By Dave Ryan

CAMBRIDGE – A fan might say at this point, no matter how the season ends, that the verdict is in: The Vikings have had a successful season. At 8-2 after winning their first playoff game, Cambridge-South Dorchester’s offense is in high gear, the defense ready to shut down opponents, and special teams adept at covering kicks and putting points on the board.

The Vikings will advance to the second round of the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association’s Region 1A playoffs, after Thursday’s 51-6 win over the visiting Washington High School Jaguars.

Quarterback Blake LaBelle had one his best performances of the season, completing 8 of 13 passes for 159 yards, and three touchdowns. That air attack was balanced by a platoon of rushers – Anthony Hughes, Darren Belizaire, Jaden Ferguson, Blake LaBelle, J. Hollowell, Sterling Perkins and William Jackson, who combined for 170 yards and an average of 9.4 yards per carry.

Vikings receivers Hughes, Belizaire, Antonio Blueford and Kamarii Stanley notched 162 yards and an average of 18 yards per catch.

All that catching and running led to several trips into the end zone – Hughes, Belizaire and Perkins each scored twice, and Blueford added a TD to the tally.

On the other side of the ball, the Vikings’ defense held the Jaguars to 199 total yards, 149 of which were on kick returns. The visitors gained 43 yards on the ground, and 7 on one completed pass.

C-SD came into the game with a 7-2 regular-season record and a five-game win streak. The Vikings had won eight straight games against the Jaguars, going back to 2014.

Washington had lost all eight games in their regular season, most recently falling to Nandua 33-0 on Oct. 29.

This week, the Vikings will play Kent County, after the Trojans beat Snow Hill on Thursday, 34-18. On Sept. 29, C-SD beat Kent County, 52-0.

NOTES:

• C-SD opened the regular season with a 28-14 loss to North Caroline on Sept. 1, followed by a victory over Century High School, 42-13, on Sept. 8.

On Sept. 14, C-SD was at Parkside, where they beat the Rams, 28-21.

On Sept. 22, C-SD was at Colonel Richardson, where the Vikings lost, 14-13.

On Sept. 29, C-SD beat Kent County, 52-0.

On Oct. 6, Wicomico was at C-SD, which ended in a 28-14 Vikings victory.

On Oct. 13, C-SD beat Snow Hill, 52-6.

On Oct. 20, they beat Washington, 54-6.

The Vikings came into the playoffs on a five-game winning streak.

• In their nine regular-season games, the Vikings scored 296 points, while allowing 102.