THE GAZETTE
Thursday, September 26, 2013 lr
SOCCER
Continued from Page A-10 for the 4A South Region title and the right to advance to the state semifinals. “There’s a group of death up north and there’s us,” said 29thyear Roosevelt coach George Kallas of Section I. “I’m not sure whose geography they used to lay out the sections, but we’ll see what happens.” While the teams in both sections appear fairly balanced atfirst glance, is what Kallas said about the talent in Section I correct? Since 2008 — a span of five postseasons — Bowie has the most playoff wins of any county team with 12, thanks in large part to winning state titles in 2008 and 2011. High Point is a close second with 11, despite having not won a state championship. The next closest teams all have six wins during that span (Bladensburg, Northwestern and Roosevelt). Here’s where it gets interesting. The total number of postseason wins by the teams in Section I over the past five seasons is 34, 10 more than the 24 wins the teams in Section II have earned. And considering
that roughly half of Section II’s postseason wins in the past five seasons have come via two fivematch state championship runs by Bowie, it’s easy to see why coaches are so intrigued by the new format. And why Kallas was so complimentary of Section I. “These teams are always tough,” said High Point coach Michael Holt, whose team will likely face some stiff playoff competition. “We never take anything for granted and we always go in with the attitude that anyone can beat us at any time. We’ve got to be well-prepared and do what we have to do.” A prime example is when Flowers played High Point to a 1-1 draw Tuesday evening, becoming the first county team this season to earn a point against the Eagles. Flowers and Bladensburg are among the two up-and-coming county teams that could make the new format all the more interesting. Coupled with the fact that Bowie, admittedly, is having a down year and Northwestern lost many players from last year’s state semifinal squad, both sections appear wide open a quarter of the way through the regular season.
Continued from Page A-10 Different signals correspond to different numbers in the playbook. The players then turn toward the ball before looking back at Jefferies in case he wants to audible. It’s then Dougherty’s job (lined up in the shotgun) to verbally deliver the signal to the offensive line using code words he and his teammates developed. “It’s pretty cool,” Dougherty said. “The defense isn’t ready for the plays
Continued from Page A-10 in the 2012 title game. Ruble, who was recruited to DeMatha by football, basketball and baseball coaches, has emerged as one of the state’s top football recruits. He’s narrowed his choices to Florida State,
128842G
FEARLESS FORECASTS The Gazette sports staff picks the winners for this week’s games involving Prince George’s football teams. Here are this week’s selections:
Den Feldman
Ken Sain
Nick Cammarota
Travis Mewhirter
Jennifer Beekman
Kent Zakour
50-9 95-21
47-12 92-24
46-13 90-26
49-10 88-28
43-16 88-28
42-17 86-30
Riv. Baptist DeMatha Northwestern Friendly Capitol Christ. Pallotti McNamara Flowers Wise DuVal E. Roosevelt Bladensburg Forestville Surrattsville Gwynn Park Douglass Central Christ.
Riv. Baptist DeMatha High Point Friendly Capitol Christ. Boys Latin McNamara Flowers Wise DuVal E. Roosevelt Parkdale Forestville Surrattsville Gwynn Park Douglass Central Christ.
Riv. Baptist DeMatha High Point Friendly Capitol Christ. Boys Latin McNamara Flowers Wise Suitland E. Roosevelt Parkdale Forestville Surrattsville Gwynn Park Douglass Nat. Christ.
Riv. Baptist DeMatha Northwestern Friendly Eastern Boys Latin McNamara Flowers Wise Suitland E. Roosevelt Parkdale Forestville Surrattsville Gwynn Park Douglass Central Christ.
Riv. Baptist DeMatha Northwestern Friendly Capitol Christ. Boys Latin McNamara Flowers Wise Suitland E. Roosevelt Parkdale Forestville Surrattsville Gwynn Park Douglass Central Christ.
Riv. Baptist DeMatha Northwestern Friendly Eastern Boys Latin McNamara Flowers Wise Suitland E. Roosevelt Bladensburg Forestville Surrattsville Gwynn Park Douglass Nat. Christ.
Prince George’s County record All games
Riverdale Baptist at Perry Street Good Counsel at DeMatha Northwestern at High Point Friendly at Largo Capitol Christian at Eastern (D.C.) Pallotti at Boys Latin McNamara at Archbishop Carroll Laurel at Flowers Bowie at Wise DuVal at Suitland Oxon Hill at Eleanor Roosevelt Bladensburg at Parkdale Fairmont Heights at Forestville Central at Surrattsville Potomac at Gwynn Park Crossland at Douglass Central Christian vs. National Christian
ncammarota@gazette.net
OXON HILL
LINEMAN
Page A-11
and we catch them off guard a lot. It’s great.” On Oxon Hill’s opening drive of last week’s 27-0 loss against Henry A. Wise, it was clear the no-huddle still had some kinks to work out. The Clippers were flagged for a false start on back-to-back snaps and there were a number of busted plays. It was also apparent that the tempo and pacing with which Dougherty snapped the ball bothered the Pumas’ defense. Wise jumped offsides a staggering five times on the opening drive and the defense
Maryland, North Carolina State, Ohio State and Tennessee. First, he narrowed his focus at DeMatha. Ruble nearly quit football as a sophomore to focus on basketball. But while attending an Amateur Athletic Union basketball tournament the summer prior to watch his son, Ruble’s dad happened to meet a col-
was penalized 13 times overall. “They’re very organized and can take you out of the flow of the game,” Wise coach DaLawn Parrish said. “For them not getting in the huddle, you’re on the line for a long time while they’re communicating. “[Jefferies] should be proud. Give him a couple more [years] and they’ll really be good. They’re definitely going to compete and not lay down.” Jefferies isn’t afraid to throw the ball, either — something that hasn’t necessarily been a staple of Prince
lege football scout whose son was also playing. When Ruble’s dad pointed out his own son, the scout remarked Brock had the body of a Division I football recruit. When he heard the assessment, Brock decided to give football one more try. Until the playoffs, Ruble’s season high was four snaps in
George’s County football. But against the Pumas, Dougherty, who said he studies his playbook and hand signals an average of two hours a night, passed an astounding 31 times out of 55 plays. More than the offense is changing at Oxon Hill. A new school building is currently in use with a massive new stadium not far behind. Jefferies, who led a very successful program at Dunbar (D.C.) for 15 seasons, went 126-48-1 and developed a wealth of future National Football League talent, said he’s confident Oxon Hill can turn around for
a game — and one was a kneeldown play. But in a WCAC semifinal loss to Gonzaga, the starting left tackle went down, and Ruble stepped in and played well, reaffirming his decision not to quit football. “OtherthangoingtoDeMatha in the first place,” said Ruble, who commutes an hour and 15 minutes each way from his home near
good once the Clippers get that “signature win.” “It’s hard to instill the concept that they can win or they’re gonna win,” Jefferies said. “For the last three or four years, they haven’t had that. None of these guys on this team have been winners. So we’ve got to get these guys to believe they can win and go out and execute.” And, true to form, Jefferies and the Clippers appear to be doing so much faster than the average team. ncammarota@gazette.net
La Plata, “I think deciding not to do that has been one of the best decisions of my life.” The next year, Ruble gave up baseball to focus on football. By that time, he had already shown a keen understanding of football, even though he occasionally missed team functions due to basketball and baseball. “I don’t know if he would
be this successful if he wasn’t as smart,” Brooks said. “He’s forced to split his time, and a lot of times, he’s playing catchup. But it makes it easier, because he’s a bright kid. He’s an intelligent player. He really understands concepts. I think he could end up being a coach when his playing days are over.”