A day after DuVal pulled off the 26-6 upset over the then-No. 3 Rams, Powell reflected on Mines’s performance: 13 carries for 51 yards and four touchdowns. And that was just his offensive production. Mines also matched up against Suitland’s All-Met wide receiver Taivon Jacobs, who has orally committed to Ohio State, and held Jacobs to three catches for 42 yards.
Mines “is an explosive player, and Saturday he just came to life,” Powell said Sunday. “He was up for the challenge. He knew this was the week he had to come and shine. He wanted to check Taivon, and he wanted the ball. He knew it was that time.”
Perry – who entered the game with 806 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the season – gained 37 yards on 15 carries Saturday. But with Mines operating in high gear, the DuVal ground game didn’t miss a beat. Powell called the backfield duo of Perry and Mines “a double threat.”
Armed with such weapons – and a stingy defense that held Suitland (5-1, 4-1) to zero net rushing yards Saturday – DuVal (5-1, 4-1) is poised to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2007. The Tigers’ lone remaining regular season contest against an opponent with more than one win is Oct. 20 at Eleanor Roosevelt (5-1, 4-1).
“It’s shaping up pretty well,” Powell said. “I’m just trying to keep the kids down to earth and not get too big-headed. We only have five returning varsity players from last year, so it’s a very inexperienced team. This is all about believing what we’re teaching them and coming out and playing hard every game.”
Friendly gets back on track
Friendly burst out of a three-game losing streak with a 40-18 win over Forestville on Saturday. The Patriots rushed for 339 yards and four touchdowns as a team, with five players gaining at least 30 yards on the ground.
Friendly (3-3, 2-2 PG 3A/2A/1A) had struggled since three players, including senior quarterback Thomas Corbett, were suspended for a game for their roles in an onfield fight in a win over rival Gwynn Park on Sept. 7.
Coach Peter Quaweay said his team “lost continuity” after that game and was particularly troubled by Corbett’s absence. Corbett — a first-year starter — was not ejected against the Yellow Jackets but was punished when tape of the fight was reviewed by administrators. Quaweay said Corbett never threw a punch but faced discipline — including a five-day suspension from school — as an instigator because he pushed a Gwynn Park player after the play before the fight broke out.
The Patriots lost 20-8 at Potomac (Md.) in the game Corbett missed, and Quaweay said the quarterback had not played well in either contest since returning from suspension, including a 36-26 loss to Largo last week when he had two interceptions returned for touchdowns. Corbett completed 7 of 13 passes for 162 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions against Forestville (4-2, 2-2) and added a rushing score.
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