It was a night of explosive plays for the Riverside Military Academy Eagles, as they topped Social Circle 21-0 for their first victory of the season. 

Collin Pettell threw two touchdown passes and the Eagles (1-5) held on for the shutout despite being outgained by the Redskins.

The fireworks started in the first quarter when a low snap to the punter gave the Eagles the ball at the Social Circle 25-yard line. Riverside found the end zone on its first offensive play when Pettell passed to Adrian Humphrey in the end zone on a post pattern.

The second quarter found Social Circle moving the ball and winning the field position battle. With the momentum threatening to shift in the Redskins’ favor, Riverside blocked a Social Circle field goal attempt. Quentin Young recovered the ball on his own 15-yard line and evaded a host of tacklers, finally breaking free for an 85-yard touchdown.

Social Circle was able to move the ball well for short periods but the Riverside defense made adjustments at key moments. The Eagles’ defensive line dominated for the majority of the game.

Riverside’s shotgun, pass-heavy offensive attack struck again when Pettell hooked up with Adrian Humphrey for a 70-yard pass. Three plays later, Pettell found Quentin Young on a 1-yard toss for the final score.

Riverside defense held on to post the shutout.

Eagles Coach Sheldon Ward was pleased with his passing attack, but he wants to find a way to make his running attack more effective.

“We’ve just got to get a better push up front,” he said. “When we face Commerce this week, we can’t just pass the whole game.”