Five Minute Introduction: Riverside

School: Riverside
Nickname: Rebels
Colors: red and black
Stadium: Rebel Stadium
State championship: 2007
Times worth remembering: The Rebels’ only two championship-game appearances came in back-to-back seasons in 2006 and 2007. Combined, the Rebels went 19-3 those two seasons, losing the title game in 2006 but winning it in 2007 — the first state football championship for both the school and the community. Of Riverside’s 22 opponents, 17 were held to single-digit scoring.
Times worth forgetting: In its short history, Riverside has been a fairly consistent winner, but it took a few years to build the program. Riverside’s first five seasons were all losing campaigns, including a 1-7 season in 1988, the program’s second full-fledged season as the Rebels.
Best team: The 2006 and 2007 Rebels were near mirror-images of each other, and although the 2006 team had the better record, the 2007 team won the state title. The nod goes to the ’07 team in this case — that season, the Rebels won their three playoff games by a combined four points.
Biggest win: If you’re going to win a state championship, you might as well win it in style. That’s how the Rebels won their first and only state title in 2007. Down 20-13 late in the fourth quarter to Big Horn and with the ball on its own 1-yard line, Riverside drove 99 yards in six plays — capped with a scoring run by QB Matt Craft — to trim the lead to 20-19. Then, with the title at stake, the Rebels went for two, and Chanse Darling scooted across the line for the winning points.
Heartbreaker: The 2007 title-game victory was made a bit sweeter because of what happened in 2006. Carrying an unblemished 10-0 record into the championship game on its home field, the Rebels played almost a perfect game defensively against Southeast, allowing only 56 yards while forcing 11 punts. But the Rebels’ offense never got moving, and Riverside lost 8-6 — providing all the motivation needed for the 2007 title run.

Riverside team page.