On Friday, Sep. 8th, the Rams played Skyline for their annual homecoming game. The anticipation and expectations were high, and the Rams delivered, dominating the Eagles 35-6.
The team had control of the game from the beginning with Jeremiah Jimoh matching his jersey number by scoring a total of three touchdowns – two receiving scores and an interception return for a score.
His fast start, scoring two in the first quarter just minutes apart, provided the spark Highland needed to put the game out of reach.
Highland exhibited a strong offence in the first half, consistently pushing Skyline around. But after a its first drive stalled, Jimoh intercepted a pass from Skyline and ran it in for the first touchdown of the night. This play created momentum that carried the team for the rest of the half.
The Rams continued to build on their lead in the second quarter as they continued to push back Skyline’s defense. After big plays on the drive by Sefa Brown, Jimoh caught a slant from quarterback Manasa Pela and raced 24 yards for his second score, putting Highland up 14-0.
Jimoh scored his third touchdown of the game with 6 minutes left in the half on a beautiful deep ball from Pela. The 59-yard score put Highland up 21-0. After that Highland continued to hold Skyline off just until the end of the second quarter. This is when Skyline managed to find the endzone and run it in for its first touchdown. And that concluded the first half, 21-6, with Highland strongly in command.
In the second half, the Rams appeared to put the game out of reach as Grant Starks caught Skyline’s punt and ran with it into the endzone. But that play was flagged, and the touchdown was deemed invalid. The Rams continued to get close, but possession continued to change with neither team being able to break through.
However, at the end of the third, Highland’s KJ Williams kicked a 27-yard field goal, bringing life back into the scoreboard for the Rams. With the addition of the kick, Highland went up 24-6 on Skyline to end the third.
The fourth quarter was strong defensively for the Rams. The defense came up at the beginning of the fourth. And as the game came to a close, Max Erickson added a 7-yard touchdown for the team, securing the win with only 8 minutes left in the game.
But the Rams weren’t quite done. With another strong push from the defense, they ran Skyline’s quarterback in for another safety, establishing a confident win for themselves. With 6 minutes left they ran out the clock and the black hole rushed the field as the Rams pulled out their 35-6 win.
Highland created the hope of a win for their homecoming game early with a strong offense in the first half and secured that possibility with a strong defense in the second.
“It was a good game,” Jimoh said. “We could have won by a lot more, but it was good.”
Next game they hope to adjust the offence to get more guys open once the opposing team finds a grove in the second half.
“I could have had a bigger impact in the second half,” Jimoh said. “When the defense adjusted, I wasn’t getting open and that’s something I can work on.”
With a record of 3-2 and only 4 games left the season, the Rams hope to take the energy from this win and work together to have a great rest of the year and secure a spot in the playoffs.
