Richard Montgomery’s football team may not be included on the Washington Post list of top-20 teams, but it was still an electric atmosphere at Roy Lester Stadium as the Rockets began their 2015 season against the Einstein Titans with a convincing 34-7 win. The Hell’s Kitchen, the student fan section, was rewarded for their tremendous support as they watched big plays and a swarming defense wreak havoc. While Einstein was a rocket scientist, the high school named after him could not find a way to stop RM from taking off.

The hunger for the ball was seen on every play on defense, as all eleven men collapsed on the carrier. Forcing three turnovers, two interceptions in the first half and a fumble recovery in the third quarter, the Rockets defense transitioned into great offense. Multiple players played both sides of the ball, notably running backs Jhordan Greene and Tylen Hebron, who both broke long runs for touchdowns. Greene applied constant pressure off of the right side of the defensive line, and Hebron intercepted the Einstein quarterback.

Greene displayed tremendous downhill power when running, breaking through every arm tackle Einstein threw at him. “All I have to say is this year is different,” Greene said after the game. “We have leaders, we want to win this game, we want to go to States.”

A big addition to the RM offensive line is senior Sebastian Romero. The 6’3” lineman is ranked as the 10th best offensive lineman in Montgomery County according to MoCo Football. Recovering from a broken foot, Romero will be huge for the Rocket’s running game, as was seen tonight. RM ran all over the Titans, notably in the 50-yard touchdown run from Hebron.

“We talked about tonight playing every snap with the overwhelming desire to win,” Coach Klotz said after the big win. Giving a nod to his seniors who stepped up and led the team, the stellar performance from sophomore quarterback Spencer Silverstein was most reassuring, especially since his first time playing quarterback was as a freshman on JV. “On JV, he didn’t get rattled,” continued Coach Klotz, “Same as tonight. First varsity start, Hell’s Kitchen was nice and loud, and he just took it in stride and wasn’t nervous, and it’s nice when you have some receivers who can go out and make a big play for you.”

Those receivers, seniors Demel Delgado and Daniel Alexander in particular, came up huge for their young quarterback. “[Silverstein] made some great throws tonight, and the whole team tonight, not just myself, made excellent blocks, and made big plays tonight,” Delgado said after a two touchdown performance, “Einstein played their best, but we just came up as winners tonight.”

For Silverstein, his three touchdown performance was the perfect way to begin his varsity career. “There was no way this could’ve been any better at all, tonight was absolutely perfect,” Silverstein said, “It’s a wonderful feeling man, I felt like I’ve waited forever for this moment, it’s been too long, I’m so happy I’m finally here. I’ve been waiting for this day since 1st grade.”

Richard Montgomery will face Kennedy High School away next week Friday, and the obvious goal is to build on this win. “Our goal is to get better this week so we can put together another win on Friday,” Coach Klotz said.

“I’m so proud of RM right now,” Greene noted, and it is well deserved after a total team victory.

By Andy Kostka