R.A. Long has won three games for the first time in seven seasons, the last time they did that was 2017. For three straight victories, you have to go back even further. It’s been a decade since R.A. Long has won three straight, and on Friday Night, everything clicked for RAL Coach Jon Barker.

“The kids have bought in,” Barker stated. “We’ve got a layered approach to our offense and we’re playing loose on defense. The guys are showing more trust in each other.”

That was evident on Friday night. The Lumberjacks continued to use their balanced offense attack. Jaxson Rivenes looked comfortable in the pocket all night long as he threw for four touchdowns. Three of those touchdowns went to the R.A. Long’s dual-threat weapon TraMayne Jenkins.

“(Rivenes) has to make some quick decisions and reads,” Jenkins proclaimed in support of his QB. “Having a QB that’s calm and collected goes a long way.”

Friday night’s game wasn’t like any other Lumberjacks victory in recent memory. It felt different. The Jacks got the scoring started on a pass from Rivenes to Jenkins, who proceeded to fumble the ball. Luckily enough, it was picked up by Nick Niday and taken to the house on the opening drive. From there, the Jacks never looked back.

Later in the first quarter, the Jacks took a 14-0 lead when Frank Pihl took a 3-yard plunge into the endzone. That lead would grow even wider in the second quarter. With 8:54 to go until halftime, Rivenes found Jenkins who crept up the sideline for a touchdown to give the Lumberjacks a 27-0 lead.

In the second half, it was the same story for the Jacks as their offense appeared to be firing on all cylinders. Some credit needs to be given to the RAL O-Line as they gave Rivenes a lot of time in the pocket to make the decisions he needed to.

“Anybody who is starting on the offensive line doesn’t start on the defensive line.” Barker mentioned about the big guys up front. “We don’t have a lot of guys but we are splitting our personnel so that they can play fresh.”

Rivenes went 19-for-23 with 253 yards and four passing touchdowns. TraMayne Jenkins finished with 8 receptions for 153 yards and 3 touchdowns, while also having 7 tackles defensively. Taijon Reagins had 5 receptions for 55 yards and a touchdown.

Next Friday, R.A. Long will travel to Vancouver to face the Columbia River. That game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. Kickoff.

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