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Zach Harper flies in with a third-quarter sack and forced fumble in Gwynn Park's 29-0 win over Friendly on Saturday afternoon.
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***Click HERE for video highlights and interviews from the game***

By Andy States
Content Manager, SMAC

With the rival Friendly Patriots heading into Brandywine on Saturday, Gwynn Park coach Danny Hayes had a simple, familiar philosophy on what his team needed to do.

"When those curtains open we got to put on a show, both teams," Hayes said. "That's what the people paid for or else we need to give them their money back so they can go see another show. Anytime you come see us we gotta put on a show and get things going."

When the curtains went up on Saturday, Gwynn Park wasted little time in building to the climax. The Yellow Jackets opened the game with a 14-play, 78-yard drive that was capped by Khalek Shepherd's first touchdown run of the game. Shepherd later added another score, while Lavaughn Hughes rushed for a game-high 140 yards and another two touchdowns to secure a playoff berth and lead the Yellow Jackets to a 29-0 shutout over the visting Patriots.

"It was real huge because every time Gwynn Park and Friendly play the intensity is real high," Hughes said. "We just wanted to come out here and do what we do, run the football and come out with the win."

Led by Hughes's effort, Gwynn Park (8-1) accumulated 266 rushing yards. Shepherd followed Hughes with a 58-yard effort on 13 carries. On the flip side, the Yellow Jackets defense harrassed Friendly quarterback Sherrod Baltimore all game, and held the Patriots to negative rushing yardage for the game.

"I'm not going to talk about youth. They beat us," said first-year Friendly coach John Morgan. "They were a better team today. I'm not going to make any excuses. As a coaching staff we didn't do what we needed to do."

Shepherd headlined Gwynn Park's game-opening drive. Of the 14 plays -- all runs -- the junior carried the ball nine times for 46 yards and scored on a seven-yard scamper.

"It was a great drive," Hayes said. "We had to set the tone, hopefully when we get into the playoffs and things like that. The motivation that they can do it anytime they want to do it."

On the ensuing possession, Friendly (7-2) went backwards before snapping the ball out of the end zone on its punt for a safety that gave the Yellow Jackets a quick 10-0 lead. Hughes scored his first touchdown on a one-yard plunge in the second quarter, and with that, the rout was on. Hughes added a 27-yard touchdown run in the fouth quarter, while Shepherd capped the scoring with a nine-yard jaunt.

The win safely moved Gwynn Park into the postseason in the ultra-tight 2A South, along with River Hill and North Point. The Yellow Jackets' opponent in next week's regular-season finale, Douglass, is battling for the final spot with Patuxent.

"It's just good to know we came out here and did what we had to do," Shepherd said. "Bascially it's all about pride. We got the bragging rights for the year. It feels good to come out here with my teammates and dominate a rival and get the 'W.'"

"It was a big win," added Hayes. "It was a good win for the kids. Anytime Friendly and Gwynn Park get together it's like this. We get the big crowds and things like that.

"[Friendly] is young yet. They're doing a great job, great coaching staff and they'll bounce back."

Aided by Lackey's Friday-night win over Westlake, Friendly still stands to earn the No. 2 seed and hosting rights for the first round of the 3A South playoffs with a win in Week 10.

"The Jeckyll and Hyde of it is they needed this game a little bit more than we did," Morgan said. "By that being the case, we want this to be a very important game, but I think our kids were kind of flat. I don't know why. Again, I'm putting it on us. As coaches we didn't prepare them like we needed to."

The Patriots will look to right the ship in their regular-season finale against Central next Friday.

Gwynn Park will likely be a No. 3 seed in the 2A South and thus, will be on the road in the opening round. But, just two weeks out from the start of the postseason, Hayes hopes the team continues to build on the improvement it showed against Friendly.

"We limited our mistakes today," he said. "I think we only had one penalty today. Those are the types of things that are going to win you games, so we're working on it. They did a great job today."

astates@digitalsports.com

Gwynn Park 29, Friendly 0
F    0    0    0    0
G    10    7    0    12
First quarter
G    -    Shepherd 7 run (Shepherd run)
G    -    Safety, puntl snapped out of end zone
Second quarter
G    -    Hughes 1 run (Shepherd kick)
Fourth quarter
G    -    Hughes 27 run (pass failed)
G    -    Shepherd 9 run (run failed)

Top individual performers
Rushing
Friendly: Fulton 5-10
Gwynn Park: Hughes 15-140, Shepherd 13-58, Carmichael 11-27, Fourth 7-36
Passing
Friendly: Baltimore 10-19-0 103
Gwynn Park: Hughes 1-6-0 13
Receiving
Friendly: Blake 3-44, Washington 3-31, Fulton 1-17
Gwynn Park: Blue 1-13