The Washington Post - 12.11.2019

D6 ez su the washington post.tuesday, november 12 , 2019

Henderson wanted was to go

someplace w arm.

His players had just dumped

cold water on him during one of

the most frigid nights in Mary-

land this fall. But Henderson

co uldn’t leave the celebration on

River Hill’s field in Clarksville. He

received the water bath because

his Wildecats had just beaten Riv-

er Hill, 14-10, in Maryland’s big-

gest upset during the first round

of the playoffs.

Wilde Lake entered the

M aryland 3A East playoffs at 2-7

and as the No. 8 seed. River Hill

was the region’s top seed at 8-1.

But the Wildecats’ slim odds of

winning didn’t f aze them.

“The whole school didn’t think

we were going to win, but that just

gave us more ammunition,” Wilde

Lake defensive end Nathan Unu-

igbe said. “It made us want to win

it even more.”

This year, Maryland began al-

lowing eight teams per region into

the playoffs instead of four, creat-

ing opportunities for major up-

sets. Wilde Lake wouldn’t have

come close to making the postsea-

son under the previous format.

Friday was Wilde Lake’s first

playoff win since 2010, when it

won the Maryland 3A title.

“We really harp on the fact that

a lot of times you don’t get a

second opportunity — you don’t

get a second chance,” Henderson

said. “ When t hey do come, you got

to take full a dvantage of them.”

— Kyle Melnick

Roosevelt continues its ascent

With the fourth and final play-

off spot i n the District o f Columbia

Interscholastic Athletic Associa-

tion Stars division up for grabs,

Theodore Roosevelt and Ballou

had a lot on the line in their game

Friday night, despite both teams

having s ub-.500 records.

And in a low-scoring game be-

fitting the teams, the Roughrid-

ers’ defense secured one more

stop than Ballou’s, and Roosevelt

outlasted the Knights, 12-6.

“Playing in a win-or-go-home

game was all about those four

words: win o r go h ome,” Roosevelt

linebacker/running b ack R uQuan

Brown s aid.

Clinching a fifth straight

DCIAA playoff appearance by

knocking off a perennial power-

house — even if Ballou is in a down

year — is the latest accomplish-

ment in Roosevelt’s quick ascent

from Stripes division bottom-

feeder to Stars contender.

During Roosevelt’s five-year

postseason s tretch, the Roughrid-

ers captured back-to-back Stripes

division championships in 2016

and 2017, prompting t heir promo-

tion to the Stars division in 2018.

“It’s been a blessing working

our way up to the Stars division,

but until we win the Stars divi-

sion, we haven’t reached the type

of success that we’re hunting af-

ter,” Brown said. “But we’ll get it,

the same way we did the Stripes

ones: p atience and focus.”

— Tramel Raggs

Yorktown eyes postseason

Bruce Hanson knows a good

team when he sees one. The York-

town coach just wrapped up his

35th regular season at t he helm o f

the Patriots. If a team has poten-

tial and talent, you can bet he’ll

recognize that earlier t han most.

Coming into this season, Han-

son thought the Patriots’ roster

could be one of the better ones he

has had i n his time in Arlington. If

the regular season was any indica-

tion, he was right.

On Friday, the Patriots beat

Washington-Liberty, 17-10, to cap-

ture their first district title since

2012 and improve to 9-1. They

enter the postseason as the No. 3

seed in Virginia Class 6 Region D

and face Marshall on Friday.

“We’re going to be a tough out,”

Hanson said. “We can give any-

body a game.”

After starting the season 2-1,

the Patriots rattled off seven

straight wins.

One reason Hanson feels good

about this team is senior quarter-

back Grant Wilson. He has led a

pass-happy Patriots offense, rack-

ing up more than 2,000 passing

yards and 20 touchdowns.

Y orktown also has a stingy de-

fense that gave up only eight

touchdowns.

“We’re kind of an unknown

commodity for some of the bigger

teams in Northern Virginia,”

H anson said.

He’s hoping that won’t be true

for long.

