River Islands took care of business in Mother Lode League play Friday, rolling past visiting Riverbank, 41-0.

The Riptide (2-1, 6-1) wasted very little time on doing just that, scoring on their very first play from scrimmage. Senior tight end Amadeo Erilim set the tempo by turning a short pass from quarterback Daryl Carpenter into a 48-yard score.

Moments earlier, the Bruins (0-3, 2-4) provided River Islands with good field position by turning the ball over on downs. It was a pattern repeated several times by Riverbank.

Ahead 6-0, the Riptide defense recovered a fumble. The River Islands offense, behind senior signal-caller Carpenter, marched into the red zone with a big pass play. He then delivered an 11-yard scoring strike to Michael Figueroa — the pair connected again for the two-point conversion.

It didn't take long before Figueroa was back at it. He came up with an interception and raced 75 yards, breaking a few midfield tackles en route to reaching the end zone.

The River Islands defense came up with another fourth-down stop. Darien East, who had been sidelined in previous games due to a leg injury, once again displayed his speed, sweeping right and turning the corner, going 27 yards for the score.

"He's back," said Riptide coach Nick Kendall of his junior playmaker. In East's absence, he's had to rely on others on the team to help pick up the slack.

The return of East has "amplified" the play of River Islands, according to Kendall.

East finished with 101 yards on four carries.

The Riptide coach also praised the efforts of Erilim, who reeled in five passes for 141 yards.

"He's been solid for us during the past three weeks," said Kendall.

Ahead 27-0 in the second quarter, River Islands got the ball back when Keoni Jacobo recovered a fumble. A 27-yard pass play from Carpenter to Erilim helped set up Lucas Ruiz's 1-yard scoring plunge shortly before the intermission. Ruiz and Carpenter combined for the two-point conversion to give the Riptide a 35-0 advantage — this also resulted in a running clock in the second half.

For extra measure, River Islands scored on East's electrifying 70-yard dash in the third quarter.

The Riptide, who opened WAC play in a third-place tie, will travel to Angels Camp next week to square off against Bret Harte.