The 2024 Rice Memorial football team has had a somewhat easy schedule this year with half of their games against D3 schools (including their only loss vs. BFA-Fairfax). Coming into the postseason, the odds were against them and, after surviving a scare from U-32 a week ago, it felt like Lyndon would take advantage of that schedule.
But as the old saying goes, the Green Knights survived and advanced.
Rice used a 4th quarter rally and pressure on the Vikings offense to stamp their ticket to the D2 final with a 27-20 win at Bill Landers Field Saturday. It's the Knights' first title game appearance since 2014.
Rice got the ball to start the game and drove down the field with a couple of big runs from Eric Poso before Dallas St. Peter finished the drive for the TD. After Lyndon were unable to do anything on their first drive, St. Peter would capitalize again, busting through the defense to make it 13-0 (PAT blocked after the second TD).
But before halftime, the Vikings would gain the momentum with a TD pass from Ethan Lussier to Logan Wheeler with 24 seconds left. LI would then pull off the onside kick and Lussier would find Wyatt Mason who rumbled down the sidelines to give them the lead at halftime.
Neither team could garner much on offense in the 3rd quarter as Rice would pick off Lussier twice in the quarter. Then, needing the drive of his HS career, St. Peter would deliver a pass to Isaias Lagasse for the go-ahead score. Lussier would be picked again on the ensuing drive and St. Peter would connect with Poso to put the game out of reach.
The Vikings would score at the buzzer for the 27-20 final.
Rice (9-1) will face Fair Haven in the Division 2 final (a rematch of that 2014 title game), who knocked out Bellows Falls in the semifinals. Lyndon's season ends at 6-4.
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