Varsity Football is ready to jab at the Knights on Senior Night

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Jordan Goodman

Demetrius Rush handles the high snap at the line

Gabe Leonard, Hezekiah Likekele, and

Varsity football seeks to joust with the Wheaton Knights for their final home game of the season this Friday after suffering a tough loss to the Blake Bengals 6-44 on October 28.

The game at Blake didn’t go as planned, but the boys in blue fought until the final whistle, giving everything they had to keep their chances for the playoffs alive. Making the playoffs this year would make it the second consecutive year that the Mill has made the playoffs after a long playoff drought prior to last year.

Despite the score, the team continued to preach their motto to not give up, which eventually gave the ‘Rines their first points of the game from freshman Demetrius Rush stepping in for junior Markel Grant as quarterback.

“It started off bad, [it was just] a bad game…but we didn’t give up,” senior captain Nigel Duberry said. “Our offensive line needs to improve on blocking, our defense needs to work on making tackles.”

This week of practice serves to be an important one as they face the Wheaton Knights in a game that will play a part in shaping the playoff race. “Our O-line needs to work on blocking…[and] our D-line needs to work on stopping the run. We need high intensity. No playing around this week of practice.”

The game versus Wheaton also happens to be varsity football’s senior night. This is a time to celebrate all of the seniors and thank them for their contributions to the team and the school during their four years at Watkins Mill.

Seniors Daquan Wims and Steven Mendez reflected on their high school careers, which they have enjoyed. “Playing football at Watkins Mill for four years, this one has been my best,” Wims said.

“It feels good because you have the younger players looking up to you, but at the same time it’s kind of sad because it’s your last year playing,” Mendez added.

Junior linebacker Salekri Sayeh also provided a goal for this game. “We want to win this game for our seniors,” Sayeh said. Let’s be ready to pack the stands this Friday as the ‘Rines put the Wheaton Knights to sleep and have Orange Nation show out in the Den for the seniors’ last home game.

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