Russellville suffers first defeat, falls to Florence 35-21.
The Russellville High School varsity football team saw its undefeated start to the 2026 season come to an end Friday night, as the Florence Falcons pulled away in the second half for a 35-21 victory at Golden Tiger Stadium.
The loss dropped Russellville to 3-1 on the season, while Florence improved to 4-0. The contest was tied 14-14 at halftime before the Falcons scored three unanswered touchdowns after the break to take control of the game.
Russellville and Florence battled through an evenly matched opening half. The Golden Tigers took an early 7-0 lead, but FHS was able to score right before the halftime break to take momentum into the locker room and the second half.
Florence broke the tie early in the third quarter, scoring touchdowns on consecutive drives to build a 28-14 advantage. The Falcons added another touchdown early in the fourth quarter, extending their lead to 35-14 with 8:18 remaining in the game.
Russellville continued to compete until the final minutes, finding the end zone with just over a minute remaining to cut the deficit to 35-21. The late touchdown, however, was not enough to change the outcome.
“Missed opportunities” could have been a theme of the game for the Golden Tigers. A missed sack on third down near Florence’s goal line allowed the Falcons to continue one drive that ended in seven points; a block punt came to naught when RHS turned it over on downs in the red zone, and a slip by Russellville’s running back on an easily convertible third and one ended another offensive drive.
Had the Golden Tigers executed on those chances, Florence may have still won in the end, but it would have made for a much more compelling finale.
In the defeat, Russellville produced several notable individual performances. Senior running back Tarus Davis rushed for 141 yards on 22 carries and scored two touchdowns, while senior quarterback Tripp Cleveland completed 7-of-13 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown. Junior wide out Carter Clement led the Golden Tigers in receiving with 58 yards and a touchdown.
Russellville will look to rebound Friday, Sept. 18, when the Golden Tigers travel to face East Limestone in another Class 5A Region 7 game.