America's Game

Baltimore- As sports fans we all have our favorite sporting events that happen each year. For me one of the games that has to be at the top of the list is the Army-Navy game. This game is everything that is right about college athletics. For both teams their student athletes play for the right reason. It is one of the best rivalries in all of sports. I am currently a senior at Brother Rice High School in Chicago. CJ Gray who is a classmate, friend and former basketball and baseball teammate of mine; is committed to Army to play football next year. Here is what he had to say about the game and what he looks forward to, “The Army-Navy game is obviously a very big deal. This game is played with tremendous pride and grit, so I am just looking forward to being able to have the opportunity to play in one of these games.”

The Impact

Cheering on our favorite team's week in and week out is great, but there is nothing like cheering on the Midshipmen or Cadets. Both teams' players are loyal to their school and play for the name on the front, not on the back. These athletes will go on to be heroes and leaders in our world for reasons that have nothing to do with gridiron glory. In the world today we can all agree that there is a lot of negativity, however this game is anything but that. It represents honor, sacrifice, and exemplifies what it means to be an American. The game encourages us to respect one another and to try to be our best every day. It inspires fans and at the end of the day, once that final whistle blows these men will be fighting together under one name(United States of America) for the common goal of preserving the freedom we sometimes take for granted in our country. 

The Game Itself

This year’s game was another classic. I have watched this game every year since I was just a little kid and every year it continues to amaze me. This year was no different. Navy (10-2) came into this one as the favorites after beating the Cadets last year. It was a matchup of two very different offensive schemes. Navy veteran quarterback Blake Horvath is one of the nation’s leading rushers and has led an explosive offense. On the other side Army (6-6) has relied on a clock-management triple-option attack. 

Today’s game was your classic Army-Navy game with both teams chewing up the clock and grinding it out on the ground. The first quarter took just 25 minutes of real time with just two possessions. Both teams opened with 75-yard touchdown drives capped off by rushing touchdowns from Blake Horvath for Navy and Cale Hellums for Army. After that it was a defensive battle with a couple of Cadet field goals. This allowed the underdog Cadets to take a 16-7 lead early in the third. However, the offense was stifled and held to just 27 total yards in the final 30 minutes. Navy finally got the break they needed when Hellum’s throw was late and was intercepted by cornerback Philip Hamilton. From there Horvath and the Midshipmen capped a dramatic drive with a touchdown pass from Horvath to his favorite target Eli Heidenreich. The Navy defense continued to show its might and got one finals top before kneeling out the final minute of play. 

Final Thoughts

Heidenreich continued his excellent record-setting season as the leading receiver in school history by accounting for 72 of the 82 receiving yards. On the other side Hellums was able to break the century mark rushing but threw a costly interception. This win gave Navy back-to-back wins in the series for the first time since 2014-5 and back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in program history. Navy now leads the all-time series 64-55-7. Today reminds us why we watch and love sports. We love to argue about whose team is better, but at the end of the day what these student-athletes will do after today in their professional lives will be so much more important than any game of competition.