H.D. Woodson Leans On Young in Win Over Coolidge

The action during an H.D. Woodson game naturally follows senior quarterback Ricardo Young. But the highlights don't only occur between the hash marks; the way Young interacts with Warriors Coach Greg Fuller is sometimes even more entertaining.

"Oh, man, he gets crazy sometimes," Young said. "I never knew coaches could flip out the way he does, but I know it's because he wants me to do good things."

On Saturday afternoon, Young did plenty to make Fuller smile -- and also turn his voice hoarse. The Virginia Tech recruit completed 11 of 19 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score as Woodson scored the game's final 24 points in a 24-13 victory over Coolidge in a D.C. Interscholastic Athletic Association game at Eastern.

Fuller has praised the ability and potential of Young throughout the three seasons that Young has been his starting quarterback, so much that he allows Young to call some plays.

"He's a very cerebral quarterback, but he has to make the right changes," Fuller said. "He has a tendency to think he knows more than most people and that gets him in trouble sometimes."

And if Young doesn't make the right decision, Fuller is likely to start screaming, stomping along the Woodson sideline, flailing his arms and looking skyward for an answer.

Take, for example, on a second-and-two play at midfield in the third quarter, when Young decided to make an audible and throw a screen pass. Fuller took issue with the decision.

"Why didn't he just sneak it?" he yelled rhetorically to a couple of assistants, who knew better than to respond. Then, looking at Young, he yelled, "What's the matter with you?"

"If he doesn't like the play I change," Young said, "you know it's coming when I get to the sideline."

But then there are sequences where Young shows why he is given such freedom to audible. Coolidge (3-2) broke to a 13-0 lead midway through the first quarter, thanks to great field possession on its first two possessions.

On Woodson's third drive Young completed all six of his passes to three different receivers for 61 yards. He also ran for two first downs, before hitting Renito Porter on a 17-yard pass in the right corner of the end zone to make it 13-6.

After a Coolidge punt, Young's 20-yard run on third and five highlighted a drive that he capped two plays later when he snuck it in from a yard out to make it 13-12.

Coolidge punted again less than two minutes before halftime, and two plays later, Young hit Darius Redman on a short post pattern that Redman turned into an 85-yard touchdown to give Woodson (2-3) the lead for good, 18-13.

Woodson sealed the victory in the opening minute of the fourth quarter when Dejohn Evans scored on a 20-yard run to cap the scoring.

H.D. Woodson 24, Coolidge 13 Start in Park: The game started 20 minutes late because Coolidge's bus was double-parked deep in its parking lot and was late to the game. Tough Loss: Coolidge's running game suffered a blow when senior Christopher Strong went down on the Colts' second play from scrimmage with a left ankle injury and didn't return.