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RIVERTON — Friday night's high school football game between Riverton and Ridgeline was so close, it was decided by chains and a few inches.
The Silverwolves trailed by a touchdown in overtime, and it was fourth down with just 4 yards to go. Senior quarterback Andrew Neilson connected with sophomore wide receiver Bennett Neilson, who was brought down by the Riverhawks defense.
Ridgeline players immediately started to celebrate, while multiple Riverton players pointed to the right to indicate they'd earned the first down. The referees brought out the chains and determined Riverton was just short of the first down.
The decision gave the Riverhawks a 28-21 road overtime win.
"I trusted my (defense)," Ridgeline junior quarterback Nate Dahle said. "I knew we had them. I knew we stopped them."
The Riverhawks scored first during the overtime period when Dahle threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Hunter Knighton to give them a 28-21 lead.
Ridgeline committed a penalty that advanced Riverton half the distance to the goal line, but the Riverhawks defense tightened just enough from that point to secure the victory.
"I thought our team just kept battling and just kept making big plays when we needed them," Ridgeline coach Travis Cox said.
Riverton forced overtime with a drive that lasted just a hair more than one minute, all led by Neilson. The quarterback completed three passes — and even ran the ball for a few yards — before a 7-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Dane Slack.
With just 1:06 remaining in the game, the Silverwolves opted to kick a PAT instead of go for the 2-point conversion. Cox said he wasn't surprised to see that strategy.
"They have a really good field goal kicker," Cox said. "I get that. They're at home. They had a little bit of momentum. … I kind of expected they would kick it just because of who they have and they've been at home. It made sense."
Cox said Bennett Neilson made the biggest play of the game for Ridgeline — a scramble that led to a 41-yard touchdown run to grab a 21-14 lead.
"I was going to get the first (down), and then two people hit me and I was still up," Bennett Neilson said. "And then I just ran for my life."
Ridgeline struck first late in the opening quarter when Dahle threw a 16-yard pass to junior wide receiver Graham Livingston. Two plays later, senior running back JT White ran it 30 yards for a touchdown.
Riverton tied the game with an 85-yard, two-play drive that lasted less than a minute.
Andrew Neilson threw a 32-yard pass to Slack. The next play, Neilson and Slack connected again, but this time for a 53-yard touchdown.
The Riverhawks retook the lead on Dahle's 7-yard pass to Knighton with less than four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
