NORTHAMPTON — Springfield International Charter School scored a late touchdown and needed a successful two-point conversion to knot the score at eight against Smith Vocational on Friday.
The Vikings was able to get the stop to put this game to rest and earn an 8-6 victory.
“Huge shout out to the defense,” Smith Vocational coach Alex Subocz said. “They played a hell of a game. That [SICS] offense is talented. To hold them to six points, words cannot express how well [our defense] played tonight.”
The Bulldogs (4-2) had a tough time moving the ball down the field due to the Vikings’ intense coverage on their running backs and receivers.
Late in the first quarter the Vikings defense recovered a fumble on a failed SICS rushing attempt at the 50-yard-line with 1:32 left in the frame.
This fumble recovery led to a Smith Vocational touchdown on their next drive with 7:51 to go in the second after Viking quarterback Alex Martinez darted into the end zone from 10 yards out on third-and-five. Smith Vocational (5-1) made it 8-0 after converting the two-point try.
With 6:30 to play in the half, and the Bulldogs driving looking to answer, Viking Jamie Tobin picked off a pass in the end zone to keep SICS off the scoreboard.
Early in the third quarter the Bulldog offense once again marched down the field but the Smith Vocational defense stood tall, stopping three straight plays in the red zone to keep it an 8-0 game with 9:20 to go in the frame.
The Viking defense was able to quickly stop SICS’s next drive as Tobin intercepted the ball for a second time at his own 30-yard line leaving a remaining 3:57 left in the third quarter.
“[Jamie Tobin] is a ninth grader for us and he’s just one of those dudes that you can put them anywhere on the field and he’s going to make plays,” Subocz said. “He’s got a few touchdowns, he’s got a few interceptions. He’s just a baller.”
The Vikings aim to defend their home field on senior night against Monument Mountain next Friday at 7 p.m.
“I feel like if we keep up what we did tonight, we’ll be able to keep going,” said Tobin.