The River Pilots fell 17-23 in their 2013 football opener to Fort Frye Aug. 30 in Cadet Country.

The Fort scored first in the game on its third possession in the second quarter and held a 10-7 lead at halftime.

With the ball at River’s 34 yard line, Pilot Jordan Sapp took a handoff 18 yards for a first down. QB Joe Flannery found Bryce Cross for a seven-yard pass play and Sapp then gained 12 more yards to give River a 1st and 10 on the Cadet 34.

The Pilots were forced into a 3rd-and-7 and called a time out. When play resumed, Flannery found Cross again for an 11-yard gain and a first down at the 20. Flannery then completed a pass to Bailey Reusser for a TD with 16 seconds left in the first half. Colton Wright’s point-after was true, narrowing the gap to just three points at the break.

An electrical failure on The Fort’s field extended halftime to about one-and-a-half hours. When play resumed, the Cadets held the ball at their own 39 yard line and gained a first down. Despite a River sacking, Fort Frye continued to move the chains to the River three yard line and eventually scored to push its lead to 16-7 after a failed point after.

On its next possession, River was sacked to make it second and 14 at the Pilot 24 yard line. However, Sapp shot through a big hole in the Cadet defense and carried 76 yards for another River TD. Wright made good on the point after to narrow the gap to 16-14, Fort Frye.

After an intervening TD and extra point by the Cadets, Wright booted a 35-yard field goal to narrow Fort Frye’s lead to 23-17. River made several attempts to wrest the advantage. However, after several incomplete passes, it ended when the Pilots turned the ball over with only 18 second left in game time.

Sapp piled up 151 yards on 20 totes and Cross added another 57 yards on six catches. Flannery went 7-18 on 76 yards passing.