Coming off of a bye week, the Starr’s Mill football team cruised to an easy victory over the Riverdale Raiders. After jumping out to a quick 21-7 lead in the first quarter, the Panthers didn’t look back and handily defeated the Raiders 37-19.

“We played well as a unit,” senior quarterback Joey DeLuca said. “But there is never going to be a perfect game.”

All of the Mill’s 410 total yards came on the ground, with seniors Cole Gilley, Nick Brown, and Mitch Prowant receiving most of the carries. Gilley led all of the running backs with 165 yards on nine attempts and two touchdowns. Sophomore Kalen Sims also contributed for the Panthers, scoring twice on just five rushes.

Sophomore running back Phalon Daniels led the Riverdale offense. Daniels ran the ball 21 times, picking up 166 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman quarterback Avaun Rucker completed 12 of his 21 passes for 140 yards, throwing one touchdown and one interception.

“We ran the ball well against Riverdale,” head coach Chad Phillips said. “Having Cole back in the lineup made a big difference.”

Starr’s Mill received the opening kickoff and made quick work of the Raiders’ defense. On the fourth play of the drive, Sims broke off a 36-yard touchdown to give the Panthers an early 7-0 lead. On the defensive side of the ball, senior linebacker Charlie Mizzell interrupted the ensuing Riverdale drive with an interception that he returned to the Raiders 21-yard line. Two plays later, Gilley punched the ball into the endzone from a yard out, and the Panthers increased their lead to 14.

Riverdale’s offense briefly returned to the field for five plays, then punted the ball back to the Mill. DeLuca opened the Panther series with a 17-yard run, and Brown followed with a 27-yard dash. Brown finished the drive with a 4-yard touchdown run.

“[Senior] Ryan Cockes and [junior] Carson Walter made a huge difference on defense,” Phillips said. “It was great to have them working back in game shape.”

The Raider offense was able to put together a scoring drive to cut into the deficit. The series consisted of seven plays, covering 59 yards. Daniels put Riverdale on the board with a 19-yard touchdown run, but the Raiders still trailed 21-7 with three minutes left in the first quarter.

The Panthers fourth drive of the game resulted in their fourth touchdown on the night. A 5-play, 69-yard drive saw Gilley burst past the Raider defense for a 33-yard touchdown that increased the lead to 27-7.

Riverdale’s next two drives both ended with a turnover-on-downs, and the Panthers managed a punt and and a field goal on their final two drives of the half. The Panthers went to the locker room with a 30-7 lead.

“I thought that personally I could have thrown better passes and made better reads,” DeLuca said. “But everyone else did their job.”

The Raiders opened the second half with another turnover-on-downs, but their defense forced another punt. The next Riverdale drive only lasted one play, as Rucker threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to bring the Raiders within 17. Each team traded a touchdown in the fourth quarter, and the Panthers improved to 8-1 with a 37-19 win over Riverdale.

“[Injured players returning] is a morale booster more than anything else,” DeLuca said. “It’s great to see everyone out practicing instead of sitting on the bench.”

The Raiders fell to 1-8 on the year, with the loss being their fifth in a row. Riverdale concludes their season on Nov. 2 against Griffin. The Bears are 8-1 this season, and can finish anywhere from first to third place in the region, depending on results from the other region games.

One of the biggest matchups of the week is Whitewater vs. McIntosh, as the Chiefs need a win if they want any chance of making the state playoffs, and Whitewater looks to finish as high as possible in the region. If McIntosh wins and Fayette County loses, the Chiefs take the fourth playoff spot, but if the Tigers win, they hold the tiebreaker over McIntosh. A Whitewater victory could place them at second if Starr’s Mill and Griffin both win, but if the Panthers and Bears fall, the Wildcats would win the region.

As for Starr’s Mill, they do not fully control their own playoff destiny. With the tiebreaker over Griffin and Whitewater, a win this Friday ensures the Panthers at least a home playoff game in round one of the AAAAA playoffs.  However, in order to win region 3-AAAAA, the Panthers need a win of their own and a Whitewater victory. Should Starr’s Mill lose to Fayette County, they would need the Bears and Wildcats to suffer the same fate in order to still maintain the tie-breaker.

“We are treating this [Friday’s] game like the first playoff game,” Phillips said. “There will be a sense of urgency this week.”

The Panthers regular season concludes at home against Fayette County. The fans will take part in a pink-out while the team honors their seniors before their final regular season game in Panther Stadium. The game is on Nov. 3, with kickoff at 7:30 p.m.