Suitland powers past Laurel to seal playoff spot

Before Saturday's game at Laurel, Suitland High School football coach Ed Shields told his players a victory would assure them of a postseason berth.

That was all the motivation the Rams needed as they rolled to a 34-0 decision over the Spartans in a Prince George's County 4A League game.

Senior quarterback Devonte Lindsey threw for 136 yards and two touchdowns for Suitland, and Jason Johnson had four catches for 94 yards. Dontrewell Kelley, Kevin Williams and Keith Brown added rushing scores for the Rams (7-1), who won their seventh in a row since a season-opening loss to unbeaten Henry A. Wise.

The District Heights school remained in second place behind Wise in the 4A South Region standings with two regular season games left. The top four teams in each region advance to the state playoffs.

After a sluggish start, Suitland dominated the final three quarters to secure a playoff berth for the eighth year in a row. Shields said the Rams kept their focus despite rain that turned Laurel's home field into a mud pool in the second half.

"We need to get used to playing in the rain and performing," said Shields, whose team committed four penalties in the opening quarter. "You got to perform, no one cares it's raining."

"We couldn't let up, no matter what the weather was," said Lindsey. "I'm used to throwing a wet ball."

Lindsey, who helped rally Suitland to a key 21-20 overtime victory against Charles H. Flowers two weeks ago, put the Rams on track Saturday with two scoring drives late in the first half. He found Jason Johnson (four catches, 94 yards) near the right sideline for a 40-yard score with 2 minutes, 54 seconds left in the second quarter.

After the Rams' defense thwarted a Laurel fake punt attempt deep in the Spartan territory, Lindsey and Jason Johnson hooked up for a 28-yard play. Williams followed with a 1-yard score, giving Suitland a 21-0 halftime advantage.

The rain picked up intensity as Laurel's homecoming festivities commenced during halftime. And when the second half began, Suitland continued being a spoiler, as Kelley's 4-yard run capped a 10-play, 45-yard drive. The Rams blocked a Laurel punt, and Lindsey followed with a 20-yard score to Jeremiah Johnson with 1:50 remaining in the third.

Laurel coach Brian Moore said he thought a 15-yard personal foul penalty against his team in the second quarter sparked Suitland. The Spartans (3-5) crossed into Rams' territory only twice.

"They handled the rain better than we did," said Moore. "They were able to execute taking snaps. We couldn't get the snap for two or three straight drives."

The Rams play host to Parkdale next weekend before ending the regular season at Eleanor Roosevelt in a game that will have huge implications for regional playoff seeding. Buoyed by the memory of late coach Nick Lynch, who died last December in a car accident, Suitland is seeking its third state championship this decade.

"We've had some struggles and difficulties like all teams," said Jeremiah Johnson, a senior captain who's given a verbal commitment to the University of Maryland. But there isn't a person on this team who says, 'I don't want to do this.' Everyone has a passion and wants it."

This story is from The Gazette group of community newspapers published by Post-Newsweek Media, a unit of The Washington Post Co.