panthers football

Panthers Open Up WPIAL Playoffs Against OLSH On Friday

The Riverside Panthers will square up and face Our Lady of Sacred Heart on Friday at 7:00 p.m. at Moon High School in the opening round of the WPIAL Class 2A Playoffs. Riverside finished 4-3 in Class 2A Midwestern Conference, earning a 9-seed in the 13-team playoff picture, surprising many including their coach. “They played far better than I expected this year,” says head coach Rob Magnifico. “They out performed my expectations.” Defense has been key to the Panthers success this season as the unit only allowed 14 points a game this year, a stark contrast and improvement over the 37…


Ellwood City, Riverside Each Cruise To Victories

A week after a low scoring slugfest between section rivals, Ellwood City and Riverside each found some offensive firepower in collecting big section wins Friday night. The ground attack was on display as Elijah Palmer McCane rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns as Ellwood City wiped out Union 33-6 and, not to be outdone, Robbie Janis rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns as Riverside shutout Beaver Falls 31-0. For the Wolverines, the victory clinched at least a share of section title – a first since 1997 – and continues their bid for an undefeated regular season. Palmer-McCane’s rushing…


Janis, Gaydosz Help Panthers Earn 14-0 Victory Over Freedom

Robbie Janis rushed for 113 yards and Aiden Gaydosz threw for 129 yards to lead Riverside to a 14-0 victory over Freedom in MAC Conference play Friday night. Gaydosz added 46 yards rushing as both he and Janis found the endzone with rushing scores. Janis plunged in from 2 yards out to open the scoring in the first quarter. Gaydosz capped the low-scoring affair with a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Riverside posted 322 yards of total offense to go with 18 first downs. The Panthers defense held the Bulldogs (2-3 Overall) to only four first downs and…


PHOTOS: Riverside Falls To Western Beaver On Homecoming Night

Western Beaver jumped on Riverside early, gaining an early 21-0 advantage as they held on to defeat the Panthers 21-10 Friday night at Riverside Memorial Stadium. Brandon Mayo scored two first half rushing touchdowns for the Golden Beavers (4-1 Overall) who remain unbeaten in MAC section play. Robbie Janis led all rushers with 108 yards on the ground for the Panthers who outgained the visiting Golden Beavers 220-96 in total yards of offense, but came up short on the scoreboard. Aiden Garcia connected on a 20-yard touchdown pass to Joe Chill in the fourth quarter. Garcia finished 8-12 passing for…


Smiley, Wolverines Rout Freedom 43-3; Panthers Down New Brighton

Quarterback Chris Smiley accounted for four touchdowns as Ellwood City defeated Freedom 43-3 on the road Friday night in MAC Section play. The victory moved the Wolverines to 4-0 on the season, their first 4-0 start since 1997. After allowing the games first points early in the opening quarter, the Wolverines scored seven unanswered times to race away from the Bulldogs. Smiley scored on a pair of 7-yard runs in the first half to go along with two touchdown passes to lead the offensive charge. Running back Elijah Palmer-McCane also found paydirt twice with a pair of rushing touchdowns for…


PHOTOS: Wolverines Run Past Panthers, Clinch First Playoff Berth Since 2011

Ellwood City used a strong running game powered by Elijah Palmer-McCane to rout Riverside 41-0 Friday Night at Riverside Memorial Stadium. The ‘RivEll Cup’ victory also clinched the Wolverines first playoff berth since 2011. Palmer-McCane scored four first half rushing touchdowns as the visiting Wolverines jumped out to a 35-0 halftime advantage. In the first quarter, Palmer-McCane scored from 1-yard out and later in the quarter from 41-yards out. The touchdowns bookended a 47-yard touchdown strike from quarterback Chris Smiley (9-14 passing, 170 yards, 1 TD) to Declan Grey. Ellwood City led 21-0 after the 1st quarter. Palmer-McCane found the…


PHOTOS: Panthers Defeated By Beaver Falls, Ryleigh Clyde Crowned Homecoming Queen

The Riverside Panthers were defeated Friday night 41-6 by Beaver Falls at Riverside Memorial Stadium. After the team exchanged scores to open the section contest, Beaver Falls (3-3 Overall) scored six straight times including a safety, punt return, and interception return to pull away. Neither team scored in the second half. The Tigers outgained Riverside 514-126. The Panthers (0-5 Overall) next travels to Western Beaver on Saturday, October 7th for a 12:30 p.m. match-up. The home game was the Riverside Homecoming with Ryleigh Clyde crowned the Riverside 2023 Homecoming Queen at halftime. The Riverside School District will host its The…


Four Area Athletes To Be Represented In Penn Ohio All-Star Game

Four area athletes will be represented at the annual Penn Ohio All-Star Game next Thursday. Riverside announced that three members of their 2022 football team have been selected to play in a notable game while Ellwood City will send one athlete from their 2022 team. The 44th Annual Penn Ohio All-Star Game will be Played on Thursday, June 22nd at 7:00 p.m. at Salem’s Sebo Stadium in Salem, Ohio. It will match the PA All Stars (MAC Coaches Association) and the Ohio All Stars (Quad County Coaches Association) with four area seniors participating. Sam Hughes, Riverside – 6’0″ 185 –…


PHOTOS: Panthers Claim Playoff Spot During Senior Night Victory Over New Brighton

Riverside made easy work of the visiting Lions Friday night and claimed a playoff berth with their 52-7 blow out victory over New Brighton. The Panthers raced out to early leads of 20-0 after one quarter and a 40-0 advantage at halftime in the Midwestern Athletic Conference action. Riverside (4-4 overall) will close out its regular season on the road Friday (10/28) across town against its rivals at Helling Stadium in the Ellwood City Senior Night game. RELATED: Elijah Palmer-McCaine had another impressive showing, running for 222 yards and two touchdowns for Ellwood City (2-7 overall), but the Wolverines could…


PHOTOS: Riverside Homecoming Game, Panthers Fall To Western Beaver

The Riverside Panthers were defeated Friday night 49-21 by Western Beaver at Riverside Memorial Stadium. Running back Tyson Florence had a big game for Western Beaver, scoring six touchdowns in the victory over Riverside. The home game was the Riverside Homecoming with Elizabeth Frazier crowned the Riverside 2022 Homecoming Queen at halftime. The Golden Beavers improved to 6-1 on the regular season with the Riverside Panthers fell to an even 3-3 on their regular season campaign.