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This was the first of three connections for the quarterback-receiver duo
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By James A. McCray III
Prince George's County, Content Manager

Three throws and three catches never meant so much more to a football team than what they meant for the Frederick Douglass Eagles on Saturday on the road at Gwynn Park.

It was exactly three throws and three catches that catapulted the Eagles to a 26-12 victory over Gwynn Park and, with the victory, earned Douglass a spot in the 2A South regional playoffs.

The first of those three catches came on Douglass' first offensive play of the game as quarterback Richard Barber hooked up with wide receiver Maurco Bradley for a 50-yard score that gave the Eagles an 8-0 lead after a successful two-point conversion.

"In the beginning, we started off where we tried to catch them off guard," Bradley said. " ... I told coach [J.C. Pinkney] just give me the ball and I am going to make something happen."

Bradley finished with four catches for 165 yards on the day.

Ahead 10-2 midway through the third quarter, Barber and Bradley connected again, this time from 20-yards out to increase the lead to 18-6.

"[Gwynn Park's] corners are aggressive, they have good corners, they are aggressive," Barber said as he finished with 229 yards on 10 of 15 passing. "We used the aggression against them and threw it deep and hoped for the best."

Already with the two scoring connections on the day, no connection was probably any bigger than the third as the 37-yard touchdown between the two, their third on the day, secured the win for the Eagles after a Gwynn Park touchdown made the contest a one-possession affair. The early-fourth quarter visit to the end zone made the score 26-12 after a two-conversion,

"We are primarily a running team, but Richard has a very good arm and he understands the game," Pinkney said. "When we are blocking and everyone is doing what they are supposed to, it looks very good."

This win was no ordinary victory for the Eagles, now 8-2 on the season, as the win secured Douglass a spot in the 2A South playoffs.

"It feels great," Pinkney said. "We didn't want our season to end. We have been at this a long time like any other program throughout the whole season. We have a really good group of seniors and those guys were not ready to cash it in."

Gwynn Park (8-2) had a 2A playoff berth already secured coming into this game and was playing in hopes of earning a better seeding. Yet in still, the Yellow Jackets fell just short in its homecoming game.

Khalek Sheppard put Gwynn Park on the board with a 1-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter, however the point after attempt was not converted.

Nygee Carmichael scored again for Gwynn Park on a 15-yard touchdown run and cut the Douglass lead to 18-12, but that is as close as Gwynn Park would get for the remainder of the game.

Douglass will now travel to North Point High School of the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference on Friday for a 7 p.m. contest.

Also with the victory, Douglass eliminated Patuxent (SMAC) from playoff contention.

tmccray@digitalsports.com

Douglass 26, Gwynn Park 12

Douglass --       8   2   8   8
Gwynn Park --   0  6   6   0

First quarter:
D    --    Bradley 50 pass from Barber, 4:03 (Barber run)
Second quarter:
D    --    Safety, blocked punt in end zone,  2:55
GP  --    Sheppard 1 run, 9:45 (run failed)
Third quarter:
D    --    Bradley 20 pass from Barber, 6:23 (Barber run)
GP  --    Carmichael 15 run, 7:15 (run failed)
Fourth quarter:
D    --    Bradley 37 pass from Barber, 1:59 (Paul run)

Top individual performers
Passing
Douglass: Barber 10-15-1 229
Gwynn Park: Hughes 4-7-0 92, Lewis 1-1-0 53
Receiving
Douglass: Bradley 4-165, Paul 1-27
Gwynn Park: Boseman 1-53, Lewis 1-42
Rushing
Douglass: Barber 4-22, Paul 9-18
Gwynn Park: Hughes 12-77, Sheppard 14-47, Carmichael 7-44