Riverside Strikes Early, Rolls Past Holy Cross to Stay Unbeaten
By: SportzWire | SportzWire | September 5, 2026 | Photo courtesy Ilvin Carmona-Perez
TAYLOR — Riverside made its intentions clear almost immediately Friday night.
Just 12 seconds into the game, Brayden Rose returned the opening kickoff 74 yards for a touchdown. From there, the Vikings kept finding different ways to put points on the board.
Riverside scored 21 points in the first quarter and 35 before halftime, taking command early on its way to a 42-0 victory over Holy Cross and a 2-0 start to the season.
The Vikings’ early surge wasn’t built around one phase of the game. Offense, defense and special teams all contributed.
Charlie Anstett followed Rose’s opening return with a three-yard touchdown run midway through the first quarter. Then, with 1:56 remaining in the period, Rose struck again, returning an interception 52 yards for a score to make it 21-0.
By that point, Riverside had scored on special teams, offense and defense.
Rose continued his big night in the second quarter, scoring on runs of nine and 61 yards as the Vikings stretched the advantage to 35-0 before halftime.
He finished with 94 rushing yards and two touchdowns on just four carries, in addition to his kickoff-return and interception-return scores.
While Rose supplied the explosive plays, Riverside controlled the game on the ground as a group. The Vikings finished with 210 rushing yards on 21 attempts, averaging 10 yards per carry. Anstett added 49 yards and a touchdown on five carries, while Julian Bowman capped the scoring with a four-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Riverside attempted only one pass, a 22-yard completion to Jared Jackson, as the Vikings leaned almost entirely on their rushing attack.
Holy Cross, playing its first game after last week’s scheduled matchup with Lakeland ended in a forfeit amid injury and roster-depth concerns, had more success through the air but struggled to establish its running game.
Quarterback Chase Rutkoski completed 10 of 19 passes for 113 yards, with Luca Berardi accounting for eight receptions and 103 yards. On the ground, however, the Crusaders were limited to 33 yards on 25 attempts.
That contrast told much of the story. Riverside didn’t need volume offensively because its defense and special teams repeatedly helped create separation, and its ground game produced explosive plays when called upon.
Looking Ahead
Riverside takes its 2-0 record to Lake-Lehman in Week 3 for a matchup with a Black Knights team that battled Lakeland closely through the early stages Friday before the Chiefs eventually pulled away.
Holy Cross returns home for another difficult test, hosting Dunmore on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Bucks enter Week 3 on a hot start after a 62-7 victory over Lackawanna Trail.
For Riverside, two games have produced two wins and Friday night’s performance showed just how many different ways the Vikings can impact a football game.
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