Two Rivers quarterback Drew Altavilla knows what ingredients provide senior running back Ramzi Rislove the best chance for success.
And Wednesday night, the Warriors’ offense found the perfect recipe.
Altavilla threw for four touchdowns, including two early in the first quarter. That opened things up for Rislove, who rushed for 324 yards and three touchdowns as Two Rivers rolled to a 55-21 road victory over Simley in its regular-season finale.
“(Success in the passing game) is perfect for him,” said Altavilla, a 5-foot-9, 175-pound junior. “And it goes both ways too. He opens up a lot of things in the passing game as well.”
With the victory, the Warriors completed the regular season unbeaten (8-0). Now they wait and see where it lands them when the coaches vote on seeding for the Section 3-5A playoffs Thursday.
Last season, Two Rivers finished the regular season 7-1 but drew only the No. 4 seed, beating No. 5 seed Hastings 14-0 in the first round before falling 47-14 on the road to top-seeded St. Thomas Academy in the semifinals.
This year, though, the Warriors are hoping to be seeded No. 1 or 2, which would mean a first-round bye.
“We handled our business, now we’ll see,” Two Rivers co-head coach Tom Orth said. “We don’t use QRF. It’s a coaches’ vote. We just hope our body of work speaks for itself.”
It certainly did Wednesday when Two Rivers wasted no time jumping out to a commanding lead. On just the game’s second play from scrimmage, Altavilla connected with classmate Johnny Laugerman on a 66-yard touchdown pass that put Two Rivers in front 7-0.
Then, after an interception gave his team the ball back at its own 33, Altavilla found junior Lonnie West between two defenders for a 36-yard touchdown that extended the lead to 14-0.
“We had an edge tonight, and it showed,” Rislove said. “We came out and played well right away.”
From there, Rislove took over. Rushing behind the Warriors’ sizable offensive line, he scored on touchdown runs of 72 and nine yards in the first half, then added a 38-yard scoring scamper in the second.
“He’s bouncy,” Orth said. “He has such great vision and great burst. Obviously, the guys up front did a great job opening holes for him. But he had a great game.”
“They run the ball so well,” added Simley junior Carter Bungue, who scored two of his team’s touchdowns as the Spartans fell to 4-4. “(Rislove) is a great back, and they have a big offensive line. They’re tough to stop.”
Altavilla connected with Laugerman for two more scores – a 23-yard touchdown pass that put the Warriors on top 34-7 at halftime and an 18-yard touchdown strike early in the fourth quarter.
An interception then set up Two Rivers’ final score, a late 1-yard touchdown run by senior Mason Krupenny.
“All week in practice, we were trying to leave no doubt,” Altavilla said. “That’s what our goal was tonight. Hopefully that helps (when it comes to the section seedings).
“But it really doesn’t matter as long as we have an opportunity to play,” Rislove added. “All we need is a shot and we have the talent to do some big things.”
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