Under the bright Friday night lights of Guckeyson Stadium, WJ and B-CC faced off in one of Montgomery County’s most anticipated rivalries: the Battle of Bethesda. The stands overflowed with Baron fans, who were dressed in navy, and Wildcat fans, who wore an array of jerseys, as both student sections roared in anticipation of the rivalry. Coming into the matchup, the Wildcats aimed to avenge last year’s loss, while the Barons looked to prove their dominance once again.
After dropping consecutive games to B-CC and Northwest, the Wildcats now sit at 2-5 heading into the final weeks of the season. A heartbreaking loss in the Battle of Bethesda, followed by a tough matchup against a dominant Northwest squad, left WJ searching for answers on both sides of the ball. As the regular season begins to wind down, the Wildcats look to regroup and finish strong after a stretch that tested their depth.
Before the first quarter concluded against B-CC, the Barons found the back of the endzone first. A false start on the extra point moved the Barons half the distance to the goal, prompting an attempt at a two-point conversion. But the Wildcat defense stood tall from their own 1-yard line as the Barons failed the conversion.
The Wildcats got the ball back down six points as the second quarter began. A long run by senior running back Calvin Johnson set the Cats up in the red zone. Senior quarterback Jake Forburger rolled right out of the pocket and floated a ball to senior running back John Laird for the Wildcat response. The extra point put the Cats in front of the Barons 7-6 midway through the second quarter.
On a WJ drive shortly before halftime, Forburger fumbled, and the Barons recovered on the Wildcat 33-yard line. Capitalizing on this mistake, the Barons ran in for the score and added a two-point conversion, going into halftime up 14-7.
The Barons began with the ball out of halftime, but only had possession briefly. Junior defensive end Presley Tinong caught a tipped ball at the line of scrimmage and took the ball 66 yards to the house. The Pick-Six evened the score 14-14, giving the Cats a much-needed boost of confidence.
“When we saw the ball get tipped and saw Presley come down with it, we all knew no one was going to catch him. The whole team was so hyped, I would say that was the most excited we have been all year,” junior linebacker David Turner said. “It fired up our defense to go do it again after we kicked the extra point, which ended up being a 45+ yard PAT, which we all knew our kicker Braxton [Thornburgh] would nail.”
The game continued with pressure coming from both sides of the line of scrimmage, but the Barons managed to find holes in the Cats’ secondary, finding another running score to go up 7 with 4:30 left in the third quarter.
A squibbed kickoff gave the Wildcats the ball on their own 42-yard line, decent field position to begin the comeback drive. Executing an 8-play, three-minute drive capped off by a deep ball thrown to senior wide receiver Zaph Abbey, the score was even yet again at 21 apiece.
With the ball back into the Barons’ hands with one full quarter left to go, time was of the essence. The Barons slowed the tempo, taking seven minutes off the clock to rally a score late in the game. A dominant run game put the Barons ahead, 28-21, giving the Wildcats five minutes for a late desperation drive.
The Wildcats managed to move the chains down to the Baron’s seven-yard line with two minutes remaining. On fourth down in Baron territory, Forburger looked for the end zone, but the pass to sophomore wide receiver Wesley Fraser came up short, sealing the hard-fought B-CC win.
The defeat sent WJ up I-270 to face a talented Northwest roster that was going to be nothing short of easy for the Cats. Playing before a packed Jaguar student section and with no supporting away fans, the Wildcats struggled with both offensive production and defensive support.
Northwest began with the ball, running into the endzone for an early lead of 7-0, showing signs of an efficient run game early. The ball was placed into Wildcat possession, looking to create an early response to the Northwest touchdown.
After a few plays, Forburger stretched out of the pocket, throwing the ball into the Jaguars’ hands, giving up an early interception, which led to a pick-six. This put the Jaguars up two scores in only the first five minutes of the first quarter.
Avenging his early interception, Forburger was able to throw a deep ball to put the Cats into Jaguar territory. Capitalizing on this momentum, Forburger launched another deep ball to Abbey, who reeled it in for the score. This put the Cats on the board, 14-6. Yet, this spurt of momentum ultimately shallowed off as the time ticked off the clock.
The Wildcats were unable to counter any of Northwest’s offensive production, as the Jaguars consistently found gaps within the defense. The game concluded, 41-6, sending the Wildcats home full of uncertainty.
Now sitting on a three-game losing streak, the Wildcats look to regroup and return to the Den for senior night and homecoming football against Whitman. The match-up will not only serve as a chance to honor the seniors’ hard work and dedication, but also as a crucial opportunity to reclaim momentum and remind the county that WJ still has fight left in them.
“These losses definitely give us that hunger to get a win. With it being senior night and homecoming, it means a lot to not only the players but also our school,” junior Jackson Nathan said. “We really just want to bounce back and play the best we can.
