Herman Moultrie’18 dashes past Grandview. (Inji Kang’19)
With an opportunity to clinch its second consecutive playoff berth and get its share of the MSL title for the first time since 2009, the CA football team rose to the occasion, clobbering Grandview Heights 41-7 on Friday, October 27. In addition to the historic night on the field, Senior Night festivities preceded the game. Honored were Mikey Beockman, Davis Friedman, Herman Moultrie, Carson Nichols, Josh Pearson, Matt Saling, John Schiano, Matt Schiano, and Angus Soderberg.
For the final time this year, Academy’s rocking student section was firing on all cylinders to begin the game. The Vikes marched down the field and and deep into Bobcats’ territory, as senior running back Herman Moultrie knifed through the Bobcats’ defense on a multitude of handoffs and screens. But the drive stalled, and the Vikings were forced to settle for a 26-yard field goal by sophomore Sam Massick.
After forcing a punt, CA got the ball back and resumed feeding Moultrie. When the Vikes moved past midfield, they decided to attempt some trickery, as senior quarterback Matt Saling unloaded a deep ball after a double reverse. The playcall backfired, as Saling underthrew classmate Matt Schiano, and a Bobcats defensive back picked it off.
A scoring drought followed the turnover, and Academy had a 3-0 lead after the first quarter.
Midway through the second period, the Vikings’ swarming defense trapped the Grandview offense inside its own 5-yard line, forcing the Bobcats to punt the ball away from their own end zone. Dynamic junior Dorrian Moultrie fielded the kick, shed a few tacklers and raced towards the pylon before being dragged down just short. Three plays later, CA punched it in, as Moultrie’18 took a pitch and barreled his way past the goal line.
The Vikes wasted no time in extending their lead. On the Bobcats’ ensuing possession, senior linebackers Davis Friedman and John Schiano teamed up and popped the ball loose from the Grandview ballcarrier, giving the Academy offense great field position. Seconds later, Saling found Moultrie’18 wide open on an angle route out of the backfield, and he waltzed into the end zone untouched to give the Vikings a 17-0 lead heading into the break.
In danger of being blown out, Grandview came out of the locker rooms with renewed energy. On the first play of the half, the Bobcats caught CA sleeping on a trick play, and launched an 80-yard touchdown.
Looking to respond, the Vikings marched down the field and were knocking on the door of a touchdown of their own. But Academy failed to cash in from short distance, and Massick drilled a 22-yard field goal to give the Vikes a 20-7 lead.
With an opportunity to cut its deficit to single digits, Grandview took over deep in its own territory. But disaster struck for the Bobcats, as an errant pitch by their quarterback resulted in a fumble. Senior Josh Pearson pounced on it, and CA set up shop at the 4-yard line.
On the very next play, Moultrie’18 slashed through the defensive line for his third touchdown of the night. He finished his incredible regular season with 18 total touchdowns.
Academy’s defense forced a Grandview punt, and Moultrie’19 delivered the dagger with another electric return. This time, he would not be denied of a touchdown, as the conference’s most explosive player breezed past everyone for a score.
Later, the Vikes capped off their sensational regular season with one last touchdown. Saling lofted a jump ball in the corner of the end zone, and junior Chris Boyle ripped it away from the defensive back to close out the win.
With a share of the MSL title in tow, CA must now turn its attention to the playoffs. After being eliminated in the first round last year, the #5 seed Vikes are gearing up to make a deep run this time around. The journey begins with a trip to #4 seed Union Local on Friday, November 3.
