Vikes in huddle. (Chris Hermann’18/Media editor)
After three consecutive blowout victories, the CA football team ran into a roadblock when it traveled to Bloom-Carroll on Friday, October 13. The Vikings remained within striking distance for the majority of the game, but the Bulldogs eventually pulled away and handed Academy its second loss of the year, 30-17.
Trying to catch the Vikes sleeping, Bloom-Carroll attempted an onside kick to begin the game. The decision backfired, as CA recovered and took over near midfield.
The Vikings’ offense wasted no time in capitalizing on the good field position. On the fifth play of the drive, senior Herman Moultrie took a handoff, bounced off several Bulldogs defenders, and sprinted to the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown.
Bloom-Carroll’s disastrous start only got worse when it received the ball. A miscommunication between the Bulldogs’ quarterback and running back led to a fumble, and senior Mikey Boeckman pounced on it to give the Vikes the ball back.
With a 7-0 lead in tow, Academy moved the ball deep into Bloom-Carroll territory, looking to take a commanding lead. But the Vikings failed to punch it in from short distance, and settled for a field goal.
Frustrated, the Bulldogs began to find a groove on their ensuing drive. They quickly advanced to their own 45-yard line, before quarterback Otto Kuhns found a wide open receiver deep down the field for a touchdown.
As the second quarter began, both defenses locked in. The two teams punted the ball back and forth, until Bloom-Carroll finally broke the scoring drought late in the period. The Bulldogs marched down the field, and Kuhns capped off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run on a quarterback draw to give his team a 14-10 lead.
When CA received the ball again, it looking to reclaim its lead. With time winding down, the Vikes moved into Bloom-Carroll territory. But a trick play resulted in an interception for the Bulldogs, and Academy headed to the break, facing its first halftime deficit of the season.
After forcing a punt to open the third quarter, the Vikings’ offense put together its best drive of the game. CA ripped through the Bloom-Carroll defense, and took the lead as senior quarterback Matt Saling connected with junior Dorrian Moultrie on a slant for a 12-yard touchdown.
The Bulldogs immediately swung back. Kuhns took over, as he both scrambled and threw for big gains. He lofted a deep ball into the end zone, and his receiver came down with it, as Bloom-Carroll took a 21-17 lead into the final period.
The Bulldogs tacked on a field goal minutes later, and the ball belonged to the Vikings’ offense, in need of a touchdown to even the score. Saling flung a pass deep down the sideline to classmate Matt Schiano, but it was picked off by a Bloom-Carroll cornerback.
Closing in on a victory, Kuhns orchestrated one last scoring drive. He finished it off by calling his own number and running it in for a touchdown. The extra point was blocked, but the game had already been decided, as the Vikes dropped to 6-2 on the season.
Despite the loss, a playoff berth is still within reach for Academy. A road win at Liberty Union on Friday, October 20 will be crucial.
