Riverview football seniors will remember the team's bond

I’ve used a few of my columns to discuss the best parts of my job: Interviewing interesting people, watching talent unearth itself, etc.

I don’t believe I’ve talked about what is, unquestionably, the worst part of the job: Watching a group of seniors end their careers with a loss.

That was the situation I faced Nov. 24, when the Riverview High football team fell 28-19 to Dr. Phillips High in the Class 8A regional final. As the minutes on the game clock turned to seconds, which turned to zeroes, you could see the finality on the players’ faces. It was hard to tell the difference between sweat and tears. A select few players will be lucky enough to play the game in college. For the rest of them, this was likely the last high-level, organized, officiated football game they will ever play. It’s definitely the last game they will play representing Riverview, the school that watched them literally and figuratively grow. It’s the last game they will play together, with the teammates who know all their hopes, fears and dreams. What gives me the nerve to ask about a play or two from a football game when these players are saying goodbye to so much more?

Well, it’s my job, so ask I do. It isn’t fun, though. Moose Griffith, a senior offensive lineman, was kind enough to chat with me through all his emotions.

“I’m going to remember this season the most,” Griffith said of his time at Riverview. “I don’t know, it seemed different. We were blowing teams out left and right. I’m proud of all the seniors. I’m proud of our (offensive) line, our backfield, our defense. The whole team came together.

"I'm going to remember the chemistry we had. I know that I can go to any one of my brothers on this team and they're going to be there for me."

One postgame look around the field, which transformed into a sea of embraces between players, coaches, parents and friends, reinforced his words.

Perhaps the outcome would hurt less if it came against a clearly-superior opponent, when the Rams could say, “Yep, we lost, but we played our best.” That isn’t the case here. In fact, Riverview had a chance to take the lead late.

“I’m going to remember this season the most,” Griffith said of his time at Riverview. “I don’t know, it seemed different. We were blowing teams out left and right. I’m proud of all the seniors. I’m proud of our (offensive) line, our backfield, our defense. The whole team came together."

With the Ram Bowl crowd on its feet, the Rams, trailing 21-19, stood at Dr. Phillips High's 13-yard line with 10 minutes to go. They hadn't led all night, but they had controlled play in the second half, forcing a Panthers' turnover on downs and doing whatever they wanted offensively. The players were feeling it. The fans wanted a score. It all seemed to be setup for a game-changing moment.

That moment came on the next play, but it wasn't made by the Rams.

A low snap rolled past Rams senior quarterback Arthur Brantley IV. Panthers junior linebacker Jaquarri Powell scooped it and rumbled 87 yards to the house, just out of Brantley IV's desperate reach. Suddenly, Dr. Phillips led 28-19.  

The team’s takeaway magic, such a crucial part of the Rams’ postseason run that a chain was created in celebration of it, evaporated against the Panthers. Not only did Riverview lose the turnover margin 1-0, that “one” was arguably the difference in the game. The play was back-breaking. It quieted the once-raucous crowd. The momentum the Rams built evaporated in an instant.

Of all the ways to say goodbye, that's one of the toughest.

Rams coach Josh Smithers thanked the departing senior class for enduring some less successful years to lead the team to back-to-back playoff appearances, and for advancing as far as they did, one round past last year's history-making run. 

He said he hadn’t thought about next season yet, and doesn't know when he will, even though the Rams have lots of talent returning. Ali Boyce, the star running back, will be a senior; his backup, freshman revelation Michael Hayes, is back, too. Linebacker Julian Lowenstein will be back to lead the defense. There are plenty of other playmakers back, too, but Griffith isn’t one of them. Neither is Brantley IV, or defensive captain Jamar Johnson, or wide receiver Stephon Turner, or the rest of the class.

Good luck to those departing their high school hallways soon. Riverview and its seniors may not have reached the ultimate goal, but they put on a dazzling show, one that will cast a bright light on the Rams of the future.