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Coach Tom Green's Raiders did not allow Sutiland any offensive points in Saturday's 21-2 win. Click on the video link above for video highlights and interviews from the game.
By Andy States
Content Manager, DigitalSports.com
Coming off of a narrow win over Henry Wise last week, the focus was clear for the Eleanor Roosevelt Raiders on Saturday in their high-profile matchup at Suitland -- play better defense.
"We had been slipping the last couple of weeks, giving up some big plays on defense," Roosevelt coach Tom Green said. "We gave up some big plays against Wise.
"We just wanted to make [Suitland] drive the length of the field."
Roosevelt's defense passed the test. Despite a pair of long Rams' drives to open each half, the Raiders did not surrender any points defensively and defeated the hosts 21-2. The loss snapped a 24-game league win streak for Suitland.
After scoring on Anderson Bryson's 31-yard touchdown run on the first possession of the game, Roosevelt (6-0) stood up to Suitland (5-1) on the ensuing Rams' possession. Suitland marched from its own 24-yard line into the red zone on 14 plays, but stalled when the Raiders held firm on a fourth-and-two play from the Roosevelt 15. It was just the statement the Raiders were looking to send.
"First series they drove on us into the red zone," Roosevelt senior Isaiah Ross said. "We came up with a big stop. We were very tired, they had a lot of plays on us. After that, we limited the yards on first downs. We had to man up and close that middle down."
Again, the Rams moved into the red zone to open the second half and advanced inside the 5 on Devonte Lindsey's 34-yard pass to Levern Jacobs. But just three yards from a touchdown that would have at least knotted the score, a pair of false start penalties and one stuffed run pushed the Rams back before a lost fumble short-circuited the drive. The offense would never again get so close.
Suitland got on the board late in the third when Aneko McClain sacked Roosevelt quarterback Michael Thomas in the end zone. But the Raiders responded with a nine-play, 90-yard drive early in the fourth that concluded with Thomas rushing to paydirt from 20 yards out. Roosevelt later added a safety of its own, and then capped the scoring with Thomas' 20-yard touchdown pass to Tyrone General in the game's late stages.
Roosevelt was a little extra revved up to play Suitland, a program that has won two 4A championships and three 4A South Region crowns in the past four seasons, according to Green.
"The kids haven't beaten Suitland since they've been in high school," he said. "Suitland's won the region the last three years, and we have a bunch of seniors."
"In the paper they had us as an underdog," added Ross, "so we knew this was going to be a big dogfight."
Now, with the win under their collective belt, the Raiders move into the regular season's final four weeks in position to possibly lay claim to the 4A South's top seed in the postseason. Perhaps more importantly, the Raiders now have proof that they can succeed in reaching their goals in that second season.
"It's just confidence," Thomas said. "Now we know we can beat them, so next time we play them we're going tobe on our toes and we know that we can do it now.
"One step closer to our goal. Our goal is states. We got one step closer."
Eleanor Roosevelt 21, Suitland 2
ER 6 0 0 15
S 0 0 2 0
First quarter
ER - Bryson 31 run (run failed), 7:44
Third quarter
S - Safety, Thomas sacked in end zone, 2:40
Fourth quarter
ER - Thomas 20 run (pass failed), 5:54
ER - Safety, Lindsey sacked in end zone, 2:24
ER - General 20 pass from Thomas (kick good), :46
Top individual performers
Rushing
Roosevelt: Bryson 5-76, Shepard 7-49, Thomas 7-34
Suitland: Williams 14-48, Kelley 9-35, Bush 6-28
Passing
Roosevelt: Thomas 3-6-0 51
Suitland: Lindsey 5-10-0 67
Receiving
Roosevelt: General 1-20, Morris 1-18, Thomas 1-13
Suitland: Jacobs 2-43, Johnson 1-17, Johnson 1-5, Kelley 1-2
