Wise Football Prevails, Despite Injuries

DaLawn Parrish, the head football coach at Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr. High School, was without three starters due to injuries before Saturday's game against Bowie even began.

And then during the contest, Wise lost three more starters to injuries: cornerback Kenneth Scott-Kelow, defensive tackle Joseph Washington, and fullback Damon Price.

To make matters worse Wise trailed, 22-0, in the first half to the Bulldogs. But the Pumas came back and posted a 24-22 win and improved to 3-1 overall this season.

"The kids know how to fight," Parrish told Patch on Tuesday. "They have definitely been battle tested early in the year."

Wise, in its previous game, lost on a last-second field goal to Eleanor Roosevelt. "They know what it is like to be on the short side of it," said Parrish, who noted that about 75 percent of his team is made up of sophomores and juniors.

Wise, with two freshmen on the varsity, is ranked No. 15 this week in The Washington Post. The Pumas play Saturday at Northwestern at 2 p.m.

Parrish, a former defensive back at Wake Forest, said he hopes to have four of the six injured starters available to play against Northwestern. Chase Powell of Wise had nearly 140 yards rushing, with two touchdowns, against Bowie.

Largo gets first win

Largo also won a close game over the weekend. The Lions beat Forestville, 42-36, in the fifth overtime. Largo is now 1-3 overall and is slated to play Friday at Friendly.

Bowie State loses first game

Ramono Flowers, a Largo High School grad, gained 47 yards on the ground for Bowie State and caught two passes for 17 yards but the Bulldogs lost on Saturday, 32-29, at Virginia Union.

Virginia Union improved to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the CIAA, while Bowie State fell to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the league.

“Virginia Union is a good football team and they capitalized on our mistakes," Damon Wilson, the Bowie State head coach, said on the school's athletic website.

The Bulldogs had 10 penalties, lost two fumbles and threw one interception.

Senior linebacker Terrance Hemsley of Upper Marlboro had five tackles for Bowie State and William Bailey, a Bowie High grad from Upper Marlboro, added one. Standout linebacker Delano Johnson of the Bulldogs added six tackles.

Bowie State took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when senior Kenneth Turner recovered a fumble and ran it 99 yards for a touchdown. Michael Gagne kicked the extra point to make it 7-0.

But Virginia Union scored 12 points in the second quarter and 13 in the third quarter to take a 26-16 lead into the fourth quarter.

Keith Brown and Kevin James of Bowie State scored on shorts runs in the fourth, the last by James coming with 59 seconds to play, but it was too late for the visiting team. James caught six passes for 61 yards for the Bulldogs.

BSU quarterback Clifton Budd had a huge game, as he completed 24 of 38 passes for two touchdowns and 247 yards. He also ran for 141 yards.

Wise grads aid JMU

Wise High grad Anthony McDaniel, a defensive tackle, had one tackle for James Madison in a 20-14 win Saturday against William & Mary. Freshman wideout DeAndre' Smith (Wise) also played for JMU, which hosts Richmond this Saturday.

Riverdale Baptist grad with Wesley

Sophomore defensive back Morgan Taylor, who is from Landover and graduated from Riverdale Baptist, plays for nationally-ranked Wesley of Delaware in Division III college football. He had one tackle on Saturday in a 72-0 win at Husson in Maine. Taylor has four tackles in three games this season.

Monroe plays for the Terps

Defensive lineman Andre Monroe (St. John's High) of Upper Marlboro had one tackle on Saturday for Maryland in a 38-7 loss at home to Temple.