[score id=”46258″ align=”right”]
The football team (2–3) rebounded against their arch rival Churchill Bulldogs Saturday with a 44–14 victory.

The game, originally scheduled to be played at Whitman, was instead played at nearby Wootton High School. Wootton has a turf field that presents a better playing surface for inclement weather.

Running back Mason Robinson said the team was disappointed not to have the energy from the crowd that a home game would have provided.

However, the change in plans didn’t faze the Vikings, who held a lead throughout the entire contest. The Vikes shut out the Bulldogs in the first half, heading into the break with a 21-point lead.

The Vikes’ put in impressive effort on defense, bottling up Churchill running back Andrew Zuckerman, who was the leading rusher in Montgomery County coming into the game. They succeeded even without starting defensive tackle Zach Salem-Mackall, who was sidelined in the second half with a knee injury.

The team was able to succeed in the running game despite an injury to running back Gunnar Morton in the first quarter. Robinson stepped up with 78 rushing yards and a touchdown in his place, and quarterback Matt Clayton ran for 119 yards and two more scores.

“The team is all about the ‘next guy up’ [mentality],” Robinson said. “Clayton and I just kept pounding the ball with some superb blocking.”

The Vikings continued to excel in the second half. Churchill scored their final touchdown after the Vikes pulled their defensive starters—receiver Alex Hilsenrath returned the kickoff for a touchdown to all but end the game.

The team will travel to face the 2–3 Gaithersburg Trojans Saturday at 1.