Auburn Riverside’s comeback bid falls short against Lincoln, Abes win 28-21
It took a little more than a half, but the anticipated competitive battle between defending league champions finally broke out at Lincoln Bowl on Friday night.
Over the first two quarters, the host Lincoln Abes efficiently moved the ball up and down the field on visiting Auburn Riverside. Lincoln scored on its first three possessions of the game to build a 13-point lead at the half.
Only after the break did the Ravens turn this one into a game that came down to Riverside’s final offensive drive before the Abes secured the 28-21 non-league victory.
“They made the adjustments,” Lincoln coach Masaki Matsumoto said. “And made it much harder for us to score. They’re a good defense.”
That defense gave the defending North Puget Sound League champions a chance down the stretch. First, Auburn Riverside stopped a Lincoln drive by holding Navarre Dixon just inches short of converting a fourth-and-two at the Raven 44-yard line with 5 minutes, 33 seconds to play.
Riverside trailed it 28-14 at that point before traversing the 56 yards on its next possession, capped by Kyree Wright’s 16-yard touchdown catch from Andrew Wold with 3:32 remaining. That closed the gap to 28-21.
The Ravens then held the defending Pierce County League champs to just one first down on the Abes next try. The drive cost Auburn Riverside all three of its timeouts, however. When the Ravens got the ball back with 1:38 left, they had 78 yards in front of them to forge a tie.
Instead, four plays later Wold was intercepted by Drake Granberry and Lincoln held on to win the opener, moving to 1-0 this season.
JOHNSON LOOKS LOCKED IN
Early, it was all Lincoln.
The Abes senior quarterback, Gabarri Johnson flashed moments of brilliance with both his legs and his arm as Lincoln built a 20-7 lead at the half. He and running backs John John Nelson and Navarre Dixon efficiently and effectively ran the ball as the Abes built a 14-0 lead with 11:06 to play in the first half.
Johnson himself toted the ball eight times for 57 yards in the first half, while Nelson and Dixon each scored rushing touchdowns. Johnson added 41 more yards in the second half before he took 6-yard losses as kneel-downs on the final two plays of the game.
“We studied film hard,” Johnson said. “We knew we could run the ball on them and dominate the line.”
The Missouri commit also showed off his arm, especially in the first half. He and Granberry connected on a 48-yard strike for the Abes third score of the game with 3:58 to play. It was one of only eight passes Johnson threw in the first half.
The Lincoln QB would eventually complete eight of 13 for 123 yards and that one touchdown.
PLAY OF THE GAME
Auburn Riverside’s final offensive play snapped with just about exactly one minute left on the clock, with the Ravens facing a third-and-seven from their own 35-yard line. Out of timeouts, there was no time to run the football, which the Lincoln sideline communicated to the Abes defense.
Wold got time and threw the ball toward his outside receiver down the right side. Instead, it was Granberry that drifted back and under the ball. Granberry intercepted and returned the ball to the Ravens 20, sealing the one-touchdown victory.
“Coach told me to back and play deep,” Granberry said. “I played deep and I got the ball.”
UP NEXT
The Ravens stay on the road to face North Creek, a team that made its playoff debut a year ago. Meanwhile, the Abes travel to the plateau for a showdown against 4A Skyline. Both games are set for 7 p.m. next Friday.