Richard Montgomery football clinched a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2005 with Friday night’s 28-21 victory over Gaithersburg. The win brings the Rockets to 8-1 on an amazing season, and eliminates Gaithersburg from contention with a 5-4 record.

The magical year for RM football is not over. Playoffs ensure at least one more game added on in November. But the journey all began in January of last school year. At a meeting between Coach Klotz and the rising seniors, they decided on three goals for the team: 1. Win the day. 2. Beat the next opponent. 3. Make the playoffs.

The Rockets accomplished all three before senior night next Friday against Randallstown, a remarkable feat, turning around the 2-8 record from the year before.

The Rockets had a total team effort against the Trojans in every aspect of the game. After holding Gaithersburg to punt on their first drive, junior Tylen Hebron led the rush through the Trojan line to block the punt and pick the ball up in the end zone for a touchdown.

The hot start for RM was refreshing after stalling first quarters with turnovers plagued the Rockets in previous games, such as against Northwest, their only defeat. However, Gaithersburg fought back hard on its senior night, tying the game three times before falling by only one score.

Senior running back Gabe Gomez ran for 126 yards and one touchdown on the night, taking advantage of his largest usage all season. “He works tirelessly in practice,” Coach Klotz said. “He takes every rep at scout team running back in addition to the reps he gets in the running back mix.”

Gomez started the year third on the depth chart, but the senior worked his way up all season, until he earned the majority of carries against Gaithersburg, and made use of his chances. “I just practice hard, all of our backs practice hard,” Gomez said. “All my credit tonight goes to the O-line. You guys don’t see it, but they’re the unsung heroes and opened up huge holes. I just did my part, I gave my individual effort just like they gave theirs.”

Gomez’s 17-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter put RM out of reach at 28-21, but with eight minutes to go, the defense had the task of holding the lead, and did.

RM’s defense, led by seniors Leo Simon and Michael Silver, made two fourth down stops with less than four minutes in the game. “We came out into this game knowing their quarterback was going to be swift and try to run on us while we’re looking for the pass, and I had a huge 3rd down sack and all of our teammates made amazing plays, plays that we didn’t know coming into the game,” Simon said. “They altered their playbook and game plan for us but we were able to step up.”

The nerve of sophomore quarterback Spencer Silverstein in pressure situations shows the maturity of the young starter. His first season on varsity, Silverstein has stepped in and formed a bond with senior wide receiver Daniel Alexander. Right before the half ended, Silverstein hit Alexander on a 21-yard touchdown to put the Rockets up before 21-14 before the break.

“As Michael [Silver] said last week, nobody in this county can check Daniel. I trust him that whenever I throw the ball his direction, he’s going to catch the ball,” Silverstein said.

With three minutes left, RM faced a third and long from their own 18-yard line. The defense had already stopped the Trojans on downs the previous possession, and a first down was needed to give RM’s defense some rest and to get out of the shadow of their end zone. Silverstein delivered a spot-on pass to Alexander, who cut down field for a 50-yard gain. While RM still could not run out the clock completely, the defense handled the last minute the Trojans had possession.

“[Gaithersburg] were desperate, they were blitzing, they were stunting everyone,” Coach Klotz said. “Daniel’s the best receiver, and they were matched up one-on-one, they were scared of the fade. Spencer threw him a good ball that led him inside, and the corner had a bad break outside and it was a huge gain.”

The decade ride since the last playoff journey has been one of disappointment, regret, and agony for RM and its fans. For RM’s senior class especially, to clinch the playoffs means the world. “It’s been a decade since we’ve been to playoffs, and you saw our reaction,” a visibly emotional Gomez said. “It’s a great feeling and to go out senior year like this, I don’t have words for it.”

The victory over Gaithersburg was no fluke. “It’s not from what they did tonight. It’s not from what they’ve done these eight games. It’s from what they’ve done since January when we started our ‘Winters Edge Program’ in the spring, and our ‘Fourth Quarter Program’ in the summer,” Coach Klotz said.

“It’s what they’ve done to prepare their bodies, to prepare their mentalities, and to bond as a team to get them ready for this point.”

A lot rides on the line next Friday against Randallstown. Not only is it senior night for Richard Montgomery, a win will secure home field advantage for the first round of the playoffs for RM. “We’ll focus on getting better ourselves, because obviously next week is an important game, we can get home field advantage for the first round if we win,” Coach Klotz continued. “At the same time, we know that the season is not over next week.”