Academy fans cheer on the Vikes. (Julia Gurevitz’19/Media)
Coming off its first loss of the season, the CA football team looked to rebound with a home win against a talented Whitehall team. The Vikings unleashed all of their anger, blowing out the Rams, 31-14.
The game began with a crazy sequence of events. On the first play from scrimmage, Whitehall’s carrier lost the ball, and senior Davis Friedman pounced on it. In the next play, the Rams intercepted an ill-advised throw from senior Matt Saling to take back possession.
After the two teams traded punts, it was Academy’s offense that drew first blood. Saling fired a bullet over the middle, and classmate Matt Schiano made a juggling, one-handed catch and raced to the end zone for a 60-yard touchdown.
On Whitehall’s ensuing possession, Friedman picked off an errant pass by quarterback Raymell Byrd deep in Rams territory. Friedman is turning in one of the greatest defensive seasons by a Viking in years.
CA’s offense wasted no time capitalizing on the opportunity. Senior Herman Moultrie bursted through a seam and sprinted to the house untouched from 17 yards out.
Facing a 14-0 deficit, a desperate Whitehall needed a scoring drive. Byrd delivered, leading the Rams down the field and slinging a 16-yard touchdown to cut the Vikes’ lead in half.
Both defenses turned up the intensity, forcing several punts back and forth. With time winding down in the first half, Academy moved the ball into field goal range. Impressive sophomore Sam Massick took care of the rest, nailing the kick and giving CA a 17-7 lead heading to the locker rooms.
The Vikes received the ball after half-time and looked to build on their advantage. They drove to their own 45-yard line, and Saling lofted a setup screen to Moultrie. About to take a brutal hit from a Rams linebacker, Moultrie stopped on a dime, weaved through more defenders, and scampered to the end zone for his second touchdown of the night.
Whitehall refused to go down without a fight. The Rams ripped through the Vikings defense and were knocking on the door of a touchdown. Unable to cross the goal line on three consecutive plays, they elected to go for it on 4th and goal from CA’s 2-yard line. But Academy’s defense flexed its muscles, as juniors Deven Cobb and company stuffed the Rams and prevented a crucial touchdown.
After a Vikings punt, Whitehall’s offense again threatened to strike. But CA denied the Rams again and preserved its 24-7 lead heading into the final period.
Whitehall’s hungry offense continued to attack each time they got the ball, and the Vikes could only keep them out of the end zone for so long. Finally, Byrd and Rams found paydirt with just 3 minutes left.
After Whitehall successfully recovered their ensuing onside kick, Academy fans began to shift in their seats. Suddenly, a miracle comeback was a possibility.
But junior Dorrian Moultrie quickly dashed the Rams’ hopes. Moultrie jumped a route and picked off a pass, returning it for a Vikings touchdown and sealing the victory.
With the hard-fought win, CA improved to 4-1 of the season. The Vikes’ biggest game of the year awaits, as they travel to arch-rival Bexley on Thursday, September 28. Though the Lions are 0-5 this season, they always prove to be a tough matchup for Academy and have dominated the rivalry in recent years.