Heavy rain and two turnovers helped Veterans make history in first round of playoffs

The Veterans Warhawks took advantage of sheets of heavy rain coming down in their matchup against the Riverdale Raiders Friday night.

A pair of turnovers early in the game helped the Warhawks knock off the Raiders 28-6 in the first round of the GHSA playoffs.

The weather became a factor early on as the wind helped create an interception for Veterans.

Riverdale quarterback Avaun Rucker was chased out of the pocket by the Warhawks defense. The throw wound up coming up short as defensive back Kedrek Smith moved under it to pick it off. This set up running back Lebron Fields for his first touchdown of the night.

On the next drive, the wet conditions caused a fumble by Rucker that allowed Tylon Chambers to recover it for the Warhawks. Running back Julian Barnes took advantage with a touchdown on the first carry of the drive.

The Raiders never fully recovered, mounting little offense the rest of the game against a stout Veterans defense.

“Really proud of our kids playing hard with the nasty weather,” Veterans head coach Milan Turner said.

The game turned into a showcase for the Warhawks’ two standout running backs as Fields and Barnes combined for four touchdowns Friday night. The pair helped pace the team and could be the key to Veterans success moving forward in the playoffs.

“I think we just had to come out and do what we always do with hard-nose physical football,” Fields said. “It has been what we have been all year. That is our thing.”

The team had few misses on a night, largely due to the weather. The only one that would cost the Warhawks came in the form of a botch hold on a field goal when they were up 14-0. The Raiders would score their only touchdown of the night on the drive following the turnover on downs by the Veterans.

In the second half, Barnes and Fields powered the offense to a pair of scores while the defense continued to prove to be the strength of the Warhawks team.

The win is the first playoff win at Veterans for Turner and just the second in school history. The moment didn’t prove too big for the team against Riverdale.

“It is huge. It the first time the school has ever won nine games,” Turner said. “It is big two years back-to-back going to the playoffs. Now here in year two we get over the hump.”

Next up for the Warhawks will likely be Carrollton, as they led 42-14 over Arabia Mountain in the third quarter.

Carrollton’s offense is one of the most explosive in the state with just two games under 30.

The Warhawks would be forced to go on the road in that matchup.

“I would expect Carrollton to win. They are like number one in the state right now,” Turner said. “Obviously they are a great football team...that is going to be a huge challenge for us but I tell our guys all the time control the controllables.”

This story was originally published November 15, 2019 at 11:03 PM.