Roosevelt had a lot to play for when they took on Uplift last Thursday at Jorndt Field.
The Rough Riders needed to win to have a chance at making the Inter-City playoffs and with it being Homecoming, Roosevelt got to play in front of its largest crowd of the season.
In the end, the Rough Riders didn't disappoint their fans as they pulled off an 8-6 victory behind a defense that forced six Titans turnovers.
Unfortunately, Roosevelt won't be in the playoffs. The Inter-City playoffs allow the top eight teams in and the Rough Riders wound up being ninth.
"We came out and did what we had to do in this game and we came away with a victory," Roosevelt quarterback Edwin Rodriguez said. "I did have butterflies in this game. When you don't have big crowds and then the whole school is at the game and you're playing the No. 1 team in conference, you get jitters."
The key to victory was ball control. Rodriguez and running back Jamar Evans took care of the ball and while they only put up eight points, Uplift never had great field position.
"Everyone just kept their heads in the game and played their position and we came out on top," said Evans who finished with 115 yards on 17 carries. "We knew we could beat every team in those conference but we didn't come out and play as hard as we could in the previous games. So this is real exciting. We came out and brought our 'A' game today."
The Rough Riders (4-4, 4-2) had a tall task coming into the game, considering Uplift (6-2, 5-1) was unbeaten in conference.
But if Roosevelt was the underdog it sure didn't look like it in the first quarter. The Rough Riders came out on the first series of the game and marched 61 yards in a drive that consumed nearly six minutes.
Evans capped it by bulling his way into the end zone for a six yard touchdown run with 6:17 to play in the first quarter.
Sergio Montoya converted the two-point try and in the end, that would prove to be the difference.
Uplift could do absolutely nothing on offense in the first half, except turn the ball over. The Titans ran just 12 plays in the first half and turned the ball over three times as Roosevelt had a 18-6 advantage in time of possession.
Uplift did come out and play much better to start the second half. Shelton Wallace broke off a 61 yard touchdown run on the fourth play of the half to pull the Titans within 8-6 with 10:22 left in the third quarter. But Roosevelt's defense was able to stop the two-point conversion allowing them to hold on to a slim 8-6 lead.
The Rough Riders continued to dominate time of possession while Uplift had trouble holding onto the football. Three more second half turnovers would prevent the Titans from finishing the conference season with an undefeated record.
Perhaps part of the reason Uplift struggled was a lack of focus. The Titans had already clinched the conference title with a win last week so they weren't as fired up for last Thursday's game.
"The kids weren't playing to their full potential and being satisfied doesn't get you any wins," Uplift head coach Rick Alboyd said. "That wasn't Uplift football. Roosevelt came with all their heart and our team was on cloud nine. Their heads weren't in the game.
"On defense we were missing tackles and the offense was fumbling the ball. We just couldn't get the offense going. But being a young team I can't be mad. We have mostly freshman and won conference."
Uplift will look to bounce back this week in the first round of the playoffs and with quarterback Sened Tesfay and running back Terrance Willis it shouldn't be that hard. Uplift faces Tilden. 3:30 p.m. today at Hanson Stadium.
While Roosevelt won't be in the playoffs, they can savor an impressive win against Uplift.
"We turned things around and beat the conference champs," Evans said.
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