For the second straight week, the Academy football team hit the road for a huge game: this time against Grandview Heights. The Vikings and Bobcats had each suffered their first loss the previous week, so both teams were extra motivated to get their season back on track. But it was the Vikes that got the better of the Bobcats for the second straight year, 41-21.
The bleachers were shaking, the Grandview Heights players were enlivened, and Academy looked rattled. Although the Bobcats had just a 7-0 lead after the first quarter, it seemed like 70-0 based on the energy from their crowd, band, and body language.
Frustrated, and watching a second straight game starting to slip away, senior captain Nick Stringer and the Vikes began lighting up the Bobcats’ defense. After freshman kicker Sam Massick made a 31-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 7-3, Academy’s defense got a big stop to give the Vikes the ball back. Grandview Heights’ fans began to shift nervously in their seats, feeling the momentum turn. After receiving the punt, the Vikings marched down the field and took the lead as Stringer found an opening and scrambled 15 yards for a touchdown. Academy’s defense, led by senior captain Brett Bates, continued to dominate, forcing another Bobcats’ punt. Again, Stringer and the Vikes offense shredded the defense, as Stringer connected with sophomore Dorrian Moultrie on a 34-yard touchdown pass. Stunned, the Bobcats’ home crowd was reduced to silence as Academy began to take control.
The Vikings defense came up huge again, capping off a masterful quarter with junior linebacker Josh Pearson recovering a fumble and returning it 15 yards for another Vikes touchdown. By the time both teams were jogging to the locker room, Academy had ripped off 24 unanswered points and completely taken the crowd out of the game.
After a defensive battle in the third quarter, the Vikings took a 27-14 lead into the fourth. The Vikes wasted no time in putting the Bobcats away, as junior Jerome Buckner took a screen from Stringer and raced up the sideline for a 25-yard score. Soon after, Stringer capped off his great night with a 21-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Chris Boyle, his third of the night. When it was all said and done, the Vikings had run last year’s state semifinalist off its own turf.
Academy’s season is back in the right direction, and they will have an opportunity to capitalize on this momentum as they play Whitehall at home on Friday, September 23.
