Like the rest of the Rio Americano Raiders, Raymar Griffith knows how to bounce back from adversity. 

When a long touchdown run by the junior running back was called back for a penalty in the first quarter against Christian Brothers, he responded minutes later with another 60-yard run. This one and the extra point kick by freshman Ryael Henry put the Raiders up 7-0. 

Although they didn’t score again, it was enough for a 7-3 upset of the home team, as a dominating performance by the Raider defense kept the Falcons (6-4) out of the end zone and handed them their first league loss. 

Coming off a 64-0 pounding by regional powerhouse Inderkrum on Oct. 25, the win gave the resilient Raiders a 5-5 record and 10th-seed playoff berth based on strength of schedule. 

Friday night they head to Merced to take on the 7th-seed Bears. Merced posted its sixth straight win Friday, a streak in which they outscored opponents by over 25 points per game. 

But coach Bob Ghazanfari thinks his team is up to the challenge.

“We have to come together as a team and do a really good job at executing our offense and defense and our special teams,” he said. “We got to be a smarter football team, the more disciplined football team. Keep it close and then pull one out on offensive or defense.
 I think that’s recipes for success.”