— Michael Errigo

FROM STAFF REPORTS

When the St. John’s Cadets
completed their second of two
comebacks by double-digit points
Saturday, they lined up in the
victory formation and sent Rakim
Jarrett, the five-star prospect who
played both ways to defeat Gonza-
ga, 10 yards behind the line of
scrimmage to be the last line of
defense against d isaster.
Quarterback Sol-Jay Maiava
took a knee, and Jarrett started to
dance when the 32-28 win was
complete.
This is what it took to win the
Washington Catholic Athletic
Conference regular season title: a
furious late rally to beat Good
Counsel; not one, but two stops
near the end zone to fend off
DeMatha; and then one last magic
act Saturday at Catholic Universi-
ty. No. 3 St. John’s ( 6-4) came back
to beat No. 1 Gonzaga (8-2) after
trailing 14-0 in the first half and
28-17 in the second.
The win allows St. John’s to
host a WCAC p layoff game a gainst
DeMatha on Saturday. Gonzaga
will play at Good Counsel on Fri-
day.
As for how this team pulled out
another dramatic victory, run-
ning back Colby McDonald, who
scored the winning touchdown
Saturday, mentioned the grueling
nonconference schedule.
“It made us ready for a nything,”
he said. “I think we’re built for
this.”
Six weeks ago, St. John’s Coach
Joe Casamento stood outside the
team bus, his team mired in a
four-game losing streak against
four of the country’s best teams,
and said he regretted nothing
about that schedule.
Saturday, h e found v indication.
“I’m not saying we’re great,” he
said. “I’m just saying we’re
r esilient.”
— Jake Lourim

Wilde Lake scores upset

All Wilde Lake Coach Brian

high school Football

St. John’s

surges into

playoffs on

stirring run

the post top 20

there was plenty of high school football drama this weekend. With private schools and Virginia public schools finishing the regular season and

Maryland public schools starting the postseason, there were more than a few notable results. in the Washington catholic athletic conference, the

four-team playoff is set. Following a big win over Gonzaga, st. John’s will be the top seed.

11. D amascus (8-2) lW: 11
    the Hornets overpowered Magruder, 49-7, in the first round of the
    Maryland 3a West region playoffs.
    Next: Fr iday vs. south Hagerstown, 7 p.m.


12. s tone bridge ( 9-1) lW: 7
    despite a slim halftime lead, the Bulldogs fell to no. 10 Broad run,
    35-21, in the “Battle of the ’Burn.”
    Next: First-round bye.


13. Friendship c ollegiate (8-3) lW: 13
    the Knights beat royalty institute, 47 -14, to end their regular season.
    Next: d.c. state athletic association tournament opponent tBd


14. Northwest ( 9-1) lW: 1 4
    the Jaguars put up 42 points in the first half of a 48-14 win over
    clarksburg in the first round of the Maryland 4a West region playoffs.
    Next: Fr iday vs. richard Montgomery, 7 p.m.


15. s outh county ( 10-0) lW: 15
    the stallions closed a dominant regular season by toppling rival
    Lake Braddock, 40-29.
    Next: Fr iday vs. Falls church, 7:30 p.m.


16. huntingtown (10-0) lW: 16
    the Hurricanes posted their fourth shutout in the first round of the
    Maryland 3a south playoffs by beating James M. Bennett, 48-0.
    Next: Friday vs. st. charles, 7 p.m.


17. tuscarora (9-1) lW: NR
    the Huskies’ only loss came in their season opener against Broad run.
    Next: Fr iday vs. sherando, 7 p.m.


18. D ouglass ( 10-0) lW: 20
    the eagles beat crossland for the second week in a row, this time to
    advance in the Maryland 2a south region playoffs.
    Next: Friday vs. patuxent, 7 p.m.

19. paint b ranch (9-1) lW: N R

the panthers had no issue with dulaney in the first round of the

Maryland 4a north region bracket, beating the Lions, 49-6.

Next: Fr iday vs. sherwood, 7 p.m.

20. south R iver ( 10-0) lW: NR
    the seahawks beat annapolis, 31-21, in the first round of the Maryland
    4a east region playoffs.
    Next: Fr iday vs. arundel, 7 p.m.
    Dropped out: no. 17 Lake Braddock, no. 18 dunbar, no. 19 Bullis
    on the b ubble: potomac (Md.), c.H. Flowers, Mount Vernon, patriot


21. st. John’s ( 6-4) last week: 3
    the cadets will be the top seed in the Wcac playoffs after sweeping
    through the conference in the regular season.
    Next: saturday vs. no. 4 deMatha, 1 p.m.


