The Red Team came up short in a hard-fought battle against River Valley, falling by a score of 13–6. Offensively, the highlight of the night came from Lance Calvert, who broke loose for an electrifying 62-yard touchdown run. Giovanni Terry and Nathan Willman also made key contributions, helping to keep the offense moving throughout the game. On the defensive side, Kellen Maybin made a big play with an interception to give the Broncos momentum. Camden Garcia, Javier Viveros, and Nicholas Casmus anchored the defense with strong performances, keeping River Valley’s offense in check for much of the contest. River Valley Panthers Rally Late to Edge Lake Belton Broncos in Hard-Fought Battle, 20-16 The Silver Team hit the road Monday evening to face the River Valley Middle School Panthers in a thrilling matchup that went down to the wire. Despite a strong start by the Broncos, late-game heroics by the Panthers gave them a come-from-behind 20-16 victory. The Broncos wasted no time setting the tone early, marching down the field on their opening possession and capping it off with a touchdown pass. After converting the two-point try, Lake Belton took an early 8-0 lead. River Valley answered with a promising drive of their own, but it stalled at midfield, and the ball went back to the Broncos with 2:15 left in the first quarter. Lake Belton again drove deep into Panther territory, reaching the 20-yard line. However, a third-down stop by River Valley forced a field goal attempt that narrowly missed its mark, keeping the score at 8-0. Late in the second quarter, the Panthers found rhythm on the ground and put together an impressive drive that culminated in a touchdown. Though they missed the conversion, the Panthers had pulled within two, trailing 8-6. Moments later, the Broncos looked poised to respond but threw an interception. On the very next play, the Lake Belton defense answered the call by forcing and recovering a fumble on the Panthers' 10-yard line. Unfortunately for the Broncos, the clock ran out before they could capitalize, sending the game into halftime with a slim 8-6 lead for Lake Belton. The third quarter was a defensive battle early on, as both teams moved the ball with limited success. It wasn’t until the closing moments of the quarter that the Broncos broke through again. A string of first downs and a key run by the quarterback led to another touchdown, and a successful PAT extended their lead to 16-6. However, River Valley refused to back down. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Panthers recovered a fumble and took it to the house, swinging momentum in their favor and narrowing the gap to 16-14. With time winding down, a failed fake punt attempt by the Broncos gave the Panthers excellent field position. Seizing the opportunity, River Valley leaned on their ground game to drive the ball down the field. With just two minutes remaining, they found the end zone again, taking their first lead of the night, 20-16. Lake Belton had one last chance to reclaim the lead, but the Panthers’ defense held strong, sealing a dramatic 20-16 win for the home team. Despite the loss, the Broncos had several standout performances. Offensively, Brody Rosenbaum and Jonathan Dwyer were key contributors, moving the chains and keeping the Panthers on their heels. On the defensive side, Ryan Taylor and Gregory Hemm delivered solid performances, helping to keep River Valley in check for much of the game. The Broncos will look to bounce back next week as they face off against cross town rival North Belton Middle School at Bronco Field on Monday, October 6th. Kickoff is set for 5:00 and 6:15 PM.