Vikes Back on Track

The Kufere Laing Lounge

Redemption. That was the word Pittsburgh Central Catholic football players were using to describe this week's game against Upper St. Clair. After coming out flat against Mt. Lebanon last week, and falling behind 23-0 before you could blink, and then 30-7 at halftime, the Vikings ensured another let down would not occur against the Panthers tonight. Led by a stout defense, and sophomore running back Damion Jones-Moore, the Vikings returned to their winning ways with a 31-7 win over USC. The Central defense flew around holding the Panthers to 179 total yards and the offense did their part as Jones had his third 200 yard game this season and senior quarterback David Smyers threw for 112 yards with a touchdown pass to junior Dustin Lowman; the second time that duo has hooked up this year.

With tonight's win, the Vikings put themselves back in the conversation for a WPIAL championship, but there are still some questions about this team. Are the Vikings done with their first quarter-first half no shows that were seen in the first three games? Will Jones-Moore be able to hold up for an entire season with the current workload he's getting (over 30 carries tonight, which is an abnormally high amount in high school)? and most importantly, how will the Vikings handle being in the media's good graces again? They thrived as the underdog this week, but after tonight's blowout win, Central will be considered a favorite again. Can this group of Vikes stay motivated with the success?