Overcoming four first-half turnovers and costly penalties, the Vikes took charge in the second half and cruised to an easy 35-13 victory over the 1-4 Richard Montgomery Rockets Oct. 4.

The game started off slowly with the Rockets taking a 6-0 first-half lead, but they were not able to convert on the many Viking mistakes because of strong defensive play by the Vikes.

The team was crippled by sloppy play that stalled many of the Viking drives.

“Coach Kuhn just gave us a really motivating halftime speech and our captains took charge and got us all fired up for the second half,” guard Alec Gould said.

The second half then started off quickly and the Vikes started their 35-0 run with a touchdown run by running back Zac Morton only three plays into the half.  Morton finished the game with 256 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.

The defense continued its strong play throughout the game forcing three and outs on most of the Rocket drives.

“Our defensive coordinator, Coach Lee, came up with a good game plan and we executed for the most part on defense,” Gould said.

After downing the ball on the Rocket three-yard line, the Vikes put together another strong defensive stop and forced a short punt that gave the team great field position on the 20-yard line. Two plays later the Vikes found the end zone once again on a 15-yard run by Morton.

Quarterback Evan Smith also played well, coming back from his two first-half interceptions to throw two touchdowns of his own, one to tight end Anton Casey, and another to wide receiver Nick Newsham.

The defense then capped the game off with a 71-yard interception return for a touchdown by linebacker Mark Norris with three minutes left in the game, putting the Vikes up 35-6.

The Vikes will look to carry their momentum to Damascus where they will take on the 4-2 Damascus Hornets Oct. 11.