Riverview High football loses to Clearwater Academy International on last-second score

No one knew what to say. 

The Riverview High football team (3-4) walked off the field in stunned silence after its 35-33 loss to Clearwater Academy International (3-5) at home Oct. 13. The Rams coaches, who normally talk to their team in a kneeled huddle on the field after games, instead ushered the players into the locker room. The fans, equally befuddled, walked to their cars while holding conversations in hushed tones that could be summarized in three words: What just happened?

The final play of the game would be enough to deflate any team — CAI threw a 34-yard touchdown pass as time expired — but in this case, the last play is only the exclamation mark on a game, and particularly a fourth quarter, that will be difficult for the Rams to forget. 

Things started well for Riverview. A surprise onside kick by senior Majestic Van Ingen was recovered by senior Jayson Evans to begin the game, and the Rams converted it into a 32-yard Van Ingen field goal to go up 3-0. CAI would respond with a touchdown drive, capped by a touchdown pass from freshman Joaquin Kavouklis to junior Makih Johnson, but the Rams refused to back down. Rams junior running back DJ Johnson would score from six yards on the next possession to give Riverview a 10-7 lead, then Evans picked off Kavouklis to give Riverview great field position. Another goal line Johnson touchdown run put the Rams up 17-7 in the second quarter. 

Later in the quarter, a muffed punt by CAI would give the Rams' another opportunity to extend the lead, and Van Ingen hit a short field goal before halftime for a 20-7 Rams advantage. In the third quarter, both teams would add touchdowns, and early in the fourth quarter, Rams senior quarterback Braxton Thomas found junior receiver Jaden Wheeler for a 38-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion attempt would fail, but the score gave Riverview a 33-14 lead. 

That's when the tide of the game turned. 

After making mistake after mistake in the first three quarters, CAI — whose roster is littered with players holding NCAA DI offers — got its offense in working order. The Knights staged a furious comeback, including a long touchdown run by junior running back Antwan Raymond. 

With 6:09 left, the score was 33-26. On the next possession, the Rams tried to melt the clock, but failed to get a four-yard third down conversion with 2:25 remaining. They punted the ball back to CAI, who subsequently faced a fourth-and-three from its own 36 with 2:06 left. The Rams stuffed the Knights' rushing attempt short of the line to gain. A celebrated ensued.

The end of the game? Not quite.

Because CAI had all three of its timeouts, the Rams could not use kneel downs to run out the clock. They had to try for a first down. On the first play of the drive, the Rams fumbled the ball back to CAI. Again, the Rams' defense stepped up when it mattered, forcing CAI into another fourth down situation. 

Needing 10 yards, the Rams forced Kavoucklis to scramble out of bounds short of the first-down line. Again, Riverview celebrated, and the offense took over with approximately 40 seconds remaining. 

In any other game, that second fourth-down stop would have been the end. But this game was not like any other game. 

After taking a knee on first down, Riverview was called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, which stopped the clock. CAI had two timeouts left, and called them after two more kneels. Now facing a fourth down of their own with 7.7 seconds left, the Rams opted not to punt the ball back to CAI right away. Instead, the Rams had sophomore receiver/quarterback Anthony Miller race backward through the Rams' own end zone to take a safety. The maneuver gave CAI two points — making the score 33-28 — but killed 5.9 seconds. 

With 1.8 seconds left, the Rams had to kick off, and they decided to call a squib kick instead of kicking deep to CAI's playmakers. A CAI player quickly fell on the ball on the Riverview 34 yard line, and the referees ruled that there were 0.7 seconds remaining, time enough for a single play. 

That's when CAI capped its comeback with a 34-yard Hail Mary touchdown, caught by Makih Johnson over multiple Rams defenders in the end zone for the 35-33 win. The CAI sideline erupted as Knights players rushed the field. 

The Rams, up 19 points earlier in the quarter, could only walk away. 

Riverview will next play Manatee High (6-1) at 7 p.m. Oct. 20 on the road.