Vikings storm the field. (Melanie Q./Staff)
written by William Dz.
On Friday, August 23, the football team made a comeback in a home opener against Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, supported by a white-out student section, topping the Eagles 22 – 21 with a last-minute touchdown and 2-point conversion to secure the win.
The Vikings offense struggled to find their tempo out of the gate, allowing the Eagles to force a punt on first possession. The teams went head-to-head with neither defense giving way, trading possessions and leaving them deadlocked at 0 – 0 at the end of the first quarter.
Then the Eagles drew first blood as they found the end zone with a halfback outside run and an extra point at the beginning of the second quarter, securing the initial lead 7-0. With time winding down, the Vikes couldn’t find an answer, heading to their locker rooms with a 7-point deficit.
In the second half, the Vikings offense began turning as they marched down the field. Gabe D-R. received a handoff from senior Cole S. in the red zone, sliding past defenders and bolting into the end zone, scoring the first Academy touchdown. Abe U. scored the successful extra point and leveled the game at 7 apiece.
But Cincinnati capitalized off of Academy’s blown coverage and ripped a 60-yard passing touchdown, reclaiming the lead at 14 – 7 by the end of the third quarter and then fought their way into Viking territory once again after the Vikes couldn’t muster a response. The Eagles extended their lead further to 21 – 7, following a screen pass into the red zone for a touchdown halfway through the fourth quarter.
The pressure was on for the Vikes as the fourth quarter ticked away, still Down 14 and appearing disorganized for the last 3 quarters, the Viking offense finally woke up, as Cole delivered a precise pass into the end zone to Harmon G. over a Cincinnati Hills cornerback, cutting the deficit to 7.
The Eagles received the ball with three minutes left. Then Viking defense forced a punt, allowing Academy to regain possession with 1:20 remaining.
With less than a minute, Cole hurled the ball for 29 yards to Harmon, who went down at the one-yard line. Cole took it himself to the end zone with a quarterback dive with 7 seconds left, making the score 20 – 21. The Vikings elected to go for the 2-point conversion, but a false start resulted in them moving back to the seven. Despite the setback, the Vikes stuck with their plan and went for the 2-point conversion. Cole dropped back, scanned the field, and hit Henry P. in the corner of the end zone dead-on for the successful game-winning conversion.
With one play left in the game, the Vikes stopped the Eagles kick return and secured a comeback with a narrow hard-fought victory, winning by one point at 22 – 21.
The team plays Jonathan Alder at home on August 30.