22. gonzaga (8-2) lW: 1
    the eagles couldn’t hold on to an early 14-0 lead against st. John’s and
    fell to the cadets, 32-28, in the regular season finale.
    Next: Fr iday at no. 5 Good counsel, 7 p.m.


23. Quince o rchard (10-0) lW: 2
    the cougars opened the postseason with a 70 -12 blowout of
    Gaithersburg.
    Next: Friday vs. Walter Johnson, 7 p.m.


24. DeMatha ( 7-3) lW: 4
    the stags ended the regular season with a 26-14 win over Mcnamara.
    Next: saturday vs. no. 1 st. John’s, 1 p.m.


25. good counsel ( 7-3) lW: 5
    the Falcons will have a playoff rematch with Gonzaga, which they beat
    in a five-overtime thriller last month.
    Next: Friday vs. no. 2 Gonzaga, 7 p.m.


26. Westfield (10-0) lW: 6
    Harrison saint Germain caught two touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 47 -34
    victory over chantilly.
    Next: Fr iday vs. Wakefield, 7 p.m.


27. Wise ( 10-0) lW: 8
    after beating northwestern, 60-6, the top-seeded pumas will take on
    fourth-seeded suitland in the Maryland 4a south region semifinals.
    Next: Friday vs. suitland, 7 p.m.


28. Freedom-Woodbridge (10-0) lW: 9
    Quest powell set the prince William county record for passing yards in a
    season during an 84-0 win over colgan. He finished the regular season
    with 2,817.
    Next: Friday vs. champe, 7 p.m.


29. g eorgetown prep (8-2) lW: 12
    the Hoyas won the interstate athletic conference title by erasing a
    nine-point second-half deficit against Bullis in a 22-16 win.
    Next: season complete

10. broad Run (10-0) lW: 10

Mitch Griffis threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more in the

spartans’ 35-21 win over no. 7 stone Bridge.

Next: Fr iday vs. Millbrook, 7 p.m.

the Chiefs took over at the

Te nnessee 32-yard line with 1:46

left. A loss seemed almost

impossible — at one point,

according to ESPN, the Chiefs’

win probability crept over

99 percent. They ran three

times, unable to gain a game-

sealing first down but bleeding

Te nnessee’s timeouts and setting

up a 46-yard field goal. A

miscommunication on the snap

caused holder Dustin Colquitt to

drop the ball and heave it out of

bounds.

The Titans took over in better

field position than what they

had given to Kansas City. It took

58 seconds and four plays,

culminating with Ta nnehill’s

gorgeous, 23-yard toss t o Adam

Humphries on a post route, for

Te nnessee to score and steal the

game. Mahomes’s two

completions set up a game-tying

field goal try, but it only led to

another special teams

misadventure — the Titans

blocked Harrison Butker’s kick.

The Chiefs dropped to 6-4,

oddly having lost Mahomes’s

past three full games. The

Oakland Raiders, at 5-4, are only

a half-game out of first place.

The Raiders get the Bengals and

Jets in the next two weeks,

followed by a showdown at

Arrowhead Stadium.

Flores might be good

I t’s strange that this can be true

of a coach who came out of the

week with a 2-7 record, but

Brian Flores has done one of

the most impressive coaching

jobs in the NFL this season.

The Dolphins pared their

roster, signed a journeyman to

play quarterback, traded many

of their best players and started

0-7 with a historically bad point

differential as their front office

executed a teardown meant to

land them a top draft pick.

If there was ever a team that

might quit, Miami was it. But

the Dolphins did not, and the

credit belongs to Flores. After

their 16-12 victory in

Indianapolis, the Dolphins have

won two straight. Yes, they only

beat the Jets and the Colts with

backup Brian Hoyer. But given

the player development, tactical

and motivational abilities Flores

has shown, it’s easy to have faith

that the Dolphins have the right

coach if their plan to tank for a

better roster works.

[email protected]

happened after he released the

ball is what makes the Chiefs so

different, on top of Mahomes’s

otherworldly talents.

Rookie Mecole Hardman

caught the pass running across

the middle and broke one tackle,

at which point two Te nnessee

Titans in close pursuit had

angles on him. But then

Hardman ran away from both

defensive backs — one of whom

was Adoree’ Jackson, who might

be the fastest cornerback in the

league. Hardman was pulling

away from Jackson by the time

he reached the end zone. Owing

to the presence of Ty reek Hill,

Hardman isn’t even Kansas

City’s fastest wide receiver.

