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Six games into the 2009 season, six wins sit comfortably in the pocket of Rockville coach Kevin Bernot, whose mission to pull Ram football from obscurity to eminence leapt another step closer to fruition last Friday night as his squad defeated Wheaton by a final count of 37-14.

The homecoming matchup was not nearly as one-sided as the score would indicate. Entering the fourth quarter, the Rams (6-0) held an 18-8 lead over Wheaton, but continually left the door wide open for the Knights (2-4) with a pile-up of small mistakes including one missed field goal and three missed extra points.

“I don’t know what was going on tonight,” Bernot said after the game. “Diego (Opazo) has been a tremendous kicker but something was going on. He kept hitting them to the left. We got Robbie (Parker) in there to try to kick one and he also kicked it to the left. I don’t know what was up. He’s been nailing them in practice.”

Any suspense in the air at Rockville High last night was swiftly diminished in the fourth quarter as the Rams scored touchdowns on each of their last four possessions, three of which were thanks to the work of their standout running back, junior Crusoe Gongbay. By night’s end, Gongbay rushed for 230 yards on 24 carries with a total of 4 touchdowns, which leaves the 6-foot, 175-pound junior just shy of 1,000 yards rushing this year. Gongbay finished with over 1,400 during his sophomore season.

“We want to get the ball in his hands,” said Bernot of Gongbay. “With the back field guys that can block, we feel confident. Crusoe has great vision and a great burst of speed. He can find a hole that might not even be there.”

Bernot is so confident in the ability of his running back that for the time being he is content to stick heavily with the ground attack the Rams have employed all season long. Rockville quarterback Chris Brown attempted only five passes against Wheaton.

“We run so well. We have the option to run the ball so we haven’t had to pass a lot. We even ran a direct snap to Crusoe and that seemed to work. Crusoe is just a workhorse. He’s probably one of the best backs I have ever seen. He can make plays when there really shouldn’t be a play when other backs would just take a loss, take a no gain. He’ll make a seven, eight yard gain out of nothing.”

Still in his junior season, with such a prominent role, Gongbay handles his responsibility with the poise of a more experienced athlete.

"I have to be a playmaker and a leader,” Gongbay said after the victory. “When we’re down a little bit it’s my job to pick everybody’s heads up and make sure my line keeps on pushing. Without the line I’m nothing so I need to make sure I get them going. It’s a lot of pressure but I can do it.”

That pressure isn’t going away any time soon, as Coach Bernot is looking to expand Gongbay’s responsibility even further as the season continues, as well as into his senior campaign.

“Great things are coming for Crusoe. I see him getting the ball a lot more. He’s been getting the ball between 20-30 times a game, maybe more. He gets the ball and he’s making those plays. There’s not a tremendous need, even on third and long, to have to pass because we have Crusoe on our side.”

Gongbay appears comfortable playing the savior role for Rams football, a program that has struggled for years to gain recognition. With a perfect 6-0 record, he sets his expectations high for an unscathed finish to the season, and with good reason.

“I have us going undefeated if we play like we did [Friday]. If my linemen push like they did, if our back-up running backs go in when I get dinged a little bit, if I push the ball like I’m supposed to, and if our QB steps up then we should go undefeated and go to the playoffs, and we’ll see what happens from there.”

Rockville will travel to Northern this while Wheaton will square off against Northwood. Both games start at 6:30.

DCSportsFan is pleased to announce that the Third Annual All-DCSportFan.com Football Celebration Dinner will be held Sunday, January 31, 2010 at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. The dinner will celebrate the best high school football players in Washington, D.C. area. Last year Virginia Tech head football Coach Frank Beamer, former Hokie running back Mike Imoh, Comcast SportsNet's Chick Hernandez and former and current Redskins Brian Mitchell and Fred Smoot were in attendance.

Watch video highlights from last year here

Contact Patsy Mangas, the event's coordinator, at PaTsY2498@aol.com.