When the playoff pairings were unveiled a week ago, the Rider Raiders
felt right at home. Literally. They were matched up against the Caprock
(Amarillo) Longhorns at their own home stadium, and they made the most of
the opportunity, coming away with a 35-14 win, and moving into the second
round. The game was the Raiders’first home playoff game in seven years.
Rider put the game squarely on the shoulders of their senior running
back, Deron Royster. He finished the game with 19 carries for 219 yards, a
season-high, and 3 touchdowns. J.T. Barrett added 70 yards to contribute to
the Raiders rushing attack. As a team, Rider finished the night with 411
yards on 41 carries.
Surprisingly enough, in this game, Caprock had the better stat in time
of possession, but they could only come away with one touchdown. They had
three drives of over 14 plays, with the lone score coming early in the 4th
quarter on an Addison Bustos touchdown run, his second of the night. That
score ended a 15 play, 91 yard drive for the Longhorns.
This game was really all but decided in the 2nd quarter, when Rider
went on an 8 play, 98 yard drive that ended in a 5 yard touchdown run by
Royster, making the score 28-0, Rider. Caprock got a score out of Bustos
just before the half, but they couldn’t overcome the 28-7 halftime score, a
stiff Rider defense, or the 93 yards in penalties they were flagged for.
Caprock finishes the season with an 8-3 record. Rider improves to 7-4,
and will next face El Paso Andress (10-1) this Saturday at 1 PM at Ratliff
Stadium in Odessa. Andress defeated Canutillo 35-28 in the first round.

Patrick Lowe – North Texas Analyst