Titans shatter Vikings' gridiron hopes

    With the possibility of an 0-5 start, not qualifying for the playoffs and a football tradition looming, the Cambridge Vikings came head first into a make or break battle. Viking pride and great execution carried them through three quarters only to have their game shattered by some key plays from the Annawan-Weathersfield Titans late in the game Friday, Sept. 26, at CHS.

    The Titans opening drive moved down field with ease until they reached the eleven- yard line. That was when the Cambridge defense held and momentum changed.

    "This was without a doubt our best game of the season so far. I wish we would not have waited until week five to start playing this well," quoted Coach Anderson. “The Vikings moved the ball fairly well most of the first quarter, but the defense was the key to the first half.

    "We put pressure on the Titans offensive line and quarterback with the play of our defensive line," said Anderson. Senior T.J. Kane and junior “Greg Evans came up with big tackles stopping A-W’s star running back J. D. Draminsky on a couple key plays early in the first half.”

    Titans passing game fared no better with quarterback pressure and tight coverage by the defensive backs; the Titans ended up with just 16 yards for the game.

    "Our defensive backs had their best game defending the pass,” commented Coach Anderson. “We wrapped up and gang tackled much better than the first four weeks." 

    With no scores at the end of the first and early in the second, Cambridge finally sustained a drive with long carries by Patrick Morey and a successful scramble by Clayton Carr only to be stopped fourth and inches on the fifteen yard line.

    "Offensively we had a lot of success moving the ball up and down the field, we have to start finishing our drives with touchdowns," said Anderson.

    The first score of the game came late in the quarter with an eighty-five-yard punt return by the Titans. The Vikings followed with a 65-yard drive down the field, and in that 65- yard drive Clayton Carr hit Marc Goodwin with a 45-yard pass. The Vikings failed to score though leaving it 7-0 at the half.

    Defense once again controlled the game in the third quarter. Great outside pursuit, and great drive stopping tackles by Morey, Goodwin and Prevost kept the Titans scoreless in the third.

    After a poor punt from the Titans, Cambridge started a drive that came to the Titan’s 17 yard line after a 11-yard pass to Austin Root and a 24- yard run from Patrick Morey. Then Clayton Carr once again connected with Marc Goodwin with 2:47 left on the clock to score and that was topped off by the extra point kick from Mikel Miller. The score remained tied as the quarter ended.

    The fourth quarter started off with the Titans on the 25 yard line and just seven seconds later they scored. The game then went back and forth until the 5:54 mark when Titan’s Draminsky carried it in from six-yard line, and that is when the Vikings game went quickly downhill. The Vikings drove the field only to be intercepted at the Titan’s ten yard line which was ran back for a touchdown with four minutes left in the game. The Titans scored once more on an interception at the 2:40 mark making the score 34-7 finishing the scoring for the game.

    "It was the little mistakes that cost us again." said Coach Anderson, "For the next four weeks we need to limit our mistakes, and continue to play with high energy and get better with each week."

    The Vikings will face the Abingdon Commandoes for Homecoming Saturday, Oct. 4 at 1:30 p.m. 

           Q1    Q2    Q3    Q4    Total

CHS    0    0    7    0    7

A-W    0    7    0    27    34

Team Statistics First downs: CHS 14/A-W 7; Yards Rushing: CHS 111/ A-W 200; Yards Passing: CHS 162/ A-W 16; Total Yards: CHS 273/A-W 216; Penalties-yards: CHS 7-55/A-W 15-140; Interceptions: CHS 0/A-W 4

CHS individual statistics Rushing: (attempts, yardage, average) Morey 19,105, 5.16; Walsh 5,16,3.2; Carr 3,5,-2.8; Prevost 4,7,1.5; DeKezel 3,7,1.66; Passing: ( comp, att, int, td) Carr 14,27,4,1; Receiving: (pc, yds, td) Root 2,19,0; Goodwin 7,105,1; Lenertz 2,34,0; Prevost 2,1,0;

Walsh 1,3,0; Tackles: Morey 11, Prevost 8, Root 1, Walsh 2, Lenertz 3, Goodwin 9, Kirlin 7, Lavin 7, Fritch 7, A. Johnson 2, Kane7,G. Evans 2, Koster 1, Wilkinson 1.