The Rams faced up against Roxbury on Thursday, Oct. 10, dominating the Gaels 34-7 on Homecoming night.
“Coming into the game we wanted to ignore their record and just fly around,” senior Cole Cabatic commented. “We just wanted to play football like we did in the week leading up to the game.”
The Rams’ first drive was unsuccessful, as the Gaels forced a punt. Soon after, sophomore Matt Skrapits forced a fumble with sophomore Zayne Carswell recovering, giving the Rams field position in Roxbury territory.
The connection between juniors Jackson Magley and Joey Sommer was prevalent all night as they teamed up on a tunnel screen to put them inside the red zone. The Rams dialed up the play action with Magley improvising, which allowed him to strike first and give the Rams a 6-0 lead.
The Rams’ defense forced turnovers all night as junior Logan Hankin recovered a Gaels fumble, giving the Rams an opportunity to take a two-score lead. A play later, Magley found sophomore Patrick Dell’Aglio, who took it the distance, following the Rams great with downfield blocking, extending the lead to 13-0. Senior Dean Mangiocavallo successfully converted an onside kick, giving back the ball to the Rams to end the first quarter.
The Rams O-Line opened holes for senior Gideon Ochieng, who marched the Rams down the field to find the end zone, giving the Rams a commanding 19-0 lead. The Rams D-Line had a party in the backfield, as seniors Ryan Collins and Nick Hart had many tackles for losses and forced a 3 and out, giving back the ball to the Rams offense.
Magley was able to launch a 55-yard-deep ball to Sommer, who flew over a Gael to set up Randolph on the 10-yard line. Magley on a third and goal found Skrapits, which gave the Rams momentum going into halftime, 27-0.
“Our mindset going into the second half was to keep our foot on the pedal and give them no life,” junior Max Eisenberg said.
The Gaels’ defense came out strong and brought the Rams to a 4th down. On 4th down, Magley, with no pressure in the pocket, hit Dell’Aglio in the middle of the field, who took the ball down the field and extended the lead, 34-0. The Rams were able to hold onto this lead to secure the victory, 34-6.
“We’ll focus on maintaining our teamwork and communication,” noted Hankin on how the Rams will work to maintain this momentum to finish the regular season. “Consistent practice, analyzing our performances and setting specific points of emphasis for each game will be crucial. We need to keep on playing with emotion.”
The Rams will look to carry this winning streak into the last two games of the regular season, starting @ Orange tonight, Friday, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m.
