Whenever River Ridge and Potosi/Cassville take the field against one another, football fans know they’re in for a hard-hitting thrilling contest that most likely is going to come down to the wire.

That’s exactly what fans in attendance got last Friday night in Patch Grove, where coach Mark Siegert’s co-op squad handed the host Timberwolves a 23-14 loss in a Six Rivers conference opener for both teams.

The win gives Potosi/Cassville an early advantage in the conference standings with a record of 1-0, while improving to 2-1 overall. River Ridge, who is off to an 0-1 start to their conference schedule, also sits at 2-1 on the season.

“It was a classic Six Rivers battle between two good football teams,” said River Ridge coach Wade Winkers. “We are obviously disappointed in the result, but our players played hard all night and matched the physicality of our opponent, but we made a few more mistakes than they did.”

Friday night’s contest truly was a classic back-and-forth battle between two heavyweight opponents, with each blow being answered by the other team, until one team outlasted the other.

River Ridge delivered the first blow on their first offensive drive, that covered 80 yards in eight plays and was capped off by a 50-yard TD run by senior running back Noah Copsey. The extra-point kick by Luke Wehrle gave the Timberwolves an early 7-0 lead with 7:42 to play in the opening quarter.

As one might expect, Potosi/Cassville answered with a scoring drive of their own on the very next possession, going 78 yards in six plays. The scoring drive was highlighted by a 60-yard hook up from quarterback Aaron Edge to receiver Drew Richardson down the right sideline, which took the ball down to the three-yard line. From there, River Sahr plunged in for the score, while Edge added the extra-point to even things up at 7-7.

Looking to retake the lead on their next possession, River Ridge got a big gainer from junior running back Preston Gage, who bobbed and weaved his way from the Timberwolves’ own 35-yard line down to the P/C three. Before being tackled, Gage lost the ball, which was recovered by P/C in the end zone for a touchback.

On their very next play, Potosi/Cassville sophomore Isaac Adams raced 80 yards untouched into the end zone. Edge added the extra-point kick for a 14-7 P/C lead with 2:53 to play in the first quarter.

Forced to punt for the first time all season, River Ridge went three-and-out on their next possession, as did Potosi/Cassville late in the first quarter and into the early minutes of the second.

Looking to make the most of their next possession, the Timberwolves put together a five-play scoring drive that covered 73 yards, and was highlighted by a 51-yard pass and catch from quarterback Blake Reynolds to junior Lane Copsey.

Reynolds carried the ball into the end zone for a two-yard TD plunge, which was followed by the extra-point kick by Wehrle, making the score 14-14 with 7:03 to play in the first half.

Neither team mounted much of a threat in the closing minutes of the first half, leaving the score tied at the intermission.

The second half was more of a defensive battle than the first, with Potosi/Cassville’s only touchdown being set up by a blocked punt, which was downed at the River Ridge 35-yard line.

Coach Siegert’s squad used seven plays to cover the 35 yards, getting a four-yard TD run from Sahr, followed by the extra-point kick by Sahr.

With a 21-14 lead going into the fourth quarter, Potosi/Cassville played the field-position game, using a pair of sensational punts by Aaron Edge to pin the Timberwolves deep.

With just 4:19 to play in the contest, a beautiful punt by Edge pinned River Ridge on their own four-yard line. Following a pair of runs by Noah Copsey to set up a third-and-one, a pass and catch from Reynolds to Cael Koenig was fumbled and recovered by P/C at the 15-yard line.

The River Ridge defense stood strong though, keeping their opponent out of the end zone on four consecutive plays, making stuffs on third-and-one and again on fourth-and-one.

With River Ridge taking over at their own six-yard line and just 2:23 showing on the clock, Reynolds dropped back to pass and was sacked in the end zone for a safety, essentially ending any hopes of a River Ridge comeback.

The Timberwolves concluded the night with 345 yards of total offense, gaining 275 yards on the ground and 70 yards through the air. Potosi/Cassville finished with 306 total yards, 220 coming on the ground and 86 through the air.

Isaac Adams led the P/C ground game with 113 yards and one touchdown on 14 carries, while Sahr chipped in 93 yards and two TDs on 20 carries.

Edge completed 3-of-7 passing attempts for 86 yards and one interception, while Richardson had two receptions for 70 yards and Sahr one catch for 16 yards.

Defensively, Potosi/Cassville was led by Sam Infield and River Sahr, who each were in on 14 stops, Sahr having eight solo tackles and Infield six.

River Ridge’s offense was led by Noah Copsey, who finished with 129 yards and one TD on 16 carries, while Preston Gage contributed 53 yards rushing on four attempts, Reynolds 50 yards on nine attempts and Aaren Bedward 42 yards on four attempts.

Reynolds also completed 5-of-13 passing attempts for 70 yards, with Bedward hauling in a team-high three receptions for 18 yards.

Finishing with a team-high 11 tackles, Brogan Mezera led the River Ridge defense, while Preston Gage chipped in 10 tackles and Blake Reynolds nine.

“Giving up the two explosive plays were tough, especially sine we did a really nice job defensively outside of those two plays,” Winkers said of his defense. “I told our guys after the game, we should be proud of our effort and that we have a lot of season ahead to do some really great things. Our response after a tough loss will show what we are made of.”

The Timberwolves (0-1, 2-1) host Riverdale (1-0, 2-1) this Friday night, while Potosi/Cassville (1-0, 2-1) hosts Boscobel (0-1, 0-3).