As the 2016-2017 football season began, the Oakland Mills varsity football team took to the field looking to win as many games as they could. Last year the football team was able to win eight games with only three losses. However, this year it is quite different due to the fact that the team is made up of players with less experience. When asked how this team compares to last year’s team, head coach Thomas Browne stated, “Different team from last year, we’re much younger, we’ve got a lot of young talent.”

   So far the Scorpions have had a tough season. Their first match––an away game––was against the Glenelg Gladiators, a team ranked third this year. The men in orange were met by an unstoppable line of Gladiators and were handed their first loss with a score of 29-7. Junior Sam Chongo said, “We didn’t start out the season well, but we’re still giving it our all.” The Scorpion’s persistence eventually worked, winning back to back home games against the Reservoir Gators on September 9 and the Centennial Eagles on September 16.

   For the September 9th game, the pressure on the scorpions to win was enormous. As coach Browne put it: “it was a must win game.” The Gators had the lead in the first quarter with a score of 28-21. At this point, Oakland Mills’ Mr. Hipszer commented that while the Scorpions had a rough start, they still had a chance to get the win. By the end of the game Oakland Mills was on top with a score of 34-28. When Oakland Mills’ own football fan Sam Chongo was asked about the game, he stated, “It started of bad, but we caught up and got the win.”

     The Scorpions’ next opponent was the Centennial Eagles, a match that Oakland Mills dominated. Senior Paul Johnson commented on the match: “We knew we were the better team, and so we handled it accordingly.” And the varsity boys did handle it well with a final score of 33-12.

     The Scorpions still have tough teams ahead of them, but their goal is to win as many games as possible.