The JV football squad started their season with a dominant 13-0 win on the road against the Poolesville Falcons on Sept. 9, making it their first win since Oct. 25, 2019, and a tone setter for the rest of the season.

The Patriots played a complete game, with their defense having two sacks and sophomore Travon Moore forcing a fumble for a scoop and score in the second quarter. The Falcons were held to only 105 all-purpose yards and were unable to get anything going on either side of the ball. “I think we really just wanted to win more than them because of how high our intensity was throughout the game and how we stuck to our game plan that we had been practicing with,” JV Head Coach Dave Shipe said. 

Offensively, the Patriots run game was a main component to their win, with sophomore running back Mathew Cortes having 14 carries for 97 yards and freshman Tyler Siegal also sharing many of the carries. Then in the third quarter, sophomore quarterback Matt Repie threw a touchdown to sophomore wide receiver Jake Kelly for 23 yards and finished the game with 8-12 in attempts for 73 yards. “We played all four quarters with the same energy and our offensive line was explosive off the ball, which helped us execute our plays the way we planned to,” Repie said.

Poolesville’s JV only had 16 athletes on the team coming into the game due to lack of interest and safety concerns, which had many of their players playing almost every snap of the game. This was definitely a factor in their loss because of their lack of depth in different positions and the fast paced offense that they had to go up against. “We are for sure fortunate to be able to field a team and we take all necessary precautions to make sure our student athletes are able to play the whole season, including masks inside the locker room and socially distanced huddles,” Shipe said.

Entering their first game, JV did not have the opportunity to scrimmage other teams, but they did have a joint practice against the JV Richard Montgomery Rockets. They also regularly practiced with and against the varsity Patriots to practice special teams or their defense. “Even though we didn’t have much film of Poolesville to study, we felt prepared because we had our game plan and varsity gave us a taste of what the pace in games looks like,” Cortes said. 

The Patriots lost 16-0 to the Clarksburg Coyotes on Sept. 18, which places them at 1-1 to begin the season. They hope to bounce back with a home win against the Winston Churchill Bulldogs on Friday, Sept. 24. “Clarksburg was a tough opponent, but we put it behind us and we are excited to win our first home game,” Shipe said.