2023 SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN: Riverview (Sarasota) faces tough schedule once again this fall

RIVERVIEW RAMS (SARASOTA)

District: 4S-14

2023 SCHEDULE

* – District Contest

MILEAGE BREAKDOWN

The Rams will take four road trips this season, with two inside Sarasota County, one to neighboring Manatee County, while the longest road trip of all four games on the road will be to Hillsborough County to play Berkeley Prep. That trip to Tampa for the Rams will come in at almost 70 miles one way but will also come in as one of the crucial games for the Rams in 2023. The shortest road trip of the season will be a jaunt just to the east over to Cardinal Mooney to take on another team from the regional playoffs in Class 1S last season.

To Cardinal Mooney: 6.6 miles
To Venice: 15.1 miles
To Berkeley Prep: 69.7 miles
To Manatee: 17.8 miles

One-Way: 109.2 miles
Round-Trip: 218.4 miles

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE

FloridaHSFootball.com has developed a weighted strength of schedule formula that weighs a team’s strength of schedule using data trends from the previous five seasons to measure a team’s overall strength of schedule. This includes all team records for all opponents and other weighted factors given about the teams on a schedule.

When looking at the schedule for Riverview, there is a lot to like about the schedule for the 2023 season, as very few changes compared to the schedule last season have been made. That starts with a state runner-up and a state semifinalist taking two placements on the schedule. At the same time, seven overall teams that reached the playoffs last season are a part of the schedule, while another team has had winning seasons for the previous five years and currently plays an independent schedule.

In talking about the state runner-up and the state semifinalist gracing the schedule for Riverview, that is with Venice, the Class 4S state runner-up last season. In contrast, Buchholz, who ended up falling to Venice in the state semifinals, is the state semifinalist that is a part of the schedule. These two teams alone provide the Rams a massive boost to their strength of schedule. We will talk about more in a moment.

Other playoff teams from 2022 that are a part of the Riverview schedule include Palmetto, Cardinal Mooney, Berkeley Prep, Manatee, and Sarasota. Clearwater Academy International, which plays an independent schedule, has been a consistent winner on the field over the years and also boosts the Rams’ strength of schedule.

Looking at the strength of schedule generated by our strength of schedule formula, it gives Riverview a strength of schedule of .742 coming into the season. That is important to remember as Riverview, which went 3-6 during the regular season, shocked the state as they reached the regional finals, giving it all their best against Venice in that regional final game. That said, Riverview could finish the regular season with a losing record but make the playoffs as an at-large team again.

MORE: Find all the links to all the schedule breakdowns published here

KEY DISTRICT GAME

9/29 – Venice: This game is the game that will be the toughest test for Riverview for the entire season, as this is the game that will determine who will be the district champion. Last year the Rams only lost this game by 10 points, which is significant because if the Rams are improved by the time this game comes about, they should give the Indians all they got once again.

KEY NON-DISTRICT GAME

9/1 – Buchholz: This game scheduled for Week 2 will give Riverview their first challenge of the season as they host the back-to-back state semifinalists from Gainesville. With Buchholz under a new head coach and some talent losses coming into the season, a win for the Rams in this game could go a very long way and give the team a huge with some big games to follow with Palmetto and Cardinal Mooney on deck following this one.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

With one of the toughest schedules in the state coming into the season, the Rams will have their work cut out for them. Under head coach Joshua Smithers, Riverview believes in challenging his team with quality opponents and making the most of opportunities given to them. While getting to a winning record will be tough once again, the path to achieving that is not impossible at all. It will take a strong team and keeping talent losses to a minimum if the Rams want to gain some wins with this overall impressive schedule for the 2023 season.