Despite dismal conditions, RM dominated Walter Johnson with exceptional defense and quick reaction.

As both teams took the field shortly before the game was set to begin, the cold rain picked up and set the stage for the slippery surface that both the Rockets and Wildcats would struggle to deal with throughout the game.

For the second consecutive week, junior Daryn Alexander and senior Tylen Hebron raised their right fists in support of the movement for racial equality, and were joined by seniors Zion Ledyard and Fabien Chiza.

RM chose to kickoff to begin the game. After a long kick by senior Juver Diaz, the Rockets’ defense took the field and began their effort to shut down the Wildcats. The defensive line quickly made their presence known as they broke through the offensive blockers and put great pressure on the opposing quarterback. The Wildcats were unable to gain any substantial yardage, which resulted in a three-and-out. The punt by WJ was poor and flew out of bounds, putting RM in great field position for their first possession of the game.

The Rockets came out of the gates on their first possession in similar fashion to their past four games: by utilizing the running game. Tylen Hebron took multiple handoffs from quarterback Spencer Silverstein, and eventually Hebron would take the ball for the Rockets’ first touchdown of the game. The PAT split the uprights, giving RM the 7-0 advantage over WJ with 8:56 to play in the first quarter.

The Rocket defense came out once again with great pressure on both run and pass plays, especially from senior Zaire Mitchell-Paden and junior Avery Reeves-Williams. On third down, the Wildcats were able to convert on third down on a catch-and-run by former RM player Demel Delgado. WJ was unable to convert their next set of downs, forcing them to punt away again. The punt spun wildly out of bounds again, bouncing of the board of RM sophomore play-caller James Griffin.

The Rockets’ next possession started off slow, and they soon faced a fourth down after the Wildcats’ defense was able to stop senior Enrique Zuniga twice in the backfield, followed by an incompletion by Silverstein. Luckily for the rockets, senior Kris Ricks was able to pick up the first down on a big carry to put the Rockets in striking distance with a minute to play in the quarter. A holding penalty on WJ inched RM closer to the goal line, and with 17 seconds to play in the quarter, Ricks took the ball to the end zone on a handoff. The PAT was good once again, giving the Rockets a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Despite a big kick return by WJ, bringing them to midfield to start the second quarter, the Rockets’ defense was able to contain them through great pass coverage from seniors George Bryan and Gregory Heredia. The WJ punter then had an impressive kick, all the way down to RM’s own ten yard line, where they would begin their next possession.

On third down of the Rockets’ next possession, Hebron took the ball from Silverstein, cutback in the backfield and ran his way to outside, where he would go on to gain 45 yards. Shortly after, the Rockets found themselves faced with another fourth down, but this time it was Silverstein who converted it on a quarterback keeper run. On the very next play, Hebron picked up his second touchdown of the game on another handoff from Silverstein to give the Rockets a 21-0 lead after the successful PAT.

Once again, the Rockets’ defense held strong, forcing another short Wildcat possession through great pass coverage by Daryn Alexander. The Rockets took over after the punt by WJ on their own 30 yard line. After a set of downs that moved RM into WJ territory, a Wildcat defender intercepted a pass attempt by Silverstein, turning the ball back over to WJ.

With less than a minute left in the half, the Wildcats were able to string together a drive that was seemingly cut short by a sack by Mitchell-Paden for a big loss of nine yards. However, a facemask penalty on the Rockets pushed the closer to the end zone with less than 20 seconds to go. With 15.2 seconds till halftime, Demel Delgado snagged the ball on a slant route, putting the Wildcats on the scoreboard with their first touchdown of the game. The PAT was good, making the score at halftime 21-7 in favor of RM.

The second half commenced with the Rockets’ first possession. Just two plays in, a pass attempt slipped through a Rocket receiver’s hands and into a Wildcat’s, ending RM’s short drive.

WJ’s next possession saw another highlight reel play by Tylen Hebron, this time on defense. On a carry to the outside by WJ’s running back, Hebron came from the opposite end of the line to layout the Wildcat runner with a huge hit that ignited plenty of hype from the Rocket student section and the team on the sidelines. Just a few plays later, the Wildcats punted away to Alexander, who fielded the punt and taken down at RM’s 31 yard line.

The ensuing drive saw three consecutive 15-plus yard gains from Hebron to move the Rockets deep in opposing territory. After two completions by Silverstein and short pickups by Hebron on the ground, the Rockets came upon a third-and-short. Silverstein kept the ball for a QB sneak, which got the Rockets a first-and-goal on WJ’s three yard line. The next play saw Hebron push the pile into the end zone, notching his third touchdown of the game. A successful PAT gave the Rockets a 28-7 lead with 8:13 to go in the quarter.

After another short possession by the Wildcats, RM took over deep in their own territory after another punt. The Rockets were once again able to get into WJ territory through great rushing by Kris Ricks and sophomore Zion Tyler. On a crucial third down, the Rockets were unable to come up with the first, and after a holding penalty that the Wildcats declined, they found themselves faced with a fourth down. Silverstein failed to complete the pass on the fourth, but a penalty on the Wildcats gave the Rockets an automatic first down, saving them from turning over the ball.

RM went on to gain two first downs to get them closer to the end zone. On a handoff up the middle, Zion Tyler rushed the ball in for his second score on the season. Another successful PAT extended the Rockets’ lead to 35-7 with 3:12 to go in the quarter.

After a deep kick by Diaz, WJ took over on their own 25 yard line. They opened up their quarter-ending drive with a 60 yard rush, putting them deep in Rocket territory. With time expiring in the quarter and on fourth down, the Wildcats racked their second touchdown of the game on a beautiful route in the back of the endzone. The PAT was successful again, and the lead was cut to 35-14 at the end of the third.

WJ’s kickoff after their touchdown to commence the fourth quarter bounced out of bounds, which gave the Rockets the ball on their own 35. A quick catch-and-run from Silverstein to Zion Ledyard put RM in WJ territory once again. Enrique Zuniga came into the game to take carries for the Rockets, and on third down, he broke through the line for a big pickup for the Rockets to advance them deeper in the field. The Rockets’ sixth rushing touchdown of the game came on a handoff to Zuniga, who ran it in from 17 yards out for the score. With the PAT good, the Rockets’ lead was increased to 42-14 with nine minutes to play in the game.

The Rockets’ defense proved its dominance once again, forcing another fourth down and punt to Alexander. The Rockets seemed to have another scoring drive going, when a miscommunication led to a fumble that WJ recovered on their own 36.

The Wildcats spent the next several minutes slowly chewing down the clock, while steadily advancing. Eventually, with just seconds left in the game, WJ scored to shorten the gap.

Silverstein kneeled down after the kickoff return by the Rockets to run the clock all the way out. As the clock ran dry, the Rockets prevailed victorious over the WJ Wildcats by a score of 42-21.

RM will take the field against the Northwest Jaguars as they look to continue their undefeated record.