The football team got its first win of the season Sept. 16 when it traveled to Walter Johnson and defeated the Wildcats 7-0 in a rainy battle.

The Bulldogs finally cracked the scoreboard for the first time this season on senior captain Marcus Brown’s run in the first quarter. The defense had a smothering performance.

“The whole vibe from this game was completely different,” said junior Sam Edens, who forced two fumbles in the game. “They were holding the ball out high so I went for it.”
Even in the win, the team was not satisfied with only seven points.

“We had the ball in the red zone four times and only scored seven points,” head coach Joe Allen said. “The offense really had a boost with [junior quarterback] Lansana [Keita] returning.”

Prior to the game against WJ, the Bulldogs fell 34-0 to Seneca Valley in their home opener Sept. 10. The Bulldogs fell behind early to the Screaming Eagles and never were able to recover.
In the season opener Sept. 3, the Bulldogs were also shut out, losing 42-0 to Gaithersburg. The game featured a variety of misfortunes for CHS that impacted the outcome.

CHS turned the ball over four times in the game, a blow few teams can recover from.
“Turnovers killed the team,” junior captain Jacob Suissa said. “[They were] caused by a lack of discipline.”

The team was plagued with injuries, as junior captain Bret Sickels was forced to play the role of cheerleader with a bruised thigh. In addition to Sickels, junior workhorse tailback Curtis Kamara had to miss the game due to injury, and senior quarterback Kyle Shilling suffered an ACL tear in the game. Junior quarterback Lansana Keita also missed the first two games due to a family emergency.

However, one positive from the first two games of the season was the play of transfer junior Ryan Tubbs. Tubbs transferred  from Seneca Valley and has already made an impact on the field, compiling 10 tackles and seven solos in the season’s first two games.

“We don’t have enough team chemistry,” Tubbs said. “We are going to be more disciplined and need to listen to the captains.”

Still, the team is not going to let the slow start keep them from having a strong season.

“[We will] bounce back hard,” Suissa said. “Our biggest opponent is ourselves. We are going to be known as a bounce back team.”

The team’s next game will be Oct. 1 at Northwest.