On a brisk and windy afternoon, Taft defeated their archrivals in front of a large and energetic crowd, 26-20. The Rhinos came charging out of the locker room as they forced and recovered a fumble on the first play of the game. Moments later, Nolan Grooms ‘19 found Michael Yamin ‘20 in the endzone from ten yards out. After forcing a three and out on the ensuing drive, Taft marched sixty three yards in six plays with Teely Rhyne ‘19 scoring from seven yards out. The Rhinos lead was 13-0 halfway through the first quarter and it appeared the game would be easy. However, records mean nothing in rivalry games. The visitors responded with a drive and cut the lead to 13-8, and more importantly, gained momentum. After both teams traded punts, the visitors would score again and take the lead going into the half, 14-13. Taft received the ball to start the second half and went on an eighteen play drive that ended with Grooms hitting Yamin once again in the endzone. Taft regained the lead 19-14. That would not have happened if not for Ayinde Johnson ‘20. Six plays earlier on a fourth and ten, Johnson caught a pass well short of a first down, took a big hit, stayed on his feet, and easily gained the necessary yardage. An amazing display of physicality and determination. After both teams traded punts, Taft sustained another long drive in the fourth quarter that culminated in Rhyne’s second touchdown of the game to put the Rhinos up 26-14. Rhyne would finish the game with 181 yards on 26 carries and two touchdowns. The visitors played hard all afternoon and scored with fifteen seconds left to cut the lead to 26-20. The ensuing onside kick went out of bounds and Taft took a knee to end the game. For the seniors, Liam Akpata, Isaiah Hernandez, Teely Rhyne, Adison Brown, Nolan Grooms, Beau Root, Pete Kenerson, Mac Culbertson, Jamal Ahmad, Seamus O’Hora, Mohamed Doucoure, Lani Adedoyin, Otto Piasecki, David Brown, Ryan Last, and Anim Dankwah, it was the last home game of their high school career. However, it will not be their last game as Taft is going bowling for the first time since 2011! The Rhinos return to action for their final game of the season on Saturday, November 17, when they travel to Needham, MA to take on the Arrows of St. Sebastian’s in the Todd Marble Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00.