Crockett Leads the Way In His Friendship Debut

Last month, Malcolm Crockett got a surprise from his mother, Melvina. They were moving from Montgomery County to the District. Crockett, who led the county with more than 1,500 yards rushing as a sophomore at Einstein last season, needed a new school.

A relative told him to check out Friendship Collegiate, a charter school that does not play in a league, but makes up for it with perhaps the area's toughest schedule. While Crockett said he could not be more pleased with his decision, the Knights are even happier to have him aboard.

Crockett returned a fumble 19 yards for a first-quarter touchdown and rushed 15 times for 134 yards and a 67-yard score to pace Friendship to an overwhelming 37-9 victory at Dunbar in Friday's season opener for both teams.

"He's a special kid," Friendship Coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim said. "He's got an excellent attitude. He's humble, not real talkative, and it's infectious. The ball just seems to bounce his way."

Friendship's line dominated on both sides of the ball, keying an offense that rushed for 301 yards and a defense that held the Crimson Tide to 51 total yards before a 60-yard touchdown pass in the closing minutes.

In last year's opener, Friendship earned a watershed victory against the Crimson Tide by erasing an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit and scoring the winning touchdown in the final minute to win, 34-30. This year's game was decided much sooner.

Dunbar failed to convert on its first two possessions despite having first and goal each time. On its third possession, the Crimson Tide fumbled an exchange, and Crockett scooped up the loose ball and ran untouched 19 yards for a touchdown.

"We called a blitz," Crockett said, "and when the quarterback got hit, [the ball] came out and I was right there."

While Dunbar allowed five sacks and lost four fumbles in the first half, Friendship took advantage. Sophomore Albert Reid had second-quarter scoring runs of nine and eight yards to send the Knights into halftime ahead 19-2.

After Dunbar punted on its first possession of the second half, Friendship took over at its own 25-yard line. On second and two, Crockett took a handoff up the middle, burst through the line, hit the left sideline and left Dunbar in the dust for a 67-yard touchdown to make it 25-2 and seal the victory.

Friendship Collegiate 37, Dunbar 9 Tough road ahead: Friendship's schedule the next five weeks includes Gonzaga, DeMatha, H.D. Woodson and Linganore. And there were no TV timeouts: The game lasted 2 hours 45 minutes, thanks in part to 13 Friendship penalties.