The Yellow Jackets faced off against Massanutten Military Academy’s Colonels on a humid and sweltering mid-summer day. Saturday, September 1, 2018, marked the start of the football season for Randolph-Macon Academy, with a tremendous and entertaining game ending 30-6, in R-MA’s favor. This year, the cadet cadre has pledged to bring pep and cheer back on campus, and began that crusade on Saturday by having the entire student body march down to the field, with the football team running between two lines of students to officially enter Riddick Field for the start of the game.
After R-MA’s honor guard took the field and presented the flag for the national anthem, the game began. Over the course of the next two and a half hours, the majority of R-MA’s student body participated in cheers, chief among them being fan-favorite ‘Motivated, Dedicated, Fired-Up Sir!’ and ‘Let’s Go Jackets, Let’s Go!’. Wiz Khalifa (virtually) visited briefly as well, singing Black and Yellow for the Jackets. R-MA’s mascot, Sting, took to riling up the crowd with six different cadets taking the costume, switching out due to the oppressive heat inside of the suit. In order of appearance, thanks to C/1ST Lt Gabriel Rivera '19; C/SSgt Garett Milo '19; C/1ST Lt Emma Faust '19; C/MSgt Sophia Poe '20; C/AB Basic Ethan Corlett '21; and last but certainly not least, C/Amn Roosevelt Roberts '21. Thanks also to R-MA faculty Amy & Andy Harriman '88 for being the announcers of the game.
R-MA scored early in the first quarter for six points, but Massanutten held their own until five minutes to the end of the second quarter, where the Jackets got a touchdown, safety, and another touchdown with three minutes to halftime, finished off by a field goal with twenty-five seconds to go.
During halftime, the honor flights for R-MA’s first month of the 2018-19 year were announced, as flight commanders and sergeants, led by C/Lt Col. Fatoumata Diallo '19, took to the field with their respective flight guide-on flags. Out of nine competing flights, Foxtrot took third place, Alpha was in second, and on top was Charlie Flight. Each winning flight got varying rewards to enjoy during the month of September, and the competition will continue for the rest of the year.
Upon returning to the field for the second half, both sides fought hard, with R-MA scoring another touchdown in the third quarter for a score of 30-0. The fourth quarter saw no touchdowns by R-MA, but the Colonels picked up that slack, scoring the final touchdown of the game to end 30-6. The 15 members of the Colonels had played their hearts out, but the Jackets’ stiff defense and swift offense held the line and pushed it. Especially cheered on by the Upper School cadets in the bleachers, heavily assisted by the high-spirited students from the middle school, R-MA couldn’t be beat. At the end of the game, C/Lt Col Diallo and her cadre led VA-091st Air Force JROTC in a modified form of a Drill Team favorite, "Don’t Mess."
Congratulations to both teams for a lively game, showcasing great teamwork by both sides and an enthusiastic crowd, and good luck to both in the coming season!