Sterling, Va. — It took the Potomac Falls High School football team some time to get going, but once the young offensive line settled in, the Panthers were off and running. Led by senior running back Steven Riveros and junior quarterback John Opiola, Potomac Falls scored late in the first quarter and then again late in the second quarter before exploding in the second half to keep hold of the Battle of Route 7 in a 41-7 win over rival Dominion on August 26 in Sterling.
“Our offensive line is inexperienced but they adjusted, and we were able to run the ball well,” Potomac Falls head coach Paul Barnes said. “We’re a very young team. We grew up tonight, and each game we play, we’re going to get more mature. We just need grass time.”
[adrotate banner=”46″]The Panthers’ inexperience showed early as they turned the ball over on the opening possession, but the Potomac Falls defense had a near immediate answer as junior defensive back Aaron Chesson intercepted a tipped pass just two plays into Dominion’s opening drive.
“Our defensive effort was really good. I thought we rallied to the football,” Barnes said. “Our tackling has got to get better, but I thought our physicality was pretty good; it’s not where we want it, but it was pretty good.”
After a long Potomac Falls drive resulted in a turnover on downs, the Panthers forced a three-and-out which gave them excellent field position to start their third drive of the night.
And Riveros was done waiting around.
On his next four touches, Riveros carried the ball 5 yards, 10 yards, 12 yards, then eventually 1 yard into the endzone to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.
Then, after Opiola hit junior receiver Darrell Jackson Jr. with a 9-yard touchdown pass late in the second quarter, Riveros jump started the Panthers offense early in the third quarter when he carried in his second touchdown of the night to extend the Potomac Falls lead to 20-0. Riveros finished the night with 16 carries for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns.
“I thought Steven had a really good game,” Barnes said. “He’s a really good running back, and he understands the game.”
Dominion got on the board late in the third quarter, but the Panthers responded just two minutes later when Opiola dropped a beautiful pass into the arms of junior receiver Gavin Lim for a 39-yard touchdown strike to stop any of the Titans’ momentum in its tracks.
“I have to give Dominion credit. Some of the mistakes we made were because of them and their hard play,” Barnes said. “They have drastically improved from last year, and they will win some games this year. A lot of credit to that coaching staff for what they’ve done over there.”
With Riveros’ night all but done, the Panthers turned to junior running back Christopher Thompson and sophomore running back Landon Quinones to close out the night and the young duo carried in 11-yard and 46-yard touchdowns, respectively.
Potomac Falls is back in action under the Thursday Night Lights on September 1 as they travel to third-year Lightridge in a non-district matchup. Dominion will look to continue taking steps in the right direction when they host perennial power Broad Run on the same night.
“This team has worked very, very hard, but we have a long way to go,” Barnes said. “We can’t rest on one game, and I don’t think this team will. Let’s face it: in our league, you can’t rest on anyone, because they’ll come get you.”
Mike Ferrara captured 300+ photos at the game!
Scoring Plays
| Period | Time | Team | Play | Score |
| 1Q | 0:20 | Potomac Falls | Steven Riveros 1-yard TD run (King PAT) | 7-0 |
| 2Q | 1:27 | Potomac Falls | John Opiola to Darrell Jackson Jr. 9-yard TD pass (PAT failed) | 13-0 |
| 3Q | 10:30 | Potomac Falls | Steven Riveros 4-yard TD run (King PAT) | 20-0 |
| 3Q | 3:48 | Dominion | Steven Fehervari 1-yard TD run (Lopez PAT) | 20-7 |
| 3Q | 1:45 | Potomac Falls | John Opiola to Gavin Lim 39-yard TD pass (King PAT) | 27-7 |
| 4Q | 10:25 | Potomac Falls | Christopher Thompson 11-yard TD run (King PAT) | 34-7 |
| 4Q | 1:57 | Potomac Falls | Landon Quinones 46-yard TD run (King PAT) | 41-7 |
Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated who had the interception for the Panthers. Junior defensive back Aaron Chesson intercepted the pass in the first quarter.