Courtesy/Noah Berg
In my four years of high school, our football team has competed in four straight CBL championships. Freshman year, we lost it to Bishop Ready. Sophomore year: the Silver Knights took it from us again. Last year we took what was ours, winning the conference with an undefeated CBL record, taking down Franklin Heights in Week 7 to cement ourselves as champions.
So playing for yet another CBL championship this year is nothing new for the Vikings. But for Whitehall, you could not say the same. The Rams have been the punching bag of the CBL for the past four years, just winning four games in the conference over those four years. But this year the Rams look like an entirely different program. Starting the season two and zero, you may have thought this was going to be the same Whitehall from past years, but since Week Three this Rams team has been unstoppable–going undefeated in the past eight games, taking down every CBL opponent with ease. With one in-conference opponent left, the Rams had to face their toughest challenge yet. Taking on the also undefeated in-conference opponent, the Columbus Academy Vikings.
On Friday, October 23, the Rams were set to host the Vikings. With Whitehall swimming in uncharted waters, the Vikings felt confident about their typically lopsided matchup. Quarterback Michael T. said, “This isn’t the same Whitehall we are used to playing. With lots of injuries to our offensive line, people are going to need to step up, but I have no doubt we can win.”
But from the jump, Whitehall was ready. The Rams received the ball in the first quarter, marching down the field and setting themselves up deep in the red zone. With three lethal stops from the Vikings, Whitehall elected to go for it on 4th and 7. The Rams quarterback danced back in the pocket, creating himself time to find his receiver in the back of the end zone to put the score at 7-0. Whitehall’s defense was relentless, putting constant pressure on quarterback Michael T. The Viking offense was held to zero points in the first half, while the Rams offense continued to produce points, ending the half 19-0. With all the momentum in Whitehall’s favor, the Vikings stood no chance. The second half was no different than the first, with the Academy offense being minimized. The Rams took the game 33-6.
The Vikings have a bye next week going into the playoffs. I hope they use this time to regroup and figure out how to protect our quarterback, letting him have time to throw to our strong receivers so we can put some points on the board.
