After beginning the season with its most lopsided loss since 2015, the CA football team hosted Linden-McKinley on Friday, August 31, with an opportunity to right the ship. The Vikings did just that, steamrolling the Panthers, 51-6.
Despite the electric Academy student section on hand, it was Linden-McKinley that grabbed the momentum early, as the Panthers snatched up a fumble by junior Carter Warstler on the third play of the game.
The Vikes quickly forced a punt, and CA’s offense went to work. Sophomore quarterback Brady Hess directed the Vikings into the red zone, and Warstler did the rest, atoning for his earlier turnover with a 13-yard touchdown scamper.
Linden-McKinley looked to respond with a score of its own, but senior linebacker Hayden Compton would have none of it. Compton bottled up the quarterback for a short gain on first down, before ripping him to the turf for sacks on consecutive plays. The Panthers’ punter couldn’t corral a bad snap and fell on the ball in his own end zone for an Academy safety.
The flurry wasn’t over. Warstler fielded the ensuing kickoff and weaved through the Linden-McKinley coverage team for a 66-yard score. In the blink of an eye, the Vikes had raced ahead to a 16-0 advantage.
CA refused to step off the gas in the second quarter. Hess dropped a dime to senior Dorrian Moultrie from 47 yards out to extend the lead, and the Vikings began to pile it on. Just a few plays later, Compton continued his dominant performance, picking off a pass and returning it 15 yards for another Academy touchdown.
Now trailing 30-0, matters only got worse for the Panthers. Another bad snap on a punt gave the Vikes possession inside the Linden-McKinley 25-yard line, and they deftly cashed in. Hess lofted a jump ball into the back corner of the end zone, and senior Chris Boyle came down with it to extend the cushion.
With time winding down in the first half, sophomore Sam Huyghe intercepted an underthrown deep ball, giving CA a short field again. The Vikings pounded their way down near the goal line, and junior quarterback Andrew Swartz kept it himself for a 3-yard touchdown, as Academy took a 44-0 lead into the break.
The Vikes coasted to the finish in the second half, with Warstler adding another 13-yard score in the third period. A Panthers touchdown in the final stages spoiled CA’s shutout bid, but it was an impressive win nonetheless.
Their confidence restored, the Vikings will travel to Newark Catholic on Saturday, September 8 for a showdown with the Green Wave.
