The high school football season may be winding down, but the Riverbend Bears appear just to be getting started.
The Bears were treading water just three weeks ago, sitting at 3-3 after a pair of disappointing home losses to powerhouse Highland Springs and resurgent North Stafford.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Riverbend posted back-to-back victories over Commonwealth District contenders Colonial Forge and Stafford. The latter of those triumphs catapulted the Bears into a first-place tie in the district and the top spot in the Region 5D power-point rankings.
Riverbend continued its late-season run of success on Friday night, riding a monster effort by senior running back JoJo Thomas to a hard-fought 49-40 road win over Brooke Point.
Thomas rushed for 324 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries to keep the Bears (6-3 overall, 4-1 district) in a three-way stalemate for first place in the Commonwealth with Stafford (8-1, 4-1) and North Stafford (7-2, 4-1). It marked the second time this year that he eclipsed the 300-yard barrier.
“It’s really just trust,” Riverbend quarterback Camden Simmons said. “Whenever we need a score or we need a first down, we can always count on [Thomas].”
On a night where Brooke Point (5-5, 1-5) seemed bent on halting the Bears’ momentum, Thomas was at his best late. He churned out 172 of his yards in the second half, and he shouldered the load entirely on the game-clinching drive.
Despite forcing a Black-Hawks punt with less than six minutes remaining in the contest, Riverbend clung to a slim 42-40 lead. Taking over at their own 9-yard line, the Bears embarked on a nine-play, 91-yard march. They put the ball in Thomas’ hands on every play, and his 29-yard scoring scamper with 42 seconds to go effectively sealed the victory.
Thomas didn’t exactly ask for the ball on the pivotal drive. Instead, he looked Riverbend head coach Ed Webb in the eye beforehand and demanded it.
“He literally told me on the sideline, ‘Coach, nobody [but me] is touching this ball,’” Webb said. “I’ve got other guys I can throw in there, but he catches the ball and he wants it in his hands whenever the game is on the line.”
Thomas set the tone early on, scampering for a 7-yard TD that gave the Bears a quick 7-0 advantage less than two minutes into the game. That score was set up by Simmons’ interception from his defensive back spot on the second play of the game.
Thomas found the end zone for a second time in the first quarter, racing 51 yards to extend Riverbend’s lead to 21-12 with 2:22 remaining.
“My focus is to keep it the same every week,” said Thomas, who leads the Fredericksburg area with 1,564 yards on the ground. “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we want to dominate the run game. The offensive line sets the tone, and it’s my job to run hard.”
Simmons complemented Thomas well, running for 107 yards and a pair of TDs and completing 4 of 5 passes for 136 yards and a score.
All three of Simmons’ TDs helped temper Brooke Point’s momentum.
After Gabe Dombek’s 23-yard scoring pass to Jacob Dalton cut the Bears’ edge to 7-6, Simmons lofted a high-arcing 84-yard TD strike to Mekhi Davis that made it 14-6 with 5:52 to go in the opening stanza.
Two more Dombek-to-Dalton scoring connections happened in the second quarter. The latter, which covered 15 yards and was a well-placed back-shoulder throw by Dombek, gave the Black-Hawks their only lead of the night, 32-28, with 5:33 remaining before halftime.
Simmons made sure Riverbend didn’t trail for long, however. On second-and-10 at the Brooke Point 30 with 30 seconds left in the half, he tucked the ball and ran 39 yards for a TD, giving Riverbend a 35-32 edge.
Another keeper produced Simmons’ final score and the Bears’ biggest lead of the contest, as he darted 25 yards to the end zone to extend their advantage to 42-32 with 7:49 to go in the third period. It was set up by a 50-yard run from Thomas on the previous play.
“We trust both of them,” Webb said of Thomas and Simmons. “They’re kind’ve yin and yang with each other. … JoJo’s the tough inside guy, and Cam is trouble when he gets on the edge.”
Dombek’s 4-yard TD pass to Mekhi Kelly and Anthony Robinson’s ensuing 2-point conversion run cut Riverbend’s lead to 42-40 with 11:00 to play, setting the stage for Thomas to take over down the stretch.
Dombek went 18 of 34 for 286 yards and six TDs. Craig Guyton had a game-high eight receptions for 133 yards and a score, and Dalton caught five passes for 89 yards and three TDs.
With only one week remaining in the regular season, the Bears can potentially make history. A win over Massaponax (1-8, 1-4) next Friday would guarantee them at least a share of the district championship — something they previously achieved in both 2021 and 2022. But if Stafford and North Stafford each lose their respective matchups with Mountain View (4-5, 2-3) and Colonial Forge (7-2, 3-2), Riverbend would claim its first outright district crown.
Additionally, a victory over Massaponax would all but assure the Bears of the No. 1 seed in the Region 5D playoffs. That would also be a first for the program, and it would guarantee a first-round bye and home-field advantage through the regional championship game.
“We’re just gonna earn our respect,” Thomas said. “At the beginning of the season, a lot of people were projecting us to go 2-8. Now we’re earning everyone’s respect, and we’re just gonna keep building on that.”
Score by quarters
Riverbend 21 14 7 7 — 49
Brooke Point 18 14 0 8 — 40
Scoring summary
First quarter
Rb—JoJo Thomas 7 run (Noah Walker kick).
BP—Jacob Dalton 23 pass from Gabe Dombek (run failed).
Rb—Mekhi Davis 84 pass from Camden Simmons (Walker kick).
BP—Jaelyn Cox 11 pass from Dombek (run failed).
Rb—Thomas 51 run (Walker kick).
BP—Craig Guyton 18 pass from Dombek (pass failed).
Second quarter
Rb—Dwayne Stewart 6 run (Walker kick).
BP—Dalton 13 pass from Dombek (pass failed).
BP—Dalton 15 pass from Dombek (Anthony Robinson run).
Rb—Simmons 39 run (Walker kick).
Third quarter
Rb—Simmons 25 run (Walker kick).
Fourth quarter
BP—Mekhi Kelly 4 pass from Dombek (Robinson run).
Rb—Thomas 29 run (Walker kick).
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Rushing: Riverbend—JoJo Thomas 27-324, 3 TDs; Camden Simmons 11-107, 2 TDs; Dwayne Stewart 8-56; Ricky Cedeno 1-0; Team 2-(-6). Brooke Point—Jaelyn Cox 12-87; Anthony Robinson 1-2; Gabe Dombek 6-(-14).
Passing: Riverbend—Simmons 4-5-0, 136 yards, TD. Brooke Point—Dombek 18-34-1, 286 yards, 6 TDs.
Receiving: Riverbend—Mekhi Davis 4-136, TD. Brooke Point—Craig Guyton 8-133, TD; Jacob Dalton 5-89, 3 TDs; Cox 4-60, TD; Mekhi Kelly 1-4, TD.
