Rockville football rebounds after bye

Win over Wheaton erases memories of Einstein loss

Friday’s win came after a two-week layoff following a demoralizing 13-6, second-straight loss to Einstein; the Rams had a bye last week.

‘‘We knew we were a better team than what played against Einstein,” Maradei said. ‘‘They’ve been hungry to get back on the field. They didn’t want to take that break. But we’ve worked hard. And we really came together Friday. Everyone came to play and they played well.”

Friday’s win was a pure, all-around victory. The Rams executed efficiently on both sides of the ball. Senior running back Tarik Paul had his breakout performance, rushing for 302 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries. He rushed for 89 percent of the Rams’ total 380 yards.

Seniors Dana Shorb and Daniel Coelho, and junior Matthew Yin also contributed to Rockville’s offensive effort.

‘‘Everyone contributed,” Maradei said. ‘‘We scored 22 points offensively. We had a punt block for a touchdown and an interception for a touchdown. There’s a reason why we practice special teams; you get something like that.”

A loss to Einstein last year was the start of a 7-3 season, Rockville’s first winning season since 1997. Friday’s domination of Wheaton proved it won’t let this year’s loss to Einstein detract from its 2007 playoff campaign. The Rams are refocused, and know they can’t take any opponent for granted. They play at Wootton’s Homecoming Friday, which should be a good test.

‘‘I’m finding out a lot about our mentality,” Maradei said. ‘‘It takes a lot to have a failure and come right back and find success.”