But that turned into a

footnote. Kansas City botched

the endgame, as Kansas City has

a tendency to do under Coach

Andy Reid. With a 32-27 lead,

while also rushing for 65 yards

on seven carries — and a Lamar-

ian touchdown — before

yielding to backup Robert

Griffin III in the fourth quarter.

Even if it came against the

Bengals, the performance

underscored that the Ravens are

only improving. Jackson has

made only 17 starts in his career,

playoffs included, and Baltimore

overhauled its offense in the

offseason. Offensive coordinator

Greg Roman’s system has plenty

of room to expand. And Jackson

is already a leading candidate

for MVP honors.

He can also wear the heck out

of a pair of retro ’80s shades.

Chiefs face AFC West fight

P atrick Mahomes’s jump pass as

he was surrounded by pass

rushers will create highlights,

and rightfully so, but what

Baltimore Ravens’ 49-13

dismantling of the Cincinnati

Bengals was particularly

impressive. They were on the

road in a division game, primed

for a letdown after their

statement victory over the

Patriots. But they handled their

business from the opening kick,

scoring on their first two drives

and never letting the Bengals up

for air.

Baltimore validated what it

showed last week: It is a

legitimate threat to the Patriots

in the AFC.

The driving force, of course,

was Jackson. He registered his

second perfect 158.3

quarterback rating this season,

joining only Ben Roethlisberger

among quarterbacks who have

had two in one year. Jackson

completed 15 of 17 passes for 223

yards and three touchdowns

For all of the Saints’

firepower, they have failed to

score a touchdown three times

this season. The others came in

the Rams loss, when Brees was

knocked out with a thumb

injury, and in a 12-10 victory

over the Dallas Cowboys behind

Te ddy Bridgewater. Those made

sense. But against a Falcons

team that entered 1-7 while

allowing 31 points on average?

Hard to figure.

The Saints caught a break

when the Carolina Panthers lost

in Green Bay, keeping them in

firm control of the NFC South.

Their only concern should be

whether Sunday was a

harbinger.

Lamar Jackson: Mr. Perfect

A s the results in Te nnessee and

Atlanta proved, there is value in

destroying bad teams. The

You think you
know something
about the NFL,
and then along
comes a Sunday
like Week 10’s.
The league starts to make sense,
and then it goes berserk. People
too often call NFL weeks weird
and wild, but Sunday was weird
and wild.
How else to describe it? The
New Orleans Saints didn’t score
a touchdown at home, Patrick
Mahomes lost a shootout to
Ryan Ta nnehill, and the Miami
Dolphins have a winning streak.
Usual winners swapped
places with perpetual losers. The
New England Patriots had a bye,
but the other participants in last
year’s conference title games —
Kansas City, the Los Angeles
Rams and New Orleans — all
lost. Meanwhile, the New York
Jets and Atlanta Falcons joined
the Dolphins in doubling their
season win totals.
It’s comforting to count on
some events, such as Lamar
Jackson’s brilliance and Aaron
Rodgers throwing darts while
squinting into Lambeau Field
snowflakes. Some things don’t
change. Here’s what to know
from the 10th Sunday of the NFL
season:

Just one of those days

I t is tempting, easy and probably
accurate to dismiss New
Orleans’s 26-9 loss to the
Falcons and their atrocious
defense as an aberration.
Division game, opponent
coming off a bye, all that. But
they also have to make sure it is
not the start of an offensive
swoon, because that has
happened before.
The Saints averaged 37.1
points in their first 11 games last
season. They didn’t score more
than 31 the rest of the year and
produced outputs of 10, 12, 14
and, in two home playoff games,
20 and 23. Their offense
stagnated in the NFC
championship game, scoring 10
points in the final three quarters
and overtime.
Sunday’s loss was strange in
many ways. New Orleans has
one of the league’s best offensive
lines, but the Falcons dominated
it Sunday. They sacked Drew
Brees six times, which matches
the most the Saints have allowed
during the Sean Payton-Brees
era.

On a weird and wild Sunday, the Saints and Chiefs suffered inexplicable losses

On the
NFL

adam
Kilgore

rusty costanza/associated press

The Saints’ Drew Brees was sacked six times during a 26-9 loss to the Falcons. New Orleans failed to score a touchdown for the third time.