River Bluff coach Perry Parks understands the significance of starting region play right. 

The Gators won their region opener this past Friday, beating Chapin 34-25 in a back-and-forth battle. River Bluff is off to a 6-1 start for the third time in program history, matching that mark in 2019 and 2024. 

“It’s region play, and every game is its mini season,” Parks said. “We have an off-week coming up, and then after that, there’s no more weeks off, and we’ve got to bring our A-game every time.”

These next few games will define River Bluff’s season and determine its playoff future. The Gators are hoping for home-field advantage for as long as possible in the playoffs, and the only way to do that is to succeed in conference. 

Beating Chapin was a great start, but the road ahead is still tough. Against the Eagles, Parks saw things the team could build on, but also some stuff it needs to clean up. 

Chapin took advantage of some laxed Gators’ defense and connected on multiple explosive plays in the first half. 

The Eagles went up 7-0 on the first drive of the game, scoring in three plays. Charlie Howell ran it in from 10 yards out right after Tyler Black connected with Charlie Todd for a 68-yard completion. 

Chapin had another explosive play that set the team up on its next drive, this time in the form of a 40-yard rush from Harper Ellerbee.

Fortunately for the Gators, the team took these blows on the chin and delivered some of their own. 

River Bluff responded to Chapin’s opening drive with a 99-yard kickoff return from Darius Carter, tying the game at seven. 

After letting up Ellerbee’s long run, the Gator defense stood firm and forced a turnover on downs inside the red zone. 

However, it took the offense a while to get going in the game, and the team went three-and-out. A bad snap on the punt went out the back of the end zone, and Chapin was suddenly back in the lead without doing anything. 

Chapin’s offense went three-and-out on the drive after the punt, giving the River Bluff offense a chance at redemption. Carter made sure the Gators responded quickly, scoring a 71-yard touchdown on the drive’s first play.

The Gators extended their lead a few drives later as Liam Flynn made a 33-yard field goal. 

That lead was quickly wiped away in the final 10 minutes of the first half. Chapin scored nine unanswered points, including a touchdown off a rush by Kingston Bowers.   

Trailing by one at the break, Parks said he went into the locker room and demanded more from everyone. 

“We were sloppy in the first half,” he said. “Came out in the second half, our defense bent but didn’t break. Got some turnovers down the stretch, and our guys made plays.”

River Bluff’s defense went the entire second half giving up just one more score. It also was on an explosive play, as Black hit Connor Finney for an 80-yard score. 

On the contrary, River Bluff scored two more touchdowns and a field goal to run away with the win. 

After a tame third period, the Gators broke the scoring seal on a fake field goal. Flynn quickly dumped the ball off to Reece Huffstetler on a 4th and 15 from the 26. He had nothing but green grass in front of him as the stunned Chapin defense watched him run in untouched. 

Trailing by one in the fourth, the Gators went up six as a pass from Brayden Moore hit off a Chapin defender into the hands of Brady Barrineau. 

The Eagles took the ball with over 11 minutes to go and marched into River Bluff territory, only needing a touchdown and extra point to go ahead. The drive chewed a big chunk of time off the clock, but it looked worth it as the Eagles got inside the red zone and threatened to score. 

But instead of putting points on the board, Chapin chewed all that time for nothing. On a fourth and four from the 10-yard line, Black’s pass was intercepted by Caleb Renwick. 

His pick gave the Gators offense the ball back as they marched downfield and chewed over six minutes off the clock. Flynn made his second field goal of the game to extend the lead to two possessions. 

“They picked on [Renwick] early in the game,” Parks said. “It was really good to see that kid make a play late in the game when the team needed him.” 

With just over a minute to go, Chapin had to score fast and recover an onside kick to get back in it. 

The Eagles went fast and got close to a touchdown, but six yards away, Black threw another pick, sealing the result. 

Chapin is now 4-3 on the season, dropping its second in a row after winning four straight. 

The next time both of these teams take the field, it will be against the same opponent. 

The Eagles will host undefeated Dutch Fork this Friday. River Bluff will be on a bye this week and travel to Dutch Fork next Friday. 

Dutch Fork is the favorite to defend its title, but both River Bluff and Chapin will look to give them their best shots. 

“That’s what you want, man,” Parks said. “You want to play against the best and see where you measure up.”