By Dave Ryan

STEVENSVILLE — The Cambridge-South Dorchester High School (1A) football Vikings traveled to Kent Island to play the Buccaneers (2A) on Friday, falling 48-7. The Vikings came into the game 2-1, with a two-game winning streak, while the Buccaneers were 3-0.
C-SD has used two starting quarterbacks this season, junior Talan Middleton and sophomore Blake Labelle - this week, Labelle was under center to begin the game, though both played intermittently.

C-SD’s first possession went 3-and-out. After a Vikings punt, it looked like the visitors had held the Bucs, but a fake punt led to a first down. A few plays later, quarterback Matthew Burnside took it in himself on a sneak, and it was 7-0 after the extra point.
Another 3-and-out from the Vikings was followed by a partially blocked punt and a short field for the Bucs, whose running back Garrett Griebel scored the home team’s second TD of the first quarter.

Kent Island Head Coach Damian Farragamo’s squad relied on their strong run game in the first quarter, with only one pass — good for a first down — being attempted. C-SD met the attack with determined play by the big men on the defensive line, but with no Viking first downs in the first quarter, the defense was on the field more than they would have liked.
On the second play of the second quarter, missed tackles led to a long gain for Kent Island’s third score, this one courtesy of Kasey Health, and a tally of 21-0 with 11:42 to go in the period.
C-SD’s fourth 3-and-out sent the ball back to the Buccaneers, who mounted a drive that ended with another trip across the goal line and a score of 28-0 with 6:55 left in the quarter.

The Vikings gained a bit of momentum on their next drive, which saw two first downs, their first ones of the game. Though the drive ended with a turnover, C-SD’s Elijah Johnson returned the favor with an interception to shut down Kent Island’s next drive.
As the clock ticked down on the second quarter and a long Vikings drive, with the ball on the Kent Island 4-yard-line, Coach Toby Peer chose to try for a touchdown rather than a field goal. But the throw was a little low, and was batted down by a lineman for an incompletion.

Both teams started heading for the locker rooms, but the officials called them back — there was still one second on the clock. Another pass attempt, another tipped ball, and it was incomplete for no score at the end of the first half.
The second half started with a big play from the Bucs’ offense, and a one-yard run for the fifth touchdown. But when it looked like there would be a running clock — when a team is ahead by at least 35 points in the second half, the clock doesn’t stop, ending the game that much faster — C-SD blocked the extra point, for a score of 34-0.
Then came Belizaire.
A 50-yard pass and run from Talan Middleton to Dario Belizaire finally put the Vikings on the board. A kick from James Frazier made it 34-7 midway through the third quarter.

That was answered with two more Buccaneer TDs, including Griebel’s second of the night, and the scoreboard said 48-7 in the fourth quarter. With little time left on the clock, the game was called shortly after 9 p.m.
It has been several years since the Vikings beat the Buccaneers on their home turf.
The previous week, the Vikings overwhelmed the visiting James M. Bennett Clippers, 32-14. The Buccaneers notched a convincing win over Stephen Decatur, 42-13.
The result left C-SD at 2-2, and Kent Island remains undefeated at 4-0.

Junior Varsity
Vikings’ JV Coach Mike Dorrenbacher said on Sept. 23, “Great game by the JV Football program tonight, 22-7 victory over Kent Island.” The win was Coach Dorrenbacher’s first victory as a head coach.
“Wouldn’t be here without the coaches along side me,” he posted online. “Thank you to the C-SD staff and parents/guardians who came out to support the players tonight!”