SEEING RED: R’heads scores 61 to win

GREENVILLE – Demetrius Younger is a beast.

The Riverheads senior ran for two touchdowns, averaged nearly 17 yards per tote with 134 yards on eight carries and returned a fumble 13 yards for another score as the Gladiators outlasted Shenandoah District rival Page County, 61-42 Friday.

And not to be outdone, teammate Cory Sandridge added three touchdowns and 183 yards as Riverheads moved to 5-1 (1-0 Shenandoah) on the season.

The Gladiators led 34-14 at the half and Younger made it 40-14 with his fumble recovery to open the third quarter.

“We were real crisp after the off week,” Robert Casto said. “We used the week to get healthy.”

Riverheads was never really threatened even though Page’s Dakota Wolf was a highlight reel in himself.

The senior quarterback completed 23-of-35 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 206 yards on 27 carries with three scores on the ground. He accounted for 443 of Page County’s 464 yards of offense.

But many of those yards came against the younger defense Casto employed in the second half.

“I really wanted to get my younger players in the game and play them more,” Casto said, “but [Wolf] was just too much of a force for us to play them very long.”

Sandridge opened the game with a 66-yard burst and his second run of two yards put the Gladiators on the board.

Younger’s 66-yard run on the fifth Riverheads play gave the hosts two scores in under two minutes.

Riverheads had 11 plays of more than 15 yards and were never really stopped by the Page defense. They finished with 508 total yards of offense.

Daniel Weekley added 98 yards on seven carries and added a first-quarter score and Kevin Cheung added a touchdown in the second quarter as Riverheads led by 20 at the half.

Riverheads continues district play at Central next week while winless Page (0-6, 0-1) hosts Buffalo Gap.