Though last week's rain had mostly let up by Friday night, the precipitation left behind a soft, muddy football field at Glenelg High School. But that didn't matter to Frederick Douglass High running back Emmanuel Paul. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound senior often looked like the only one playing on a dry surface as he made quick cuts to elude the Glenelg defense. Paul got loose for a 55-yard run late in the first quarter and followed with a short touchdown run. In the second half, he rambled 74 yards for another touchdown. Paul finished with 185 yards rushing to lead Douglass to a 24-12 victory in a 2A South Region semifinal game.

Saturday afternoon, the Charles H. Flowers High School football team handed Henry A. Wise High its first loss of the season, as the Jaguars beat the Pumas, 14-12. It was the first time in eight games that Wise allowed any points. The Jaguars scored their two touchdowns on drives of 14 and 17 plays, and they rolled up more than 200 yards rushing behind center Isaiah Shelton, right tackle Darron Black Jr., right guard Calvin Calloway, left tackle Warren Daniels and left guard Phillip Anderson.

When the lessons learned in film study are ingrained in your mind, the right moves become "instinct." That's how Charles H. Flowers High's 5-foot-11, 240-pound defensive tackle Andre Brooks describes his game-changing interception in the fourth quarter of the Jaguars' 22-13 win at Eleanor Roosevelt on Saturday. The turnover set up Flowers 14 yards away from Roosevelt's goal line, and a touchdown run two plays later by Raymone Wilson sealed the victory. It was Brooks' final contribution after taking part in two sacks and recovering a fumble in one of the season's biggest games.

When Forestville needed a big play in its game against Frederick Douglass on Saturday, Ricardo Smith delivered, lifting the Knights to their biggest victory in years. Douglass led the game 20-14 late in the fourth quarter when Smith recovered an Eagles' fumble on the Douglass 13-yard line. Two plays later Smith ran for a touchdown that tied the score at 20-20. Rahmaan Lee's two-point conversion gave Forestville the lead, and the Knights earned a 22-20 victory that launched them back in the playoff race in the 1A South Region. Smith, a junior quarterback/wide receiver/defensive back, also caught a touchdown pass from Antonio Belt in the first half.

Marc Lucas didn't begin the season as Gwynn Park's starting quarterback. He was pressed into service during the Yellow Jackets' season-opening victory against Forestville when Zachary Jefferson left the game with an injury. Gwynn Park has stuck with Lucas since then, and on Monday afternoon he delivered one of his best performances of the season against the Yellow Jackets' best opponent to date. Facing previously unbeaten Frederick Douglass, Lucas completed 7 of 14 passes for 125 yards and three touchdowns. All three scoring passes came in the first half, as Gwynn Park built a 21-14 lead at the break and went on to a 35-14 victory. For the season, Lucas has completed 65 of 114 passes for 884 yards and 11 touchdowns, helping Gwynn Park to a 7-0 record.

Moments after his 63-yard touchdown run gave DeMatha a thrilling 24-21 victory over Good Counsel and solidified his place in rivalry lore, Stags' running back Marcus Coker was asked how special it felt to close a game with such an incredible play.
Coker replied simply, "Stuff happens, I guess."
Such is the attitude of this enigmatic senior that teammates begged him to smile in the post-game huddle. After leading the Stags back from a 21-3 deficit with three fourth-quarter touchdowns, Coker finally cracked a brief grin.

The Gwynn Park defense has allowed just 39 points through five games this season, and big reason for its success has been the play of senior Jerome June. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound defensive end helped the Yellow Jackets shut down Friendly last Friday, as Gwynn Park earned a 40-7 victory. For the season, June has recorded 52 tackles, including 11 sacks, and has five fumble recoveries and two safeties.

Potomac High School senior Devonta Tabannah made a name for himself last year as a multi-purpose offensive weapon. A Gazette-Star All-County First Team selection in 2008, Tabannah caught 31 passes for 603 yards and nine touchdowns and accumulated 1,441 yards of total offense. He had one rushing touchdown and returned four punts for TDs. His versatility has been his strongest asset. On offense, Tabannah moved from wide receiver to quarterback this season. But his home is at defensive back, and that's where he made a game-saving play last week.
The Wolverines led Friendly, 21-14, with less than a minute to play. But the Patriots were on the Potomac 15-yard line, threatening to score a touchdown that could have changed the outcome. Friendly quarterback Sherrod Baltimore tossed a pass into the end zone, where Tabannah grabbed his second interception of the game, sealing a victory that lifted Potomac to 2-2.

After a disastrous second half that included two interceptions thrown to the same St. Albans defensive back, Bishop McNamara senior quarterback James Joseph completed 4 of 4 passes on an 89-yard touchdown drive that gave the Mustangs the lead late in the fourth quarter.
Joseph's 46-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to receiver Brandon Coleman gave McNamara a 30-27 advantage with 1 minute, 47 seconds left. Joseph finished with 216 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. McNamara's Nicholas Law added an interception return for a touchdown as St. Albans tried to retake the lead on its ensuing possession, giving the Mustangs a 38-27 win and a 3-0 record.

The numbers look like they should have come from a matchup against a lesser opponent. That they were achieved in a battle of two state powers makes them all the more impressive.
DeMatha High School running back Marcus Coker amassed a whopping 392 yards rushing and scored five touchdowns in the Stags' 56-35 victory against Baltimore's Gilman School on Saturday. DeMatha is Maryland's top high school football team, according to a poll of statewide reporters. Gilman, despite its inability to stop Coker, is ranked fourth in the state.
Coker, who verbally committed to the University of Iowa last month, was 54 yards shy of the state's record for single-game rushing yardage. Hancock's Sam Hess had a 446-yards game in 1998 against St. James.

What Henry A. Wise High School senior fullback/linebacker Rahsaan Moore lacked in stats during Saturday's 14-7 win against Suitland he made up for with big plays. With more than 4,000 fans on hand for the inaugural Coach David "Nick" Lynch Classic at Largo High, Moore collected three tackles, a sack, 30 yards on five carries and a rushing touchdown.
But the touchdown was the game's first score in Moore's first high school game at fullback. And the sack ended Suitland's last possession with the Rams at midfield trying to drive for tying touchdown with less than two minutes left in the game.