On Sept. 12, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School’s undefeated varsity football team met under the lights against Monarch High School’s varsity football team, and it was a game for the ages.

Knowing that it was MSD’s home opener, there was a lot of hype around this game and the energy level was high.

Monarch struck first with a touchdown on their first play from the scrimmage. MSD didn’t immediately respond, however, they did secure a safety on Monarch’s next drive putting them up, 7-2.

After trading touchdowns, MSD finished the half with a field goal, leaving them trailing by just two, at14-12.

The second half was full of action with both MSD and Monarch posting 12 points going into the last drive.

With the score sitting at 26-24, MSD had the ball with one second left on the clock. Lined up for a game-winning field goal attempt, a flubbed snap required MSD’s holder, to pick up the ball and roll out left. He tossed it to the open receiver who fell forward for the touchdown.

MSD won with a score of 30-26 and had proved victorious for the third game of the year as well as their first district game of the year.

This win was a huge step for the Eagles’ progress towards the playoffs and their ultimate goal of winning a championship.

“It’s so important to get a win like that because it gives us so much momentum going into the next week.” senior Ryan Belk (80) said. “They’re a big cross town rival so it was important to win that. We need to stay focused though and stay humble and keep going week by week. We have the pig bowl up next which is a district game so we need to remember to keep outworking our opponents and keep playing with the same heart we did in the Monarch game.”

The Eagles take on Coral Springs High School in the Pig Bowl on Friday, Sep. 20 at 7 p.m. The Pig Bowl is another opportunity for the undefeated MSD football team to make a big statement regarding their goals for this year.