GAINESVILLE — Richard Sherrell rushed for 82 yards and two touchdowns to lead Whitefield Academy to a 41-0 victory over Riverside Military Academy on Friday.

Both of Sherrell’s touchdowns came in the first half. The first capped a 12-play, 83-yard drive with a 2-yard run.

On Whitefield’s next possession, Sherrell scored again on a 10-yard scamper, putting the Wolfpack up 14-0.

“After the first quarter, when the game was tied, we knew we just had to keep grinding to score,” Sherrell said. “My running back coach told me to be patient and the holes would open up.”

Whitefield went up 22-0 with just 26 seconds left in the half when quarterback Everrett Pollard scored on a 2-yard plunge.

Pollard would add another score through the air on the Wolfpack’s fourth consecutive drive ending in a score. Pollard’s 40-yard pass connected with Matt Olson for a 29-0 advantage.

“I expected to come out strong after a tough loss last week,” Whitefield Academy coach Jimmy Fields said. “Playing hard is no surprise for me and this team.”

Because most of the players for Riverside are boarding students, they started practice a couple of weeks later than most other teams in Georgia. The Eagles were unable to have a preseason scrimmage and had a bye week last week.

“(Coach) Gary (Downs) is beginning to build a strong program here, and I have a lot of respect for him and his team,” Fields said. “His kids have a lot of fight and stopped us a few times on fourth down.”

Downs did not want to use the late start as an excuse.

“Sure the late start is a disadvantage,” he said. “But we can’t use that as an excuse. We have to look at what we did (Friday) and move on to next week.”