The Rams endured a significant 0-34 loss @ West Morris Central on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024.
“The rain made the field slippery,” sophomore Jayden Aguilar said. “It was like playing in socks.”
The Rams opened the game with a kickoff. The first quarter saw the West Morris players slowly work their way up the field, although the Rams defense made West Morris fight for every yard. West Morris ultimately scored on their opening drive, however, making the score 0-7.
On the West Morris kickoff, the team launched the ball into Rams territory at around the 18-yard line. Sophomore Zayne Carswell received the ball and had a solid carry past the 40-yard line, setting up the Rams in decent field position. Unfortunately, the Rams punted after an unsuccessful drive.
On the next West Morris drive, the opponents faced heavy resistance, yet they scored again, making the score 0-14. On the Rams next drive, junior quarterback Jackson Magley threw to junior Joey Sommer, resulting in the first down and the first time the Rams had entered West Morris territory during the game.
As the game rolled into the second quarter, the Rams continued to fight but got stopped again. For the rest of the quarter, West Morris held the ball, making the score 0-21.
Again, the Rams were stopped on their next hard-fought drive. West Morris turned it around and scored with only two minutes left, bringing the game to 0-28.
“In the first half, the team came out full of optimism and determined to establish the ground game, but in the second half, we had started to pass more to try to cut the score down,” senior Cole Cabatic said. “But throughout the entire game, we stayed determined.”
Going into the second half, the game was 0-28 with the Rams receiving the ball. The Rams came out with hope and energy, ready to shut down any West Morris attempts at scoring again. After an unsuccessful drive, West Morris scored another touchdown.
Bringing the game to the fourth quarter, the score was 0-34. The rest of the game was a hard-fought battle on the turf. No team was able to put up anything more on the score board.
“Our defense has to be better because a good offense is a good defense,” said senior captain Nick Hart after the game.
It was a tough loss despite a valiant effort, but the Rams remain motivated to beat Warren Hills at their next game, on Friday, Oct. 4.
