More News

Saturday's 4A South Region playoff game between Henry A. Wise and Eleanor Roosevelt is a role reversal from what both teams experienced last season.

In 2008, the Raiders entered the playoffs as the top seed with a 10-0 record, while Wise finished 7-3 and earned the No. 4 seed. But seeding and records didn't matter as the Pumas stunned the Raiders, 14-6 in overtime on their way to a region championship.

Now the Pumas enter the playoffs as the top seed with a 9-1 record. The Raiders backed into the playoffs with a 6-4 record, including loses in three of their last four games.

Roosevelt coach Tom Green said last season's defeat served as a reminder to his players about what can happen once the postseason begins.

"There really is no pressure on us this year because we don't have the top seed and the better record," he said. "I have told our guys that the regular season is just about getting into the playoffs. Now we all have 0-0 records and the object is to win four games. If we put everything together, there is no reason we can't make a run at this thing."

Both teams enter the postseason after suffering defeats in their respective regular season finales. Suitland hammered Roosevelt, 25-6, while Wise suffered its first defeat against Flowers, 14-12.

The Pumas entered the game with eight consecutive shutouts, including a 6-0 victory over Roosevelt during the streak. But the Wise defense couldn't stop a Flowers offense that scored on touchdown drives of 14 and 17 plays.

Wise coach DaLawn Parrish said the Pumas got a taste of their own medicine in the defeat against Flowers. He said it's normally his team that grinds out drives and punches the ball into the end zone. But that didn't happen on Saturday, as the Jaguars broke the Pumas shutout streak and nine-game winning streak.

But Parrish said that loss should help the Pumas in the playoffs.

"I think that loss was good because it humbled us and showed the players that we weren't unbeatable," he said. "Now we can go back to work and focus on the fundamentals. We need to play near perfect football if we are going to win in the playoffs."

Wise enters the playoffs with the best defense in the 4A South Region. The Pumas give up an average of 2.1 points per game, while the Raiders give up 12.2.

Turnovers were a factor in the teams' first meeting. Wise turned the ball over three times, with two of them coming deep in Roosevelt territory. The Raiders have had a problem with turnovers during the closing stretch of the season. Roosevelt committed three turnovers against Suitland and fumbled five times in its loss to Bowie.

"All of the games we have played in have been close and could have gone either way with just a couple of plays," Green said. "We just have to focus on the little stuff and take care of business on Saturday."

Both teams enter the game with potent rushing attacks. Jabril Baldwin leads the Pumas with 509 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, while Richard Aiyegoro paces the Raiders with 526 yards and 10 touchdowns.

E-mail Joshua Hudson at

jhudson@gazette.net.