Raider Varsity Football kicked off their season against Immaculata LaSalle on Aug. 16 at Sean Taylor 0’1 Memorial Field. The Raiders played with a chip on their shoulder, facing the team that eliminated them in the playoffs last season. 

“Lasalle came into the game thinking we were the same team that they beat twice last year. As a team, we came in with a different mentality, and we knew it was a revenge game. We came out and performed and let the scoreboard do the talking,” sophomore lineman Nicholas Gonzalez said.

The beginning of the game did not go as anticipated, throwing an interception on the first play and allowing a touchdown on the next drive. With junior quarterbacks Jonathan Walker, Harvel Jackson, and Bendan Beery splitting snaps, it was hard for the offense to get in a groove. By the end of the first quarter, the score was 10-0, Lasalle.

Other than the first couple of drives, three-quarters of the game were a defensive battle. Key plays for the Raiders include a forced fumble by senior safety Champ Smith and tackles for loss by sophomore defensive ends Yiannis Kavalekas and Jaylen Wilson. Offensively, sophomore kicker Hudson Eisenbud showed off his range by drilling two field goals from beyond 45 yards. With the game being his first ever start, Eisenbud kept the team in the game, with the Raiders trailing by four going into the fourth quarter.

“After missing the first kick, I knew just to forget about it and move on to the next because if I got another chance, they would be crucial kicks,” sophomore kicker Hudson Eisenbud said. “When I got the chance for two more kicks, I just had to stay calm and stick with my routine to help keep my team in the game,” Eisenbud said.

With roughly six minutes left in the fourth quarter and the game still 10-6 Lasalle, junior defensive back Deandre Leonard caught a leaping interception, giving the team momentum. However, that momentum was immediately deflated, throwing an interception on the next drive. With less than three minutes left and urgency beginning to build, junior quarterback Harvel Jackson embraced the moment, throwing a perfect pass to senior wide receiver Luc Carroll for a 58-yard touchdown, giving the Raiders the lead. After a defensive stop, the team completed a storybook fourth-quarter comeback.