OXON HILL – Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr. used a powerful second half to defeat Frederick Douglass, 49-12 at Oxon Hill High School Saturday night. As Douglass won the coin toss and took the ball on offense, quarterback Jajuan Payton became a key for the Eagles early on as he gained yard after yard on […]
OXON HILL – Dr. Henry A. Wise, Jr. used a powerful second half to defeat Frederick Douglass, 49-12 at Oxon Hill High School Saturday night.
As Douglass won the coin toss and took the ball on offense, quarterback Jajuan Payton became a key for the Eagles early on as he gained yard after yard on his way to a first down. However, on the next third down, Douglass got a little careless with the football when Wise defensive tackle Gerald Tucker made a hit and recovered the fumble.
The turnover led to running back John Oliver scoring the first points on an easy 1-yard touchdown run up the middle to make the score 7-0. It was one of two touchdowns he had on the night.
When the Pumas regained the football, it was their turn to be sloppy with the ball. David Medley coughed it up and watched as Douglass cornerback Isaiah Magruder scooped it up and returned it for a touchdown. The half end ed with Wise holding a one-point lead.
It wasn’t until the third quarter that the defending 4A state champs put their foot on the gas. The Pumas had a lot of success throwing the ball against the Eagles in the second half as they found mismatches in height over the Eagles’ defensive backs.
“We saw a lot of mismatches inside their secondary, size-wise. It wasn’t for technique. We felt like we could go up top whenever we wanted to,” said Wise Head Coach DaLawn Parrish.
Wise quarterback Jabari Laws went 9-for-15 for 217 yards and four second-half touchdowns. Early in the half, Laws found his top receiver in Isaiah Hazel down the field for a 54-yard touchdown pass. The Pumas’ two-point conversion was completed to make the score 15-6.
Hazel is one of the Pumas’ top scoring options and received his first offer from the University of Maryland back in July.
“At halftime, we had a talk and came out and Jabari found me down the field,” Hazel said. “I just caught the ball and scored and I did my best. We did what we had to do as a team.”
On the ensuing kickoff, the Eagles’ Kollin Smith ran back the kick for a touchdown to narrow the deficit to three (15-12).
After the Pumas got the ball back, Laws had a 25-yard run to set up an easy touchdown for Medley. The score extended Wise’s lead to 21-12.
Medley’s touchdown opened the flood gates, as every one of the Pumas’ drives after ended with a touchdown. First Laws hit Malcolm Sumler for an 11-yard touchdown with a completed two-point conversion. Next was a 3-yard touchdown run by Oliver. The next two possessions were also Laws touchdown throws, with one being a 34-yarder to Khyree Jackson while the other toss went to Demetri Morsell.
Oliver had a good day as well, carrying the football 15 times for 100 yards. Together the duo put the game out of reach.
“The running game is phenomenal here at Dr. Henry Wise, from my running back coach to Coach P,” Oliver said. “They trust me a lot and I just got to keep pushing the ball.”
The defensive line for the Pumas was spectacular to watch, as the unit recorded several sacks on Eagles quarterback Payton and stymied running back Maceo Barbosa.
Wise 0 7 22 20 – 49
Douglass 0 6 6 0 – 12
Second quarter
DW – John Oliver 1-yard TD run
FD – Isaiah Magruder fumble return TD
Third quarter
DW – Jabari Laws 54-yard TD pass to Isaiah Hazel
FD – Kollin Smith kickoff return TD
DW – David Medley touchdown run
DW – Laws 11-yard TD pass to Malcolm Sumler
Fourth Quarter
DW – Oliver 3-yard touchdown run
DW – Laws 34-yard TD pass to Khyree Jackson
DW – Laws TD pass to Demetri Morsell