Kouadio: Fun to say, not to play

Senior continues to run the show for Springbrook

Wednesday, Oct. 11, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo chris rossi⁄the gazette Springbrook’s Uchenna Ahaghotu (46) forces a fumble as he sacks Blake quarterback Jeremiah Prophet Monday during the Blue Devils’ 27-19 win Monday in Silver Spring. Led by 134 rushing yards from senior Adou Kouadio, Springbrook wrapped up the 2006 Consortium Cup, beating Blake and Paint Branch back-to-back.

The senior captain essentially beat the Blazers (1-4) by himself, accounting for all but one of the Blue Devils’ points in their 27-19 victory Monday night. Not only did he rush for 134 yards and three scores, putting his season total at 10 TDs, he also threw a touchdown pass — the first of his career, helping Springbrook (4-1) take home its second straight Northeast Consortium Cup title.

With his fourth consecutive 100-yard rushing performance, Kouadio is proving himself to be one of the best running backs in the county, and arguably the most versatile. In addition to his scoring toss against the Blazers, he’s also caught two touchdown passes this season and been a workhorse in the backfield, averaging just a shade under 20 carries per game.

‘‘We’ve seen it on film how good he was so it wasn’t a surprise,” said Blake coach Tony Nazzaro. ‘‘He’s not a guy you can bring down with arm tackles — he’ll run through them.”

Kouadio was dominant right from the first Blue Devils’ offensive play. On their opening touchdown drive, the 175-pounder rushed for 52 of the 65 yards, culminating the march with a 10-yard sweep for a score.

After stopping Blake on the ensuing drive, Springbrook blocked a punt and took over inside the Blazers’ 10-yard line, where a holding penalty and a mishandled handoff exchange forced the Blue Devils into a third-and-goal all the way back at the 26-yard line.

Sophomore quarterback Phoenix Butler-Poole handed to Kouadio on what appeared to be a textbook sweep, but instead of darting up field, he moved laterally towards the sidelines before arching a bomb that landed beautifully in the hands of senior wideout Jordan Dow in the end zone.

‘‘We practice it a little bit but never did I expect it to ever be called,” said Kouadio, who now can boast a perfect quarterback rating on his one pass this season. ‘‘But in the clutch we needed the play. I had to make it, I made it.”

The play was even more important because the Springbrook passing game, which was so important in its 17-point, fourth-quarter rally a week ago at Paint Branch, was otherwise nonexistent. Butler-Poole broke out for 287 yards and three touchdowns a week ago, but only completed two of his six passes for just 10 yards on Monday.

But on another hand, his meager stats showcase the biggest reason why the Blue Devils are 4-1. When Kouadio gets all the focus, Butler-Poole has plenty of playmakers to throw to. And Kouadio has to be any defense’s top priority.

‘‘We’re more of a running team but you have to have balance because when they put eight, nine people in the box, you just can’t run,” he said. ‘‘ So you have to start throwing over the top. Even though we have a young quarterback in Phoenix, with him being a sophomore, it’s easy to rely on him — like the Paint Branch game.”

Defensively, the Blue Devils made plays when it mattered, logging five sacks, with three coming on Blake’s last minute, desperation drive. But they are undoubtedly a little behind the offense, as Blake continued giving them problems. The Bengals entered Monday’s competition largely dependent on senior halfback Corwin Acker, the county’s second-leading rusher with 616 yards in four previous games.

He managed a respectable 91 yards against the Blue Devils, but the Blazers’ offense did more damage through the air. Junior quarterback Jeremiah Prophet bedeviled Springbrook with his quick feet and big arm, which allowed him to make several explosive plays. He threw two scoring passes, the first a spectacular 13-yarder on fourth-and-goal to fullback Kofi Asante and then a 50-yard rainmaker to wideout Travis Edwards.

‘‘Those guys were good,” said Springbrook coach Rob Wendel. ‘‘I hope we don’t play Acker ever again because he is really, really good. And their quarterback was something — throwing all over the place and scrambling all over the place.”

After a 5-5 regular season a year ago, Springbrook can now officially be labeled a surprise. With their fourth straight victory, they are making a strong push towards the playoffs. But Wendel is hoping nobody notices.

‘‘I’d rather fly below the radar,” he said. ‘‘We’re used to playing without a target on our back, which we’ll have to deal with one now.”