Coolidge Has Chance to Talk Turkey

The D.C Interscholastic Athletic Association's regular season and playoffs have had an air of formality the past decade, dominated by Dunbar (11 straight title game appearances) and H.D. Woodson (five of the past eight). Seeing the Crimson Tide and Warriors meet in the Turkey Bowl -- the DCIAA championship, played on Thanksgiving -- has become as certain a tradition as turkey and stuffing.

But change seems to be in the air.

"The DCIAA did the same thing as Obama -- it's time for change," Coolidge senior running back Avery Williams said. "You don't have to be at Dunbar or H.D. to win a championship anymore. There's talent in other schools, too."

Saturday, when Coolidge meets Woodson, will be the Colts' first chance this to prove the league is more balanced. Sandwiched between a pair of impressive come-from-behind victories over Friendly and William Campbell, Coolidge (3-1) eked out a 27-26 triumph over upstart Ballou (2-1), which, even in a loss, made a case to be considered in the Turkey Bowl mix.

Dunbar and Woodson, meantime, have gotten off to slow starts. The Crimson Tide, a very inexperienced bunch this season, was walloped by Friendship Collegiate in its opener; Woodson opened with three out-of-town losses before bouncing back with a victory over Theodore Roosevelt last week.

The league has craved increased respectability over the past few years, and a regular season with some suspense would go a long way toward gaining that.

"There's no clear-cut favorite," Coolidge Coach Jason Lane said, "no team that you're going to say, 'They're definitely going to the Turkey Bowl.' This year, it's a toss-up and it's because the talent is more well-rounded across the city."

Talent, though, has been a double-edged sword for Coolidge.

"With our teams the last couple of years," Lane said, "we had talent and people in the public put us ahead of certain teams without us winning any games. We couldn't win games on talent alone."

And when the Colts lost, it was because their talent couldn't surmount penalties or poor execution.

"There's this stereotype the past couple of years that we make too many mistakes and we can't win in the playoffs," senior wide receiver Josh Ford said. "This year, our leadership is much better. We won't make those mistakes."

The Colts could not afford any mistakes when overcoming second-half deficits of 14 and 20 points to beat Friendly and William Campbell, respectively. Plus, they showed poise to hold off Ballou's last-second attempt to win.

Since Woodson's school grounds are being rebuilt, the Warriors have no home field, thus the game will be played at Eastern, the annual site of the Turkey Bowl. The 11 a.m. kickoff is also the same time that the title game starts.

"Same time, same place," Williams said. "We'll be ready if we get there."

Coolidge vs. H.D. Woodson Saturday, 11 a.m., at Eastern