Eleanor Roosevelt squeaks out a victory, Taivon Jacobs of Suitland shows versatility and Friendly gets creative on offense

Eleanor Roosevelt Coach Tom Green’s assessment that his team “came out flat” Saturday at Bowie may have been an understatement. The Raiders tallied four penalties and gave up a sack on their first offensive possession, leading to 30 lost yards and a punt. On their first try on defense, the Raiders gave up a 26-yard touchdown pass on fourth and five.

After the Raiders scored their first touchdown, they missed the extra-point attempt. After they scored their second touchdown, they allowed Bowie to return the ensuing kickoff 77 yards for a touchdown.

“To be honest, I thought [Bowie] should have won the game,” Green said Monday in a telephone interview. “They played better than we did.”

But Eleanor Roosevelt’s defense — shaky as it was at times — produced enough big plays to lead the Raiders (2-0) to a 22-21 victory.

Green said his team’s tackling was poor Saturday, so much so that he felt he had no choice other than to load the box with eight defenders to try to stop the run and essentially leave his defensive backs all alone in man coverage for much of the game.

“They hit a couple of deep balls on us, but I kind of felt like I had more faith in our defensive backs that when we needed to that they could make plays,” Green said. “As opposed to not having eight guys in the box and letting them run the ball down our throats.”

Senior free safety Justin Brown rewarded his coach’s faith by recording a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter. The Raiders went for two and converted, which proved to supply the winning margin. Brown finished with two interceptions on the day.

While content with the victory – if not with the manner in which it was achieved – Green said if his players think they can perform the same way Saturday at Wise (2-0) and come away with a win, they are mistaken.

“We can’t play Wise the way we played Bowie and have any success,” Green said. “They’re too fast, they’re too physical, and if we play as poorly as we did last week, we might get blown out of the park.”

Suitland’s Jacobs stands out

Through two games, Suitland senior Taivon Jacobs has recorded touchdowns in a variety of ways. He has tallied scores rushing and receiving, as well as returned a punt and an interception into the opposing end zone.

That last means of crossing the goal line is significant because while Jacobs – who orally committed to Ohio State this summer – is well known for his skills as a wide receiver, he is growing adept at locking down opposing receiving threats, too.

Jacobs is “just a dynamic football player; it really doesn’t matter what side of the ball he’s on,” Suitland Coach Ed Shields said Monday in a telephone interview. “The thing about it is while he’s not that big, he tackles with the best of ’em.

“Everybody’s aware of his running, and a lot of people can run, but he can play football. It just so happens that he can run, too. And there’s a difference with that. . . . That’s what separates him from so many others.”

Last season marked Jacobs’s first experience at free safety, and Shields said Jacobs now is much more comfortable making the calls and setting the defense into proper alignment. Shields said Jacobs’s range and athleticism helps Suitland — which has yet to allow a single point this season — prevent opposing quarterbacks from “just throwing it up for grabs.”