The team opened the season with one of its strongest performances, a Sep. 5 win on the road over Rockville with a final score of 37-26. In this contest, the offense clicked, with senior running back/quarterback Josh Reid putting up three touchdowns, leading the Patriots to what would end up being their highest scoring game of the season. “Looking back, this was definitely the most fun game we had. They couldn’t stop our offense,” senior wide receiver Vikram Mishra said.
Despite the strong start, the Patriots would find themselves on the losing end of their next three matchups: falling 28-14 to Damascus at home on Sep. 12, losing a 14-7 road game versus Whitman on Sep. 12, and coming up short on Sep. 26 against Walter Johnson, 27-20. The Patriots faced inconsistencies at quarterback, and Reid, who was originally a running back, was tasked with making the switch to quarterback, a position he had never played before and would stay at for the remainder of the season. “I had never played quarterback in my entire football career, but I had to step up to play it and keep us competitive in games,” Reid said.
After the rough patch, the team broke through, earning a narrow win against Magruder on Oct. 3, 14-13, bringing their record to 2-3 on the season. The Patriots played a solid game, holding Magruder off late in the game to secure the victory. “The Magruder game was a much-needed win. The morale was low, but the win definitely brought it back up. All the work we were putting in every day at practice finally showed,” senior defensive end Yesh Tafa said.
The following week, the Patriots prepared for the homecoming game against Richard Montgomery on Oct. 10. The Patriots came out with energy, but allowed Richard Montgomery to score early and take the lead, which they would hold onto until the end of the game, beating the Patriots 21-12. “That Richard Montgomery game was especially disappointing. The crowd was huge, and we felt that we were prepared to win, but we couldn’t get it done,” Tafa said.
The next two games were in a similar losing fashion, as the Patriots traveled to face both Sherwood and rival Winston Churchill, two teams with efficient offenses and lockdown defenses. They fell to Sherwood in a blowout loss on Oct. 16, with a final score of 35-0. The next week, they didn’t play much better, as they were beaten by Churchill 34-6 on Oct. 24. “The Churchill loss stung pretty bad. That’s our rival, and to go out like that didn’t feel too good,” senior cornerback Carlos Perez said.
In the final game of the regular season, before their first-round exit to South Hagerstown, the Patriots hosted a game on Halloween against Clarksburg. They responded to their previous losses with a 12-0 standout shutout win in the freezing cold conditions. “I’m glad we got the Clarksburg win. It boosted the spirits of the team before our playoff matchup and gave us some hope,” Tafa said.
Next season, the Patriots hope to win their region and win against their rival, Winston Churchill. The team will be bringing back key players like captain junior Jude Ampofo, junior Elijah Cullen, sophomore Darnell Engoto and junior Kazadi Tshibaka, among others.
