3 takeaways from Clearwater's dominant district win over River Ridge

The Tornadoes rolled up 35 first half points en route to a blowout victory on senior night

Clearwater vs Countryside (2022 season) / Alex Walworth

CLEARWATER, FLORIDA- Playing in a makeup game due to Hurricane Milton, Clearwater hosted River Ridge looking to solidify themselves as the Class 4A, District 10 front-runners.

By halftime, the Tornadoes had already put into effect a running clock against their district foes.

Clearwater rushed out to a 35-0 lead by halftime lead and cruised by River Ridge, 49-7 at Jack White Stadium.

With only a district game to go against a winless Countryside team, Clearwater looks to have all but locked up 4A-10 and a guaranteed spot in the postseason. While for River Ridge, they'll be looking to fight for a spot in the 4A playoffs with games remaining against Gulf andWiregrass Ranch.

High School On SI Florida was on hand for the game and give you three takeaways from the contest.

1. Clearwater quarterback Jaylen White was impressive

68-yard bomb 💣 from @jaylen_white12 for a touchdown 🙌@CHS_Tornadoes 35, @KnightsRRHS 0, 2nd Q 2:41 @SBLiveFL #flhsfb pic.twitter.com/0Hvwt5o37K

— Andy Villamarzo (@Andy_Villamarzo) October 21, 2024

The 2026 signal caller entered the game as one of Pinellas County's top passers with 1,195 yards and 10 touchdowns. By halftime, White had added a couple more scores and some yardage to boot. White by intermission had completed 5-of-6 passes for 203 yards and the two scores. The quarterback also showed off his mobility and added another score on the ground, making it a easy night operating the Tornadoes attack against River Ridge.

2. Tornadoes' defense smothered the Royal Knights' offense

Matt Barton with a nice 8-yard run here for @KnightsRRHS pic.twitter.com/FhENb09Yjj

— Andy Villamarzo (@Andy_Villamarzo) October 21, 2024

Any thought of a comeback attempt by River Ridge was thwarted by the defensive effort set forth by Clearwater, which kept the pressure on the Royal Knights' offense all evening long. From three and outs to linebacker Maurice Bryant's 32-yard interception return for a touchdown, the Tornadoes didn't just keep the pedal to the metal on offense, but defense as well. When Clearwater has all its dudes on both sides of the ball, this can be a dagerous club come playoff time in Class 4A.

3. Ever since the Largo game, everything has turned around for Clearwater

Remember that 1-3 start and the sky was falling for Clearwater? Welp, forget about all of that because these Tornadoes have been a totally different team ever since their win over rival Largo back on Sep. 20th. On a 3-game losing streak heading into the contest against the Packers, Thor Jozwiak's bunch needed a win in the worst way and they pulled it off, 23-18. Since then, the Tornadoes have reeled off victories over East Lake, Gulf and Tampa Catholic ahead of the River Ridge game. Now with just Countryside left, the Tornadoes are set to wrap up the regular season as Class 4A, District 10 champs.

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-- Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @sblivefl