Photo by Kevin Nunez
It was a night for new beginnings: new stadium, new coach, new quarterback and a new, foreign feeling at half time. As the clock counted down the final seconds of the first half, families and students alike basked in a 10-0 WJ lead.
In the first half, everything just clicked. Junior quarterback Cole Ahnell, starting in his first game as a quarterback for WJ, played with energy and intelligence, throwing for 136 yards and completing 62 percent of his passes as the team moved the ball down field through a series of short screens and option runs.
“I was just really focused on establishing a new mentality, a new reputation, for WJ,” said Ahnell.
The team took the lead early when Ahnell and senior running back Michael Pitsenberger (6 carries for 58 yards) led a long drive down the field, resulting in a long David Garay field goal, putting WJ up 3-0 in the first quarter.
“Pitsenberger up the middle was really working for us,” said Ahnell. “Pits is big, strong and fast. Nobody can stop him.”
On the defensive side of the ball, WJ was ruthless and fast. Junior wingback Zach Hazlett (3 tackles, 1 sack) and senior defensive lineman Richard Benjamin (4 tackles, 2 sacks) provided an effective pass rush, while junior linebacker Alex Schiponi (8 tackles) and senior defensive end Connor Gleason (2 tackles, 5 assists) were all over the field making key tackles. The defense came up with stop after stop early, providing the offense with chances to score.
In the second quarter, after another combination of runs and short passes, Ahnell connected with junior running back Ryan Davis (8 receptions for 79 yards, 3 carries for 20 yards) on a screen pass, and as junior wide receiver Michael Scott made a key block on the outside, Davis scampered into the end zone, sending the packed crowd into a frenzy as WJ went ahead 10-0.
With a 10-0 lead, it looked good halfway through the game. New head coach Jon Kadi had found an offense that suited his team, and it was working. He had motivated and energized his defense and they were responding. And, he had gotten his players to be stronger and faster, and it was showing.
“[Coach Kadi] just conditioned us so much, but it’s just going to come down to us eventually,” said Schiponi. “He definitely prepared us well enough to win.”
However, it was apparent from the opening moments of the second half that the tables had turned. On the first play of the half, star Rockville running back Crusoe Gongbay (#26) returned the second half kick-off the length of the field for a touchdown.
“The return touchdown was a big momentum-changer, [to the point] that we couldn’t back and score,” said Schiponi. “We all got down.”
But it was not just the team’s spirits and confidence that were hurt; the team lost key players such as Pitsenberger, Davis and Benjamin, along with junior lineman Tyler Phelps and junior safety Sean Montgomery, to eventual dehydration and other injuries.
“We just lost too many guys,” said Ahnell. “Injuries like that are a really big blow to the team.”
As a result, the offense gradually lost its rhythm, and the run defense could not find an answer for Gongbay’s speed and power. Rockville took advantage, steadily running up the score with their running game.
As the game went on, the team continued to show heart and commitment, fighting for every yard on every play. Although the scoreboard may have shown 26-10, anyone in attendance saw a team that had turned the corner and made major improvements.
*Staff writer Daniel Fanaroff contributed to this report.
