to be much more consistent.”
VanGundy scored the team’s other touchdown late in the fourth period.
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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: River Valley, Elgin renew their football rivalry to open the Marion County 2025 season
Reporting by Rob McCurdy, Marion Star / Marion Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
