Two weeks ago, the Henry A. Wise High School football team had its nine-game winning streak and state-record eight-game shutout streak snapped on its home field by Charles H. Flowers.
But that was a regular season game. Saturday afternoon the same two teams met in the same place in the 4A South Region final. And this time, the Pumas redeemed themselves with a 26-0 victory on their muddy terrain in Upper Marlboro.
Wise (11-1) earned its second consecutive region title and handed Flowers its sixth defeat in the region title game in as many appearances. The Pumas will have a home game in the state semifinals at 1 p.m. next Saturday, playing host to 4A West Region champion Thomas Johnson (8-4). Old Mill (10-2) will visit Sherwood (10-2) in the other 4A state semifinal.
Meanwhile, Flowers remains in quest of its first region title. Last year, Wise defeated Flowers in the 4A South Region final by the almost-identical score of 28-0 before losing to Sherwood, 45-6, in the state semifinals.
Flowers (10-2) beat the Pumas, 14-12, in the regular season finale on Nov. 7. But on Saturday, a stiff Wise defense and a slick surface conspired to halt the vaunted Jaguars' ground attack. Wise coach DaLawn Parrish routinely described the field as "the mud bowl." Flowers' coach Mike Mayo said he was disappointed with the conditions considering the limited amount of rain in the area during the the past few days.
"We probably were a lot more prepared for this game than we were for the last one," said Parrish, whose defense engineered its 10th shutout in 12 games and limited Flowers to just 105 yards of total offense, including 86 on the ground. "In hindsight, it was probably good for us that they beat us last time. I think our kids were humbled a little bit by that loss. It showed them they still had some work to do. We came out and we executed. We took advantage of the opportunities and we capitalized on their mistakes."
In the first half, Wise controlled play up front, although the Jaguars opened the game with a long kickoff return by Christopher Gregory that put them in Pumas' territory. But the Jaguars turned the ball over on downs and Wise responded by marching 69 yards in seven running plays and scored on a 6-yard keeper by quarterback DeAndre Smith. Kevin Staton caught a two-point conversion pass from Smith for an 8-0 Wise lead with about midway through the first quarter.
Wise started its next drive in Flowers' territory following a short punt, but running back Jabril Baldwin fumbled for the first of two times in the game, and the Jaguars recovered. Following another Flowers' punt, Wise reached the Jaguars' goal line after a 39-yard run by Rahsaan Moore. But the Jaguars' defense stiffened and the Pumas were denied another score when Smith was tackled for a 2-yard loss on fourth and goal.
Another Flowers' drive ended with a punt, but Baldwin's second fumble gave the Jaguars the ball in Wise territory late in the second quarter. With less than a minute remaining in the half, however, Flowers quarterback Thomas Lawrence had a deep pass intercepted by senior safety Titus Till, the first of two such occurrences on the afternoon.
Wise had been hindered by mistakes in the first half, but the Pumas took advantage of two costly mistakes by Flowers in the third quarter. Running back John Clark fumbled and the Pumas recovered at the Jaguars' 32. Wise needed six plays and 3 minutes to go the distance, with Smith connecting with Thomas Tabbs on a 19-yard touchdown pass on a fourth-down play to make it 14-0.
Flowers failed to get a first down on its next possession, but this three-play drive proved costly. Punter Ekanem Ekanem bobbled the snap and was greeted by a host of Wise players and was tackled at the Flowers' 14-yard line. Three plays later, Trevon Butler scored on a reverse and the Pumas owned a 20-0 lead with less than 2 minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Flowers countered with an 11-play drive that moved the Jaguars into Wise territory. But on fourth down, Wise defensive end Anthony McDaniel sacked Lawrence. Midway through the fourth quarter, Wise put the finishing touches on its second consecutive region title by going 60 yards in seven plays. Smith connected with Butler on a 16-yard scoring strike in the left front corner of the end zone.
"It was just like last year," Flowers' senior running back Reggie Woods said. "They beat us in this game. They came out in a five-man front and we weren't prepared for that. We ran our same plays, but we just didn't get it done."
Wise 26, Flowers 0
Flowers 0 0 0 0 – 0
Wise 8 0 12 6 – 26
W – 6 run by Smith (Smith pass to Staton)
W – Tabbs 19 pass from Smith (run failed)
W – Butler 13 run (run failed)
W – Butler 16 pass from Smith (kick failed)
Passing Leaders: Wise: Smith 2-4, 32 yards. Flowers: Lawrence 3-11-2, 26 yards
Rushing Leaders: Wise: Moore 13-85, Baldwin 12-99, Smith 4-12 yards, Johnson 6-22, Coles 3-14, Butler 1-13. Flowers: Wilson 10-31, Woods 8-21, Clark 6-21, Gregory 1-5
Receiving Leaders: Wise: Butler 1-13, Tabbs 1-19 yards. Flowers: Clark 1-14, Gregory 1-2, Davis 1-10
Correction: The original version of this story listed the wrong receiver of the two-point conversion for Wise due to an error on the roster.