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D’Alonzo kicks Vikings goodbye

MON.| 10-24-22 | SPORTS

     On Oct. 7 JH Rose Rampants took on their cross-town rivals, the D.H. Conley Vikings in a conference football game. This was a big game for both teams and tensions were high leading up to Friday night.

     The game started quickly as the Vikings returned the kickoff for a big gain however, the Rampants quickly stopped them and started to drive down the field before they were stopped. On Conley’s next possession the Rampants forced a fumble. This allowed them to take the lead early on in the game. The Rampants capitalized on this chance; on the next drive Rose quarterback Will Taylor threw a 38-yard receiving touchdown to Jackson Latham. Senior kicker Will D’Alonzo stepped up and hit the first point after the touchdown (PAT) of the game to put them up 7-0.

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Photo by Lorian McGillicuddy 

     The Rampants first touchdown was the only score of the first quarter. The game was close but halfway through the second quarter, Taylor threw his second touchdown of the night to senior receiver Kenderious Geddis from the ten-yard line. On the Viking’s next offensive possession Conley quarterback Jason Herring ran for a 65-yard touchdown cutting the Rampants’ lead down to seven. Going into halftime the Rampants were still up 14-7.

     The entire third quarter was back and forth on defense and offense. Both teams played well; neither team was able to find the end zone until deep into the third quarter. With four minutes left in the third quarter, the Vikings  Yashaun Dade-el rushed for a 34-yard touchdown that tied the game. As the third quarter winded down neither team managed to score. 

     As the fourth quarter began, the Vikings came out quick with Herring rushing for 3 yards to score a touchdown and take the lead. This put the Rampants at a disadvantage for the rest of the fourth quarter. For most of the fourth quarter, the game was back and forth until late in the game when Taylor rushed for another 25-yard touchdown. The PAT was converted and the game was all square with six minutes left in the game. With four minutes left the Rampants drove down the field before Taylor threw an interception on the Viking's 30-yard line. On the next play, the Vikings snapped the ball and found senior receiver, Cooper Marcum. Marcum fumbled the ball and the Rampants recovered it on the Vikings 43 yard line. The Rampants ran a couple of plays and got to the 21-yard line with under a minute left. The Rampants lined up for a field goal to take the lead.

     D’Alonzo stepped up and got ready to attempt the 21-yard field goal after being iced by the Conley coach three times. He nailed the ball straight through the uprights leaving only 5.8 seconds on the clock.

     “Everything went as planned, it couldn't have gone any better, the hold was great, the snap was great, everything was great,” D’Alonzo said. “Even after their three time outs, to try to slow me down, even that didn't stop me, everything just went perfect.”

     After this big win, the Rampants are 7-1 and 4-0 in conference play. They plan to continue winning games and take it all the way to the state championship.

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