The football team (3–2) secured their second consecutive season victory against the Einstein Titans (2–3), 20–19, on Friday night.
Einstein came out of the gates fast with a long first drive, resulting in a redzone rushing touchdown to take an early 7–0 lead. The Vikes immediately responded with a touchdown after junior quarterback Connor Werkman found senior receiver John Wayman in the endzone, tying the game up at seven all. The offense didn’t slow for either side as both teams tacked on more points before the half. The Titans broke off on a long 50-yard run for their second score of the half but fumbled the snap for the extra point. The Vikings again got the ball to Wayman in the red zone, who scored his second touchdown of the contest. Whitman has a 14–13 advantage heading into halftime.
The Titans mimicked their great first-half start with a solid second-half, beginning with a drive resulting in a red zone passing touchdown, but a blocked extra point by the Vikings special teams unit kept it a five-point game. Whitman wasted no time regaining the lead as Wayman continued dominating the entire game with his third touchdown catch of the night. The defense sealed a 20–19 victory for the Vikings with a forced fumble by junior Derrick Goodman. Junior Nate Sullivan was there for the crucial fumble recovery to put Whitman on top. With this victory, the Vikes are on pace for their first winning season in seven years, and it also gives the Vikes their first midseason winning record since 2016.
After the victory, Coach Sean Pierce showed pride in his team but acknowledged that there is still work to do.
“I’m happy that the hard work is paying off, but the job isn’t done,” Pierce said. “We need to keep working and keep fighting, we have an opportunity to do something special this season. Extremely proud of our guys and what we’re accomplishing.”
Whitman will try and make a three-game win streak next Friday night, October 6th, against Winston Churchill (4–1).
As Whitman prepares for their toughest matchup of the season, Senior defensive end and team captain Zach Dawson reflects on Friday’s monumental win.
“It feels amazing,” said Dawson. “The team is playing well and our defense is looking better than ever.”
