Hall-Putnam County hangs on to beat Riverdale for second win of season

SPRING VALLEY - After Hall-Putnam County went through the handshake line Friday at Richard Nesti Stadium, the Red Devils were rushed by the student section.

The Red Devils didn’t win a conference championship or clinch a playoff berth. But they hung on for a 35-32 win over Riverdale in a Three Rivers Conference crossover to snap a four-game losing streak and earn their second victory of the season.

“It feels great,” Hall junior running back/linebacker Aiden Redcliff said. “It’s what we’ve been working for. It was a close game last week, but we fell short. So it feels great, especially to go out on senior night like this.”

It was the second career win for first-year Hall coach Logan Larson, and it came against a Rams squad that entered fighting for a playoff berth at 3-4.

“That was a big win there,” Larson said. “That’s a good team and we knew we were going to have our hands full. They beat some teams that we lost to by a good amount. They had to win out to make the playoffs, so we knew they were going to come out hungry, but we had to send our seniors out right.

“We felt like we’ve gotten better throughout the season. We’ve made so much growth, so it’s nice to see it. It’s tough to win hard games. Our guys kept fighting and kept working. We stayed together, believed in our plan and we executed it.”

Redcliff played a huge part in the victory as he rushed for 200 yards on 31 carries, booted three punts and made several big defensive plays, including a fourth-down sack with 1:54 left.

“He’s there every day. He’s watching hours of film a week. Eventually, that work and that process comes to fruition,” Larson said. “We kept going with what they were giving us. We just kept running him. He’s a tough kid. He’s a smart kid. I can’t say enough about him. He played well on the defensive side. He’s kind of our quarterback on that side. He had a couple huge punts. He can kind of do everything for us.”

The Red Devils established Redcliff running up the middle on the first drive as he ran the ball on eight of Hall’s 10 plays, scoring on a 12-yard run to cap a possession that took 5:34 off the clock.

After the Rams responded with a 93-yard kick return touchdown from Caen Beckett, Redcliff answered with a big play of his own as he broke free for a 55-yard TD. Redcliff scored a 3-yard TD on Hall’s third drive to help the Red Devils to a 21-12 halftime lead.

“Our line played well,” Redcliff said. “They did what we’re supposed to. They pulled well. It all goes through them.

“They just kept executing and doing their jobs. I couldn’t do it without them.”

Braden Curran scored on a 2-yard run with 7:55 left in the third to put Hall up 28-12 and Redcliff gave the Red Devils a 35-18 lead with a 14-yard TD run with 9:48 left in the game before the Rams rallied. Kolton Kruse found Jackson Tegeler for an 18-yard TD pass with 7:38 left then Riverdale forced a three-and-out and the duo hooked up for a 77-yard TD on the Rams’ first play to cut their deficit to 35-32.

Hall had another three-and-out, but Redcliff’s punt pinned the Rams on the 9.

On fourth-and-16 from the 14, Redcliff sacked Kruse for a 12-yard loss to give the Red Devils possession with 1:54 left.

“Coach sent me,” Redcliff said. “I just ran right through the wing. He rolled out toward me. It just happened so fast. He just ran right to me.

“It felt great. That basically sealed the game.”

Still, the Rams had one last chance after stopping Hall on four plays inside the 5. Riverdale took over at its own 5 with 38.6 seconds left.

After an incomplete pass, the Rams ran a double reverse pass, but Hall’s Dylan Glynn intercepted it at the 40.

“We have to learn how to win games,” Larson said. “We’ve got to keep playing. Obviously, they were not going to quit. Their kids made some plays. But we kept fighting. That’s what you have to do against a good team. You have to keep playing and stay resilient. I’m super excited for the guys and I’m really proud of them.”